Tag: Stephen Doughty

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) ECOWAS and (b) the African Union on ensuring free and fair elections in the Gambia in 2016.

James Duddridge

The UK has not yet had discussions with either ECOWAS or the African Union about the December 2016 Presidential elections in The Gambia. The 2011 Presidential elections in The Gambia were overseen by both EU funded election observers and the African Union, and recognised by the international community as reflecting the will of the people. We will work with our EU and regional partners to encourage the Gambian authorities to ensure the next Presidential election also meets accepted standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of steel used in projects and in equipment procured by his Department in each of the last six years was manufactured in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne

Steel has been sourced by our contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, reflecting the need to ensure a competitive price and delivery at the required time and quality, and UK suppliers have made a significant contribution to this.

Supply chains are complex and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a complete, centralised record of steel procurement for projects and equipment, either in terms of quantity or country of origin, over the past six years. But for the largest defence procurement project during this period, construction of the two Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, some 77,000 tonnes out of a total of 82,000 tonnes of steel used was manufactured in the UK.

Our new Government guidelines, which have been implemented in the MOD, will help UK steel suppliers to compete effectively for future defence projects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints from members of the public were received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) relating to the closure of the HMRC enquiry centre in Cardiff in the last 18 months.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs does not hold this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much and what proportion of his Department’s overseas development assistance budget his Department spent was subject to the International Development Act 2002 in each of the last three years.

Mr David Lidington

All of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation has been subject to the International Development Act since its enactment. This has amounted to: £321 million in financial year 2013/14; £344 million in financial year 2014/15 and is estimated to be over £400 million for the financial year 2015/16.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what revenue has been generated by the HGV levy for foreign operators in each of the last 24 months.

Andrew Jones

HGV levy revenue from foreign-registered vehicles is shown in the table. This gives figures from April 2014, when the levy started, up to the most recent available month. This shows that since April 2014 £91.2 million has been raised from foreign-registered vehicles. Note that the figures for April 2014 and March 2015 are high because they include a relatively high number of annual levy purchases.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average weekly personal independence payment was to people in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson

At the end of January 2016 the average amount payable to PIP recipients in the Cardiff South and Penarth parliamentary constituency was £89.85 per week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on Turkish facilitated talks between Somalia and Somaliland.

James Duddridge

The next round of Turkish facilitated talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland were due to take place in Ankara on 31 May but we understand that they have been delayed. We hope that the talks, which are an effort to promote genuine dialogue and cooperation, will be able to continue shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings at official level her Department has had with the Department for International Trade in which her Department’s budget was discussed.

Rory Stewart

We hold regular meetings with colleagues across Whitehall including with the Department for International Trade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) training and (b) specific operational advice has been provided to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on (i) political authorisation of military operations, (ii) targeting of aerial operations and (iii) after-action reviews on operations in Yemen in the last 12 months.

Sir Michael Fallon

As part of our ongoing Defence engagement with Saudi Arabia the UK has provided training to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) both in the UK and in Saudi Arabia, including International Targeting courses for RSAF personnel, to improve their targeting processes and to support International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance.

The UK has supported the development of the coalition Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) and delivered two training sessions in Saudi Arabia on the process for investigating alleged IHL violations. The UK has not been directly involved in investigations undertaken by the JIAT, has not provided any specific operational advice to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for operations in Yemen and has not provided training on political authorisation of military operations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security and political situation in Helmand province, Afghanistan; and what support the Government (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide to stabilise the situation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Afghan Security Forces have been tested by a determined insurgency in Helmand Province this year, resulting in a temporary loss of ground in some areas. The Afghan Security Forces have been reinforced, and are responding well.

A small contingent of UK military training advisers, drawn from our existing contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission, have deployed to Helmand in a non-combat role as part of a larger NATO team. The UK, with our international partners, will remain steadfast in our support for the Afghan Government and people, including in their efforts to bring enduring peace and security to Afghanistan.