Tag: Stephen Twigg

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the immediate establishment of an international, impartial investigation into repeated international humanitarian law violations by all parties to the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government has been clear that we want to see thorough and conclusive investigations where allegations have been made against parties to the conflict in Yemen regarding international humanitarian law. The Saudi Arabian government has its own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail on how they investigate such incidents earlier this year and that any lessons learned would be acted upon. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to comply with international humanitarian law, including to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Saudi Arabia and other Coalition states in Yemen cooperate with the UN to develop and implement an action plan to end and prevent violations against children.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and Saudi Arabia on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policy of the recent UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict and its Annex which lists the Saudi-led Coalition as committing grave violations against children in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of the UN Secretary General’s annual report on Children in Armed Conflict which was published on 2 June, which includes a section outlining the impact of the conflict in Yemen on children. The conflict in Yemen has had a significant impact on children, in terms of the numbers of child casualties, the recruitment of children as soldiers, and attacks on hospitals and schools. We consider all these reports very carefully. We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and Saudi Arabia on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter. A political solution remains the best way to bring this conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people to an end. The UK Government remains fully committed to this endeavour.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate the family reunification process for unaccompanied children in Europe with family in the UK.

James Brokenshire

The Government continues to work with key EU Member States to ensure the Dublin Regulation family reunification process works effectively.

Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK and France have committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively. To assist the handling of such cases, the two Governments have established a permanent official contact group, agreed single points of contact within respective Dublin Units and we have seconded an asylum expert to the French administration to facilitate the improvement of all stages of the process. The UK and France are running regular joint communication campaigns in northern France which inform unaccompanied children and others of their right to claim asylum in France and of the family reunion process.

We are also providing support to the Dublin Units in Greece and Italy bilaterally and through European Asylum Support Office. On 4 May we announced the Government will work with local authorities on plans to resettle unaccompanied children from Europe. We are looking to transfer children who were already present in Europe before the EU-Turkey deal came into force on 20 March, where it is in their best interests.

We will work closely with local authorities to implement this initiative. It is important that we ensure we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK, as well as ensuring we have the right support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. We will also consult relevant Non-Governmental Organisations, the UNHCR, UNICEF and Member States.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its support for education in its target countries reaches (a) girls and (b) other marginalised groups.

Mr Nick Hurd

Providing a good quality education for all children, especially girls and those who are most disadvantaged is a priority for the Department. The UK supported 11 million children in school between 2010 and 2015. We have again committed to support 11 million children in the poorest countries gain a decent education by 2020. The UK has specifically committed to support 6.5 million girls in school by 2020. Our flagship Girls Education Challenge is ensuring that up to 1 million marginalised girls, progress through school with improved learning outcomes. In July DFID will be hosting a Girls’ Education Forum to drive the implementation of Global Goal 4 for girls and agree actions for making faster progress on girls’ education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the de-listing of the Saudi-led coalition in the UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict, published in April 2016, on civilian protection and the wider humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Sir Desmond Swayne

We are aware of the UN Secretary General’s annual report on Children in Armed Conflict, which includes a section outlining the impact of the conflict in Yemen on children. It is important that all sides to the conflict conduct investigations into incidents of concern. To that end, we welcome the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that the United Nations and the Saudi-led Coalition will review jointly the cases and numbers cited in the text. In parallel, we continue to urge all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to ensure civilians, particularly women and children, are protected in Yemen, and to allow and facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to replace programme partnership arrangements.

Priti Patel

I am currently considering the outcomes of my Department’s Civil Society Partnership Review, and will aim to publish it shortly.

In July 2015, the then Secretary of State for International Development announced a 9 month extension of all PPA financing, providing 18 months-notice that all current PPA financing would come to an end in December 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will consider extending current programme partnership arrangements until a replacement mechanism is introduced.

Priti Patel

I am currently considering the outcomes of my Department’s Civil Society Partnership Review, and will aim to publish it shortly.

In July 2015, the then Secretary of State for International Development announced a 9 month extension of all PPA financing, providing 18 months-notice that all current PPA financing would come to an end in December 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support a UN Inquiry into human violations against the Rohingya.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is planning to publish an LGBT Theory of Change.

Grant Shapps

A document describing “DFID’s approach to LGBT rights” will be published on UK Government website by the end of 2015. A theory of change will be available with this.