The Rana Plaza disaster demonstrated the need for a concerted effort by all stakeholders to address the challenges facing the garments industry in Bangladesh. As well as establishing 2 international initiatives (the Accord and the Alliance), The International Labour Organisation (ILO) worked with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), employer organisations, and trade union representatives to develop the Tripartite National Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity (NTPA) and in 2014 the Government raised the minimum wage for the country\u2019s garment workers by 77%.<\/p>
The Accord has been established as a voluntary, independent, legally binding agreement between Trade Unions and brands: we, and the many stakeholders involved, believe this is a more effective mechanism than making it mandatory. We actively encourage UK companies to join the Accord.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/55", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "New Forest West"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Desmond Swayne"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-10-26T17:26:03.827Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "20"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-10-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bangladesh: Textiles"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 9671, for what reasons the Government cannot mandate companies to join the 2013 Accord on Fire and Safety in Bangladesh.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/304", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Hall Green"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Roger Godsiff"}
], "type" : "http://data.parliament.uk/schema/parl#WrittenParliamentaryQuestion", "uin" : "12284"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/434123", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Development"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/434123/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The UK is playing a leading role in the humanitarian response to the current instability in South Sudan. Through the Common Humanitarian Fund, the UK is financing emergency health and education provision for internally displaced persons and returning refugees, together with UN, US and Norway. We continue to monitor the situation closely and alongside our humanitarian support, we are playing an active role in the ongoing peace negotiations.<\/p>
In terms of our non-humanitarian health and education development programmes, these continue to operate in both the stable and conflict affected states of South Sudan. DFID is providing essential drugs, health worker salaries, and support for girls to complete secondary education as well as a range of other development programmes including skills training for out of school youth, and cash for public works and agricultural production.<\/p>
Regular dialogue and provision of technical assistance by DFID and other partners has resulted in the South Sudan government providing operational transfers to counties and grants to primary schools and healthcare centres in their 2015/16 budget, largely financed through oil revenues. Through an IMF Trust Fund, the UK, EU and Norway are helping the government to strengthen oil sector transparency, while UK supports South Sudan Customs Department to collect non-oil revenues.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3790", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Verma"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Verma"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-12-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-12-16T15:32:08.733Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "20"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-12-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "South Sudan: International Assistance"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what provision they, acting alongside the United Nations, and the governments of Norway and the United States of America, have made for health and education services in South Sudan in the event of the bankruptcy of the relevant government departments in that country; and what discussions they have had with the authorities in South Sudan on the use of oil revenues in this context.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2109", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "The Earl of Sandwich"}
], "type" : "http://data.parliament.uk/schema/parl#WrittenParliamentaryQuestion", "uin" : "HL4242"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/427788", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Development"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/427788/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought on the food security situation in Ethiopia. A joint Government of Ethiopia and UN assessment is underway and we are in touch with our UN and Non-Governmental Organisation partners on the ground to determine the extent of need.<\/p>
In October, the Government of Ethiopia announced that about 8.2 million people are in need of emergency food aid, up from the 4.5 million estimated in August. The number of severely malnourished children under five years old admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes this year has increased notably.<\/p>
Britain has acted quickly and decisively by providing emergency support for 2.6 million people. This includes food aid for 2.1 million people for a month. The Government of Ethiopia has also committed its largest ever response to a drought. The international community will need to work hard with the Government of Ethiopia to prevent the crisis from worsening in the coming months.<\/p>
DFID is at the forefront of resilience work to reduce the impact of crises in developing countries. In Ethiopia, DFID\u2019s Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP) has helped turn desert land into land that can be farmed again.<\/p>
"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1582", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Grant Shapps"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Welwyn Hatfield"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Grant Shapps"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-11-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-11-19T13:03:25.49Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "20"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-11-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Ethiopia: Droughts"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support her Department plans to give to Ethiopia because of drought in that country in 2015-16.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1576", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mark Pritchard"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "The Wrekin"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mark Pritchard"}
], "type" : "http://data.parliament.uk/schema/parl#WrittenParliamentaryQuestion", "uin" : "15904"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1170949", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Development"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1170949/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
Conditions in CAR are extremely challenging for both humanitarian workers and local communities. The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported over 770 security incidents throughout CAR since January 2014. 67 of these incidents have directly targeted humanitarian personnel. DFID is working with agencies which have appropriate systems and a level of community acceptance to enable them to access some of the most vulnerable populations in CAR. In 2014 DFID has funded the ICRC, UN agencies and international NGOs to support communities who have suffered from the violence.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2539", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Northover"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Northover"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-08-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-08-04T10:42:38.7159895Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "20"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Development"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Central African Republic"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what is their assessment of reports of worsening humanitarian access to the Central African Republic.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/738", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Alton of Liverpool"} ], "type" : "http://data.parliament.uk/schema/parl#WrittenParliamentaryQuestion", "uin" : "HL1246"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78071", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Development"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78071/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
DFID spending on the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme since 2010 is as follows:<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
2010/11: £1,860,025<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
2011/12: £4,849.043<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
2012/13: £21,999,068<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
2013/14: £19,863,471<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
2014/15: £4,262,167 (to date)<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
All of the spending in 2010/11, 2011/12 and £2,135,397 in 2012/13 was on the ICS pilot scheme with the remainder being the current contracted programme.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>