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.
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 the Government’s priorities will be in its negotiation of a new fishing agreement with the EU.
George Eustice
The Government’s priority is to negotiate a fair allocation of fishing opportunities and also to deliver its manifesto commitments to sustainable fisheries and to the ending of discards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements have been made to accommodate private aircraft at the Leuchars military base.
Harriett Baldwin
The airfield at Leuchars Station does not routinely receive private aircraft. However, visiting aircraft can be parked, including overnight, on the aircraft servicing platforms by the side of the runway. This does not impede any military flying.
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 Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new job vacancies have been advertised in his Department each month in 2016 to date.
Sir Alan Duncan
Since 31 December 2015, the FCO has advertised 68 new UK-based job vacancies in the Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) and the Prosperity Fund, which are cross-Whitehall programmes administered by the FCO. These jobs are funded by the CSSF and Prosperity Fund respectively, not by the FCO administrative budget. The jobs are advertised at 5 weekly intervals.
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 discussions her Department has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the UK’s position on fisheries in its negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
George Eustice
To date we have had no discussions with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the UK’s position on fisheries in relation to negotiations on leaving the EU. However, I spoke to Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Fisheries Minister, shortly after the referendum and explained that we would be holding discussions with all devolved administrations later in the year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on UK universities’ ability to attract high-quality students and researchers from across Europe.
Joseph Johnson
The UK has a long-established system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. We fund excellent research wherever it is found and ensure there is the freedom to tackle important scientific questions. HM Treasury’s announcement on underwriting EU research funding awarded while we remain EU members, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU, underlines our commitment to maintain the UK as an attractive place to conduct research and innovation.
The Government has also announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017/2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants, and will be for the duration of their course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.
James Brokenshire
The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU 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.