Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of the staff employed by his Department are apprentices.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As of 31 January 2019, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employed 99 apprentices, of whom 57 work for our Trading Fund, FCO Services. This is 1.69 per cent (an increase of 0.34 per cent from January 2018) of the total of FCO and FCO Services UK-based staff worldwide, and 2.59 per cent (an increase of 0.59 per cent from January 2018) of our staff working in the UK. We expect a further 22 staff to enrol on an apprenticeship by 31 March 2019.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2018 to Question 170339 on Ilois: Finance, how much of the £40 million fund for Chagossians has been allocated to date; to whom that funding has been allocated; and for what purposes that money has been allocated.
Answered by Alan Duncan
£230,134.19 of the £40m fund has been spent to date, largely on implementing an expanded programme of Heritage Visits for Chagossians to the British Indian Ocean Territory. The bulk of the funding will be allocated once we have a clear assessment of need, and an agreed mechanism for effectively and fairly disbursing the funding, in collaboration with the Chagossian communities in the UK, Seychelles and Mauritius.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of whether the £40 million fund for Chagossians has addressed the needs of those citizens residing in the UK.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In November 2016 the Government agreed to fund a package of approximately £40 million to improve the lives of Chagossians in the communities in which they now live. We are engaging with the UK Chagossian community to identify the constraints and barriers experienced by them to inform our ongoing assessment of needs. We will continue to work with Chagossian communities to identify and develop programmes which will make the biggest improvement in the life chances of Chagossians who need it most. Ministers remain committed to meeting the objectives of this package.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of the staff employed by his Department are apprentices.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As of 31 January 2018, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employed 73 apprentices, of whom 35 work for our Trading Fund, FCO Services. This is 1.35% of the total of FCO and FCO Services UK based staff worldwide, and 2% of our staff working in the UK. We plan to increase the number of apprentices in 2018.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and how his Department first became aware of Secretary of State for International Development's meetings with Israeli Government Ministers and officials between 13 and 25 August 2017.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and how the British Embassy in Israel became aware of the meeting involving the Secretary of State for International Development and Israeli Government Ministers and officials and in Israel in August 2017.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.