Tag: Stephen Gethins

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to remote communities in Nepal affected by the earthquakes to prepare for and cope with winter.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal now stands at £70 million, making it one of the largest bilateral donors to the humanitarian response. With the onset of winter DFID is stepping up its support, particularly for communities in high altitudes. We are providing over 200,000 people with clothes, blankets, shelter kits, cooking stoves and solar lamps; reaching an additional 60,000 people with temporary shelter; and helping over 58,000 internally displaced people currently living in makeshift camps. In addition, we are providing logistic support to help transport emergency relief overland, including with mules and porters, to the most remote areas. We are also supporting helicopter operations to reach out to remote high altitude regions.

The UK support to the humanitarian response has already delivered important results including: 5,600,000 people benefitting from the restoration of healthcare services in their area; 200,000 benefitting from shelter support; and 80,000 people receiving cash transfers for restoration of houses and livelihoods.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has a proposed timeline by which it will publish all data on contractors and suppliers used in the disbursement of ODA in accordance with the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee.

Mr David Lidington

As stated in our International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) implementation plan published in March 2013 we are committed to complying with the IATI standards and UK Aid Guarantee whilst maintaining the safety and security of the UK, our staff our partners or compromising our diplomatic relations with other countries. This duty of care extends to our contractors and suppliers and whilst we are keen to be as transparent as possible we do not wish to jeopardise the lives and security of people or companies we work with. At present there is no timeline for publication as we are still determining if and how we can do this in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.

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 his EU counterparts on tensions 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. 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. On 18 April, I raised Nagorno-Karabakh at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg and expressed my desire to see the Co-Chairs inject new energy into the process. 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 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what reports she has received on the reasons for delays in the establishment of the UN Verification and Investigation Mechanism.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) is a new mechanism, developed by the UN. It involves setting up an internationally-staffed maritime verification centre which is expected to replace the existing informal Coalition mechanism.

The UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator has been working with the Government of Yemen and other relevant parties to ensure that UNVIM is established in the most effective way and can fit with the requirements of UNSCR 2216.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he (a) has made and (b) plans to make to the UN Security Council on steps to promote (i) constructive engagement in peace talks by parties involved in the conflict, (ii) improved humanitarian access and (iii) compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions 2201 and 2216 which condemned Houthi actions, recognised President Hadi as the legitimate President of Yemen, and called on all parties to engage in good faith in UN-brokered negotiations. We remain fully supportive of the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and the resumption of an inclusive political process. We are urging all parties to engage in good faith with the UN process.

Improving humanitarian access is a top priority and all parties to the conflict must take all reasonable steps to facilitate safe and sustained access for humanitarian aid. The UK has committed £75 million in humanitarian aid in response to the situation.

We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We take such allegations very seriously and regularly raise the issue and seek assurance of IHL compliance with the Government of Yemen and the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition. We have also been clear with the Houthis that actions taken must comply with IHL.

The UK continues to play a leading role in trying to improve the situation in Yemen. I chaired a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last month to encourage all parties to get behind the UN political process to achieve lasting peace and to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) also co-chaired a humanitarian side-event during the UN General Assembly to raise the profile of the humanitarian situation and encourage additional funding from donors.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

Grant Shapps

We remain deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan. In October 2015, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessed that 3.9 million South Sudanese people were severely food insecure in September, an 80% increase compared to last year at the same time and unprecedented in the country. The IPC found 30,000 people in Unity state experiencing catastrophic food insecurity. The risk of famine in the absence of urgent and immediate unrestricted humanitarian access is very real.

The UK is second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan £172m has been committed since the start of the crisis in December 2013, along with an additional £88.9m to the regional response for South Sudanese refugees.

The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan has sought $1.63 billion to meet the most urgent needs until the end of 2015 and it is so far 55% funded. The low level of funding is concerning. The UK Government continues to urge the international community to respond as we have and follow our lead.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support access of humanitarian supplies and access by aid workers to Taiz City, Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Taiz city continues to experience intense fighting, which is making it extremely difficult for aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance. Their efforts to access the city and provide relief have been consistently blocked by parties to the conflict over the past month.

The UK continues to call on all parties to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered access to all people in need in Yemen. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support UN and NGO partners’ efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Taiz city.