Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

389822

registered interest
date	14/07/2015
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: Overseas Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons Zimbabwe: Commercial Opportunities, published by the British Embassy in in Harari, in June 2015, did not refer to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	7149
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text The focus of the Commercial Opportunities paper was to provide UK companies with information about potential areas for commercial activity and where the British Embassy can assist. The Embassy routinely briefs UK firms on doing business in Zimbabwe, promoting ethical and corporate best practice as well as compliance with relevant legislation. answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 21/07/2015 12:47:44 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

389827

registered interest
date	14/07/2015
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	Boko Haram
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support African countries in counter-terrorism efforts against Boko Haram.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	7110
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2015 answer text The UK, in close coordination with the US and France, continues to support Nigeria and its neighbours in their fight against Boko Haram. The UK is providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria. We have also contributed £5 million to support efforts to establish a Multinational Joint Taskforce against Boko Haram. We are looking to expand our support to Nigeria even further. The Prime Minister has met President Buhari twice, including during the G7 Summit, to discuss how we could best help Nigeria win the fight against Boko Haram, including increasing UK Military Assistance to the region. The National Security Council has agreed that Nigeria will be a Foreign Policy priority and we have established a new cross Government unit dedicated to that task. answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 20/07/2015 15:18:27 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

389233

registered interest
date	13/07/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Burundi: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her policy is on providing additional funds to the Regional Refugee Response Plan for the situation in Burundi.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	6798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2015 answer text <p>We are seriously concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Burundi.</p><p> </p><p>To support the international response and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Burundi Regional Refugee Response Plan, DFID has provided £9.25million to support relief efforts for Burundian refugees fleeing to Tanzania and £3.9million to support Burundian refugees in Rwanda. This funding will be deployed to provide life-saving activities (water and sanitation infrastructure, shelter, health and food rations).</p><p> </p><p>We have deployed human resources to improve the quality of the response (a secondment to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to work with the country team in Burundi to strengthen coordination and planning, as well as a DFID Humanitarian Advisor to work with Tanzania and Rwanda DFID offices to monitor the situation and develop appropriate programme responses).</p><p> </p><p>DFID is also the main donor to the international NGO consortium START network, which provides funding to international NGOs to rapidly respond to emergencies and build the capacity of local NGOs. DFID has provided £13.7million to the network for its global operations since April 2014. To support the humanitarian response to the Burundian situation, START has so far released £442,327 in Burundi, £275,281 in Rwanda, £ 430,203 in Tanzania and £330,000 in the DRC.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>DFID continues to work closely with the FCO to monitor the situation in Burundi and in the surrounding areas and to work with our partners to respond to needs on the ground.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 16/07/2015 16:13:15 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

389537

registered interest
date	13/07/2015
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	Eritrea: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea brought before the UN Human Rights Council on 4 June 2015, what steps he has taken to (a) ensure that no UK or EU funding is provided to Eritrea that in any way strengthens or enhances their capability to repress or oppress the Eritrean people, (b) follow up the Commission's finding within the UN and (c) provide assistance to the UN Somali/Eritrea Monitoring Group in investigating alleged abuses by the Eritrean government.
tabling member constituency	Holborn and St Pancras
tabling member printed	Keir Starmer
uin	6782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2015 answer text <p>The UK does not provide direct funding to the Government of Eritrea. The only funding from the UK in Eritrea is to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). We also give core funding to a number of multilateral organisations that work in Eritrea, including the African Development Bank, EU and Global Fund. The EU’s development funds are conditional under the terms of the Cotonou Agreement. The EU’s 2014-20 development funding for Eritrea is under discussion and has not yet been approved. We share the Commission of Inquiry’s concerns regarding human rights in Eritrea, in particular widespread arbitrary detention and shortcomings in the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms. We regret the Government of Eritrea’s failure to receive the Commission in Asmara, which compelled the Commission to rely on witnesses who are outside the country. The UN Human Rights Council, of which the UK is a member, voted on 2 July 2015 to extend the Commission’s mandate for one year to allow the Commission to further investigate the human rights situation in Eritrea. The UK will continue to engage closely with the Commission, and with other parts of the UN system, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea. The Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group’s (SEMG) mandate is not to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Eritrea. The SEMG’s remit is to investigate any attempts by the Government of Eritrea to destabilise the Horn of Africa by supplying arms or financial support to Al-Shabaab. The SEMG is due to submit its full report to the UN Security Council this autumn. We have made clear to Eritrea that it must cooperate fully with the Monitoring Group.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 20/07/2015 14:28:40 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4514 label Biography information for Keir Starmer

