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100651

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Zimbabwe
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the situation for women in Zimbabwe.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL2382
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text While laws exist to protect the economic rights of women in Zimbabwe, they are frequently undermined by discriminatory practices, customary law and lack of implementation. In politics, it should be noted that there is a relatively high proportion of females in Parliament. However, women and girls are also disproportionately affected by fragile basic service provision and crumbling infrastructure. The Department for International Development’s programme in Zimbabwe continues to support progress on issues affecting women through work on economic and political empowerment, water and sanitation, health and education and skills development. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 03/11/2014 15:43:30 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

100650

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	India
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Indian authorities regarding Soni Sori.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL2381
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text We are aware of the case of Ms Soni Sori but have made no representations on it. We continue to monitor the general human rights situation in India. This includes maintaining a dialogue with Indian officials , not least through the EU-India human rights dialogue which most recently took place on 27 November 2013. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/11/2014 17:47:58 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark

100704

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Conflict Prevention
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness and outcomes of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy.
	tabling member constituency	Lagan Valley
	tabling member printed	Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson
	uin	211690
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text Progress on the implementation of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) – including through the Conflict Pool – has been reported to Parliament annually since 2011. Progress includes: the achievement of 30% of DFID spending going to fragile states; establishment of cross-HMG strategies for priority fragile or conflict-affected States; the implementation of a cross-HMG tool to analyse drivers of conflict; and changes made to the Conflict Pool to reflect the challenges of spending in high-risk environments, including multi-year funding and the introduction of a dedicated crisis response Early Action Facility (EAF). Once the Conflict Pool comes to a close at the end of FY14/15 the FCO, MOD and DFID will commission an external review, covering the three-year Conflict Pool results framework. This report will be published once completed. The BSOS will continue to be one of the key policy drivers for UK activity in fragile states including under the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which builds on the success of the Conflict Pool and replaces it from financial year 2015/16. As well as responding to crises, the CSSF will also ensure longer term conflict prevention work to tackle the root causes of conflict abroad. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 29/10/2014 16:30:24 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	650 label Biography information for Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson

100611

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Civil Servants: Languages
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how civil servants from all departments with the wish or the potential to benefit from a course at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Language School are identified.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL2342
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text Full-time language training is available to all staff on appointment to one of the 674 designated ‘speaker’ roles based across the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s network of posts overseas. Appointment is made following an advert, application and selection by interview for a position. All positions (including speaker roles) in the Senior Management Service are also advertised across the Civil Service. A number of positions (including speaker roles) in the delegated grades are also advertised across the Civil Service via ‘Interchange’. All FCO staff (or staff from other governmental departments (OGDs) if on Interchange) and their spouses/partners posted to non-speaker roles in a foreign country also have the option of taking up language training to reach a basic level (Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) – A2 Confidence foreign language proficiency) to help settle into a new posting overseas. FCO staff who wish to develop skills in a foreign language can also attend a rolling programme of part-time lunchtime or evening classes in 12 languages. Where there is space in these classes, OGD staff are offered places based on language learning needs analyses by Departments. Language Services Direct (the company who run the FCO Language Centre) also provide part-time classes to a number of OGDs (the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Cabinet Office, the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Department for International Development, Members of Parliament, UK Hydrographic Office) on their own premises or at Language Services Direct premises (HM Revenue and Customs). Language Services Direct also run a bespoke training package for staff from both the FCO and across the Civil Service wishing to apply for positions within EU institutions. A number of OGDs also appoint staff, following their own internal appointment processes, to their own ‘speaker’ roles overseas and are able use the Language Centre for training, or receive training at their own premises from Language Services Direct. To-date over 130 OGD staff have been trained either full-time or part-time at the Centre or at their own premises. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 05/11/2014 15:56:28 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

