Tag: Stephen Gethins

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

Jane Ellison

The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our European Union membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14345, what steps her Department takes to ensure that aid graduation is sustainable where the Government’s contribution is provided through a multilateral institution.

Justine Greening

The Department is currently undertaking a Multilateral Aid Review which will inform our funding decisions and our reform priorities for the multilateral agencies that we work with.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has provided to UNOCHA for work in Libya to date.

Mr Desmond Swayne

As part of DFID’s humanitarian programme in Libya, we are funding a secondment position within the UN’s Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) until August 2016. This OCHA position will support a more coordinated international response, and the establishment of an information management system to strengthen understanding of the humanitarian situation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of the Russian Federation on tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr David Lidington

On 11 April, the National Security Adviser (NSA) discussed the recent upsurge in fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh with senior Russian officials in Moscow. The NSA expressed concern about the recent violence and support for the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts to reach a negotiated peace settlement. The British Embassy in Moscow will follow up these discussions with Russian counterparts at working level.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to announce her decision on the Scottish Government’s consultation on the five remaining cross-border or offshore marine special protection areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

I wrote to the Scottish Government on 2 September giving agreement to public consultation starting on four proposed marine Special Protection Areas that are partly in offshore waters. I also informed the Scottish Government that Defra was not yet in a position to start consultation on the English part of the proposed Solway Firth Special Protection Area, but that we would keep them updated on our position.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government plans to include Ministers of the Scottish Government in its negotiations on fisheries with the EU.

George Eustice

We will be holding discussions with all devolved administrations to determine how we will approach negotiations on fisheries with the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14345, if her Department will publish a position proper on the criteria it uses to ensure aid graduation is sustainable.

Justine Greening

The Department is currently undertaking a Bilateral Aid Review which will determine the countries that we will provide direct bilateral assistance to over the next five years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31131, for what reason the amount of financial assistance her Department has provided to UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015 was not supplied in that Answer.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has provided £19,867 to support UNOCHA for its work in Libya since 1 April 2015. This was to provide surge support for coordination to UNOCHA during the production of the Humanitarian Response Plan. The secondment came to a close unexpectedly early. Following a decision by OCHA not to replace the coordinator, we have used some of the remaining funds to second an Emergency Health Sector Coordinator within WHO since November 2015 at a cost of £34,614 in response to priority needs. In addition, we are currently brokering a further surge secondment to OCHA and at this point in time the costs are not finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on regulation relating to air quality.

George Eustice

Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, food and drink and our environment remain in place.

Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. It is also vital that British farming is profitable and remains competitive – it is the bedrock of the food and drink industry, Britain’s largest manufacturing sector.

The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44230, whether the staff in his Department are new employees or have been seconded from other Departments.

Mr David Jones

The Department for Exiting the EU now has over 200 staff in London, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are regularly reviewed. We will ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with the task at hand.

The Department will include staff and officials from various departments across Government. The Department has already started drawing together expertise with staff from around 20 Departments and organisations from across Government.