389538

registered interest
date	13/07/2015
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	Central African Republic: Peace Negotiations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK is giving to interfaith peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives in the Central African Republic.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	6783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>Our priority is to support international efforts to protect CAR’s population from ongoing violence. Addressing religious tensions is part of this.</p><p>The UK welcomes the work done by the Inter-Religious Platform and non-governmental organisations to defuse the tensions and promote social cohesion at community level. We will continue to work with the EU and UN to support this work. <br> <br>The UK remains one of the largest humanitarian donors to CAR, providing £51 million through Non Governmental Organisations and international organisations to assist CAR populations and CAR refugees since 2013.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 21/07/2015 12:51:43 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

389551

registered interest
date	13/07/2015
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	South Sudan: Peace Negotiations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to assist faith and community-led reconciliation efforts in South Sudan.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	6638
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2015 answer text <p>The UK supports faith and community-led reconciliation efforts through funding to the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission (SSPRC) to enable mitigation of potential local conflicts; support to the Catholic Relief Services in coordinating conflict prevention; support to a cross-border conflict mitigation programme on the Sudanese border; and support of a nation-wide survey on how communities resolve local disputes through the Community Security and Arms Control Programme (CSAC). On 28 May 2015 officials at the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office used a social media channel to express support for a statement of the South Sudanese Council of Churches that condemned the recent Human Rights violations and emphasised the need to bring an immediate end to the conflict.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 20/07/2015 14:24:01 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

388966

registered interest
date	09/07/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Land
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department plans to support the development of land registries in developing countries.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
uin	6375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>The Department for International Development (DFID) targets improvements in overall land governance to support economic development and poverty reduction. DFID funded programmes over the last 5 years have helped to secure the land and property rights of 5.8 million people in developing countries. Our programmes range from supporting the development of land registries and issuance of land titles (for example in Rwanda and Ethiopia) to addressing land-related conflict (for example in Sudan) and supporting community legal empowerment (as in Kenya or Mozambique). We have recently launched a new global programme, Land-Enhancing Governance for Economic Development (LEGEND), which is providing expert advice to our country offices to help design and implement programmes to deliver additional results in this area.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 21/07/2015 13:25:51 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

388596

registered interest
date	08/07/2015
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	Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Companies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Congo to ensure that UK companies are paid for infrastructure works undertaken in Congo on behalf of the Congelese government.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	6217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2015 answer text <p>We are aware of a small number of cases where British companies have found it difficult to enforce contracts and secure payment for services provided to state bodies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Whilst legal channels remain the best route for contractors to pursue unpaid bills, and officials at our Embassy in Kinshasa are unable to become involved in private legal matters, officials have recently formally contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa to draw its attention to an individual case with the aim of highlighting our interest in seeing a timely and fair solution to disputes involving British companies</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 16/07/2015 13:40:57 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

388686

registered interest
date	08/07/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Overseas Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that all UK international aid is responsive to (a) climate change and (b) low carbon emissions; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	North Down
tabling member printed	Lady Hermon
uin	6196
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2015 answer text <p>DFID’s responsibilities on climate and environment derive from the International Development Act’s commitment to sustainable development, based on the substantial evidence that poverty eradication is not possible without tackling climate change. Climate and environment risks and opportunities are considered as part of DFID’s programing to ensure it supports climate resilience and lower carbon growth to eradicate poverty. The capacity of DFID staff to do this has been developed through DFID’s ‘Future Fit’ programme which has worked with all DFID spending departments to develop climate plans.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the UK’s flagship International Climate Fund (ICF) has been used to integrate climate issues in DFID programmes in climate vulnerable sectors such as forestry, water, agriculture and disaster management. The ICF has already helped 15m people cope with the impacts of climate change, and created 39,000 jobs many of them in low carbon energy programmes that have provided access to low carbon energy to more than 2.8m people.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 15/07/2015 15:31:42 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	1437 label Biography information for Lady Hermon

388315

registered interest
date	07/07/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Internet
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with (a) her international counterparts and (b) UN bodies on the provision of cheap and effective internet access to communities in developing countries.
tabling member constituency	Bradford East
tabling member printed	Imran Hussain
uin	5772
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2015 answer text <p>Technology has the potential to increase the impact and value for money of UK Aid; and to pull people out of poverty. Many of DFID’s programmes enable communities to access life-changing products and services via the internet, often through a simple mobile phone.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, cost continues to be a barrier to internet access for communities in many developing countries. DFID has supported initiatives such as the Alliance for Affordable Internet – a cross-sector coalition which was formed to bring about policy change to drive down the costs of broadband in developing countries. DFID continues to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders on this agenda including our donor counterparts in the US and Sweden, philanthropic foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network and the World Wide Web Foundation, technology firms including Google and Facebook and bodies such as the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU).</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 14/07/2015 15:17:36 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4394 label Biography information for Imran Hussain