Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the accessibility of UK humanitarian support to people who need it.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
There is no doubt that coronavirus restrictions have made it harder to reach those that need our help, whether because of disruption to supply chains or personnel. Our support for the UN’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan remains crucial. Through this, we support humanitarian access by securing the continuity of supply chains to the vulnerable, including refugees, Internally Displaced People, and host communities.
Our job is to get where others can’t.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what personal protective equipment is available for staff working on the Parliamentary Estate during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Pete Wishart
The provision of personal protective equipment to protect against coronavirus has been guided by Public Health England. After a review, they have advised that the only work on the estate that requires face masks for protection against the coronavirus is undertaken by the occupational health team.
Aprons and face masks for use by security officers are available for the security team to wear whilst processing a person through search and screening if they wish, but they are not an essential risk control.
Staff who normally wear PPE to protect themselves, for example those exposed to dusts, will continue to do so.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions the Commission has had with trade unions as required by Health and Safety law in the completion of risk assessments to facilitate a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak for (a) staff, (b) hon. Members and (c) visitors; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Pete Wishart
The House authorities on behalf of the House of Commons Commission have met with representatives of the Trades Unions for staff in the House of Commons and PDS formally at least three times per week since the beginning of March, and with representatives of Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and Unite as representatives of Members’ staff.
We have increased facility time for TU Safety officials and now have a full time TU resource working with the Parliamentary Safety Team on risk assessments.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has not affected the rights of recognised Unions in DFID to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
DFID, like all Government Departments, has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.
In line with this legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer (including where this arises under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”).
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional staff required by her Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
DFID’s assessment is that we would not require any additional staff to deliver our essential business in the event that the UK leaves the EU, with or without a deal.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff were employed in her Department on (a) 20 December 2018 and (b) 23 June 2016.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
As at 20 December 2018 DFID employed 2728 Home Civil Servants (HCS), 2022 HCS were employed on 23 June 2016.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by her Department in receipt of universal credit; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID does not hold any data on which members of staff are in receipt of universal credit.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with representatives of (i) the Taxpayers' Alliance, (ii) the Confederation of British Industry, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Adam Smith Institute, (v) the Freedom Association, (vi) the Politics and Economics Research Trust and (vii) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 months.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications.
Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government has provided aid to the government of Colombia.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
During 2013, which is the latest reporting year, UK Government disbursed £7.2 million of bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Colombia, £6.6 million was disbursed by the FCO and £0.6 million disbursed by CDC. Additionally, funds disbursed through multilateral agencies were calculated to be £9.1 million.