The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the number of jobs supported by the Scotch whisky industry.
George Eustice
The Scotch whisky industry estimates that 10,800 people are directly employed in the industry in Scotland and the sector supports more than 40,000 jobs in total across the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the South East of England that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.
Anna Soubry
HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.
HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to work with Muscular Dystrophy UK on increasing access to hydrotherapy pools for people with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions.
Jane Ellison
NHS England continues to work with Muscular Dystrophy UK through the Bridging the Gap Project, which aims to ensure people with neuromuscular conditions, along with their families, play a leading role in the development and commissioning of the services they use.
NHS England commissions some services for patients with neuromuscular conditions nationally as part of its remit to deliver specialised neurological services. However, the majority of services are provided outside of specialised centres and are the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups to provide, should they deem it clinically appropriate. This includes services such as hydrotherapy.
In 2012 Muscular Dystrophy UK, working with the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) issued a call for research proposals into the clinical effectiveness of hydrotherapy in maintaining physical function in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The call was made because there is little evidence to support the use of hydrotherapy in relation to DMD and other neuromuscular disorders. The NIHR Health Technology Appraisal programme is now funding a pilot study to look at hydrotherapy for the treatment of DMD, with an evaluation report expected in January 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the activities of the organisation Khtame Nabuwwat for the purposes of possible proscription under the provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Mr John Hayes
We keep the list of proscribed groups under regular review. We do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proposals the Government has made in co-operation with the French and Italian governments to the Libyan government on military intervention against Daesh.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK is committed to taking action to prevent Daesh from using Libya as a base from which to plan and carry out attacks.
We are working closely with the new Libyan government and international partners, including France and Italy, to develop a comprehensive approach to defeating it.
As the Foreign Secretary set out in his statement on 19 April, we have discussed, on a contingency basis, with international partners how best to support the new Libyan government. This could include training Libyan security forces to provide their own security. Any support would be in response to a clear request made by the Libyan Government. So far they have made no such request. We have been clear that there are no UK Government plans for the deployment of combat troops to Libya.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to people affected by flooding in Sri Lanka.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK provides substantial funding to international NGOs and UN agencies, enabling them to respond to disasters around the world, including Sri Lanka. This includes the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) , which was established by the UN and other leading donors to enable rapid emergency response. The CERF is doing an assessment of the situation following the rainfall and landslips in Sri Lanka. The UK, along with other leading donors, will provide support as required through this coordinated response mechanism.
The UK is the biggest contributor to the CERF, having provided in excess of $855m in the last 10 years. The UK also provides funding to the European Union humanitarian agency (ECHO) which is also undertaking an assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department considers that the use of cluster munitions is always unlawful under international humanitarian law because of their indiscriminate nature.
Penny Mordaunt
Since becoming a signatory to the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions it is now unlawful for the UK to use cluster munitions under any circumstances.
For those states not currently a signatory to the Oslo Convention then the use of cluster munitions may be legitimate provided that they are used within the clearly defined limitations of International Humanitarian Law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent under each cost heading by UK defence attachés in each year since 2005.
Mike Penning
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Financial data older than six years is not retained by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department is providing for children displaced in the Iraq conflict against Daesh; and what that funding will be used for.
Rory Stewart
On 21 September, the UK announced an extra £40 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq, taking our total commitment to £169.5 million since June 2014. This new support will be targeted specifically to enable a scale up of humanitarian assistance ahead of Mosul operations. An element of this support will aim to help protect civilians displaced as a result of the operations – including children.
The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which the UK has helped thousands of displaced girls and boys to receive education, vaccinations and other forms of support. Our assistance also includes cash programming, which provides the most vulnerable Iraqis with the opportunity to purchase items to address their most urgent needs. For instance, it gives parents the opportunity to buy medicines, clothing and other necessities for their children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterparts during his visit to Turkey between 24 and 27 September 2016 on (a) the rights of Kurdish citizens in Turkey, (b) Kurdish political representation and self-determination within Turkey and (c) Turkish military operations against Kurdish groups in East Turkey and Syria.
Sir Alan Duncan
During his visit to Turkey on 25-27 September, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) discussed with Foreign Minister Cavusoglu the situation in South & East Turkey and the outlook for a possible return to a peace process with the PKK. The Foreign Secretary also discussed with several Turkish interlocutors the situation in Northern Syria, where we encourage cooperation amongst all participants within the Global Coalition to focus on combating the threat posed by Daesh.