Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Turkey’s military activity in Syria and Iraq.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage the Turkish government on regional stability, including in Syria and Iraq. The Minister for the Middle East discussed this issue with the Turkish National Security Advisor on 11 April. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in the region but encourages restraint from activity that could lead to further destabilisation or civilian loss of life.
Security and stability in the region are necessary to prevent the worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Kurds in Turkey.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and follow this issue closely. We consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to raise concerns with the Government of Turkey over the treatment of its Kurdish population.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Turkey on improving relations with the Kurdish population in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing graduated driving licences.
Answered by Guy Opperman
I discussed the issue of graduated driving licences with the MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham and his constituent on 17 April. Since then, the Department for Transport has been considering the Driver 2020 project and further measures the Department can take to improve road safety for young drivers. The Department is still reviewing its position.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest time taken is between application to and a payment under the War Widows Recognition Payment Scheme.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme has received 330 applications and accepted and paid 209 claims since it was launched on 16 October 2023. Of those, 90 per cent of all claims have been processed and 97 per cent of payments made to those eligible within the published timescales. The Recognition Payment Scheme is delivering effectively to those it was established to recognise.
The shortest time taken between an application being received and a payment being made was 19 working days and the longest 88 working days, with an average of 56 working days.
The below table shows the number of applications made to the War Widow(er)s Recognition Payment Scheme in each month since it was launched on 16 October 2023.
Month | Number of applications received |
October 2023 | 165 |
November 2023 | 86 |
December 2023 | 25 |
January 2024 | 15 |
February 2024 | 22 |
March 2024 | 10 |
April 2024 | 6 |
May 2024 | 1 |
Total | 330 |
The scheme is administered by a dedicated team of six staff, and application support is available through the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS).