The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the Global Goal on Adaption.
Andrea Leadsom
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds North West on 10 November 2015 to Question 14810:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to reply to the letter of 18 January 2016 from the hon. Member for North East Fife on the Royal Mail’s dismissal of David Mitchell.
Nick Boles
I replied to the hon. Member on 4 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on Scotland of the planned implementation of the Polar Code.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters as adopted by the International Maritime Organization addresses the standards and operation of ships in the Polar Regions. It is intended to provide an appropriate level of safety and environmental protection for vessels operating in these regions.
No specific assessment has been made of the Code’s impact on Scotland. However, there was wide consultation with British stakeholders during the negotiation of the Code ahead of it being adopted in the IMO’s safety committee in 2014 and environment committee in 2015. The Government believes that UK ports and shipping industry are well placed to meet their obligations under the Polar Code when it comes into force in 2017, and to ensure that British activities in the Polar Regions continue to be undertaken in a safe and environmentally responsible way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many members of staff his Department has recruited since it was established.
Mr David Jones
The department now has over 180 staff in London. The Department has recruited the brightest and the best from across the civil service and brings together policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and the wider Civil Service.
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, what assessment her Department has made of its capacity to (a) secure and (b) extend UK fishing rights; and whether her Department plans to have in place an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles after the UK leaves the EU.
George Eustice
Exit from the EU presents us with an opportunity under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to improve the way waters in the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone are managed. Defra officials will be working with the Department for Exiting the European Union, Devolved Administrations and stakeholders to develop proposals that will allow the UK to best take advantage of this opportunity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government plans to remain a signatory of the Bologna Declaration after the UK leaves the EU.
Joseph Johnson
The Bologna Process, which created the European Higher Education Area in 2010, is an intergovernmental agreement among 28 countries in the European region. It is not an EU body and therefore UK membership will not be affected by the UK’s departure from the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to support poor communities overseas to tackle the effects of climate change.
Andrea Leadsom
Climate change is one of the most serious threats we face, not just to the environment, but to our economic prosperity, poverty eradication and global security, hitting developing countries the hardest. The Government is committed to combatting the effects of climate change, and supporting the world’s poorest to become more resilient to the effects of a changing climate and to take the clean energy path to growth and prosperity.
The Government has committed to substantially increase the amount of funding we are providing through the International Climate Fund (ICF) to help the most vulnerable countries protect themselves from the effects of climate change. The UK’s money for climate activities will be increased by at least 50%, to a further £5.8 billion of funding from April 2016 to March 2021, including £1.76bn in 2020, from within the existing ODA budget.
Whilst the details of how this new funding will be allocated are still being decided, our support so far has already reached many people and communities, and the UK government stands by our aim to spend 50% of the ICF on adaptation. The ICF to date has helped 15 million adapt, and given 2.6 million people improved access to clean energy. For example, through my Department’s support for the GET FiT programme in Uganda we are helping to create reliable sources of clean energy to support households, businesses and communities which in turn improves the communities’ health and education, and enables businesses to grow. Our investment in the ICF demonstrates Britain’s role in combating climate change and in creating a safer and more prosperous future for us all.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has made towards meeting the International Aid Transparency Initiative’s standards to date.
Mr David Lidington
In March 2013 the Government published an implementation plan outlining how we intended to achieve International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) compliance without compromising the safety and security of the UK, our staff and our partners or without compromising our diplomatic relations with other countries. Since then we have been working towards achieving compliance with the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee. All published Foreign and Commonwelath Office Official Development Assistance information can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-development-assistance-oda–2
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr David Lidington
The UK is deeply concerned about the recent upsurge in fighting on the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact. I issued a statement on 2 April calling for the sides to halt the fighting and to exercise restraint. After four days of intense fighting, a ceasefire was announced on 5 April; although the situation remains tense. While the UK has no direct role in negotiations, we strongly support the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs, who have recently visited the region. We will continue to urge the sides to work with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to reach a negotiated peace settlement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff vacancies remain to be filled in his Department.
Mr David Jones
The department now has over 180 staff in London, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and is still growing rapidly with first class support from other government departments.