100674

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on changes in spending on local government since May 2010 on (a) staff morale and motivation and (b) level of services.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	211756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>Whilst savings have been made to help tackle the deficit left by the last Labour Government, they have been over-stated. Local government spending (excluding education) is actually higher than it was under the last Labour Government as the table below illustrates:</p><p><em>Local authority net current expenditure (excluding education) in England (£ million)</em></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2008-09</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2009-10</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2010-11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011-12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>£70,870.578</p></td><td><p>£74,705.768</p></td><td><p>£75,956.637</p></td><td><p>£75,000.191</p></td><td><p>£74,807.852</p></td><td><p>£77,063.700</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><sup>Note: Local government spending on education has structurally fallen due to the transfer of schools to Academy status, which are not funded through Local Education Authorities.</sup></p><p>We have not undertaken any assessment of staff morale, as employment decisions are a matter for local councils as employers. However, residents’ satisfaction is either the same or has increased according to independent surveys:</p><p> </p><p>• Research by ICM has found that 57 per cent of the public think that the quality of public services has improved or stayed the same compared to five years ago. Recycling collections, parks and open spaces, leisure centres and refuse collections are areas where the public think services have particularly improved (ICM Research, <em>BBC News Bailout Anniversary Poll: Attitudes towards public services</em>, September 2013).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>• Opinion research by PwC in 2014 has noted: ‘As with our 2013 survey, almost half of the public we surveyed were unaware of any reductions in local council services in their area. To some extent, this is a testament to the success of local authorities to date in focussing on internal efficiencies while protecting the frontline’ (PwC, <em>The Local State We’re In: PwC’s annual local government survey</em>, 2014, p.7).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>• A Ipsos Mori survey in 2014 has found that two-thirds (63 per cent) of local residents have said that local authority budget reductions have not made a noticeable difference to services (Zurich Municipal, <em>A new world of risk; change for good</em>, July 2014, p.19).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>• The number of respondents who were very or fairly satisfied with the way their local council runs things was 69 per cent in October 2010 (LGA, <em>Polling on resident satisfaction with councils</em>, September 2012). The latest 2014 figures were 70 per cent and 67 per cent (LGA, <em>Polling on resident satisfaction with councils, Full report</em>, January and July 2014).</p><p> </p><p>This shows the scope for the public sector to make sensible savings, whilst protecting frontline services and keeping council tax down.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 03/11/2014 17:01:28 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

100628

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	BBC Media Action: Asia
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of BBC Media Action’s work in Asia; whether they consider it has increased government accountability and enabled access to information there; how that work fits in with their Governance and Rights project; and why the Korean Peninsula is excluded from that approach.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL2359
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>While there have not been assessments carried out specifically on work in Asia, the Department for Internal Development’s Global Grant to BBC Media Action has been assessed in 2012 and 2013. Both reviews assessed BBC Media Action to be exceeding expectations.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 03/11/2014 14:19:07 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

100636

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Saudi Arabia
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding the decision taken on 15 October by the Specialized Criminal Court to sentence to death Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL2367
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>We understand that Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has been sentenced to death. It is still possible for him to appeal the decision.</p><p>The death penalty undermines human dignity and its abolition is a human rights priority for the UK. Government Ministers, our Ambassador in Riyadh and officials from our Embassy raise the issue of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities, both bilaterally and through the EU. We recognise that total abolition of the death penalty is unlikely in Saudi Arabia in the near future. Our focus is therefore on the introduction of EU minimum standards for the death penalty as a first step, and on supporting access to justice and rule of law.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/11/2014 14:26:42 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

100793

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Forces Help to Buy Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications there have been to the Armed Forces' Help to Buy scheme since it was launched in April 2014; and how many applicants to that scheme have successfully secured mortgages through the scheme.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211791
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>We launched the £200 million Forces Help to Buy Scheme in April 2014 to encourage and support those Service families that aspire to home ownership. I am pleased to report that the scheme has proved very popular. As at 28 October 2014, it had received close to 5,000 applications. It has already helped over 1,500 Service personnel get on, or stay on, the property ladder.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 30/10/2014 17:35:20 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

100745

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Immigration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on lowering the minimum income threshold limit required by those wishing to bring family members to the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
	tabling member printed	Joan Walley
	uin	211715
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>We keep the family Immigration Rules under regular review in light of all feedback on their operation. However, we have no plans to lower the minimum income threshold required to bring family members to the UK under those rules. In its 11 July 2014 judgment in MM and Others the Court of Appeal upheld the lawfulness of the requirement and found that it strikes a fair balance between the interests of those affected and the community in general.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 28/10/2014 14:18:27 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	286 label Biography information for Joan Walley

100789

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Syria
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 21 October 2014, Official Report, column 63WS, on the Middle East, how many of the UK's Reaper aircraft will be deployed for surveillance missions over Syria.
	tabling member constituency	North Durham
	tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
	uin	211832
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>We have initially deployed two Reaper aircraft for operations in the Middle East, including for surveillance missions over Syria. As Reaper numbers in Afghanistan reduce we intend to move more to the Middle East, adding to our coverage.</p> answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois question first answered 04/11/2014 17:28:37 answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois previous answer version 25423 answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois
	tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones