Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the guidance issued to Ministers on relations with the judiciary.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Section 3(1) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 requires that all Ministers of the Crown must uphold the continued independence of the judiciary. Paragraph 16 of the introduction and Chapter 6 of the Cabinet Manual make clear that the judiciary is independent of both the government of the day and Parliament. All ministers have access to legal advice in relation to their statutory duties, including advice where appropriate from Law Officers.
The Lord Chancellor has taken an Oath to respect the rule of law and defend the independence of the judiciary, which means that if required he will remind Ministerial colleagues of the importance of judicial independence and the rule of law. I am confident that my Ministerial colleagues understand their duties in this regard.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement of 24 July 2019, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of training new police officers to be established by 2022 in (a) Leicestershire and (b) the UK.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government has committed to increasing the number of police officers by 20,000 over the next three years. We are committed to giving police the resources, tools and powers they need to tackle the scourge of crime.
The cost of training new officers will vary over time and across forces. The provision of training for police officers and the associated costs are defined locally. It is for local PCCs and Chief Constables to make arrangements for training within their force.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to the World Food Programme to resume distribution of humanitarian aid in Sana’a.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The World Food Programme (WFP) resumed their distribution of food aid in Sana’a city on Wednesday 21 August, following an agreement with the Houthis on the introduction of biometric registration of beneficiaries and an end to Houthi aid interference.
The UK has worked closely with WFP throughout this year to ensure that food aid can continue to reach those who need it most.
Most recently, on Friday 9 August, the International Development Secretary met with David Beasley, WFP’s Executive Director, where they discussed progress towards the resumption of food deliveries to Sana’a city.
The UK actively calls on the Houthis to stand by their commitments to WFP to allow the biometric registration of beneficiaries so that millions of vulnerable Yemenis can continue to be reached with life-saving aid.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in implementing the Stockholm Agreement in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made to begin further rounds of peace talks between the warring parties in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen on the situation in Aden and southern Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of civilian deaths as a result of attacks in Aden in Yemen in August 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his counterparts in (a) the United Arab Emirates and (b) Saudi Arabia on incidences of violence that took place in southern Yemen in August and July 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen; and when he next plans to meet with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next meeting of the Yemen Quad is planned to take place.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.