Tag: Stephen Gethins

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy is on aid graduation when a country transitions from low to middle income status.

Justine Greening

DFID’s allocation of aid to countries is based on a range of criteria, including for example whether a country is classified as low income by the World Bank, current and future poverty levels, the opportunities available to us to reduce these levels through aid spending, and the country’s ability to finance its own development needs. Ministers regularly review which countries receive DFID funding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times the UK has voted against an EU proposal at final adoption since 8 May 2015.

Mr David Lidington

Voting records on EU proposals are available on the Council of the European Union website. This includes the legislation, the voting rules and how Member States voted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is planned that officials of his Department will attend the trial of Egyptian non-governmental organisations scheduled for 20 April 2016 in Cairo.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Representatives of the Embassy attended the previous hearing on 24 March, and plan to attend the next hearing on 20 April. We are deeply concerned by growing restrictions on civil society in Egypt. I encourage the government of Egypt to work with civil society organisations to implement the rights guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution and allow non-government organisations to operate freely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with Ministers from the devolved administrations since he took office.

Mr David Davis

The Government will fully involve the devolved administrations, including Scotland, as we prepare for negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU. We are working towards securing the best possible deal for the whole UK, and we will work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

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, whether her Department plans to seek to uphold the principle of relative stability in fish stock allocation in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice

We are considering a range of options on how best fish stocks should be allocated between countries when we leave the EU. There are clear principles set out in UNCLOS regarding the importance of cooperation on the allocation of stocks and on sharing access.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to exempt people in receipt of war pensions or armed forces compensation payments from health reassessments.

Mark Lancaster

Veterans UK do not routinely conduct health re-assessments once awards have been made. There are provisions under both schemes for recipients to seek a review of the level of compensation being paid.

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.