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  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the imposition of sanctions and penalties on countries that host visits by those indicted for genocide or crimes against humanity such as Omar al Bashir, President of Sudan; and what discussions they have had with other signatories to the creation of the International Criminal Court about that issue.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an established procedure for dealing with instances of non-cooperation and reports regularly to the UN Security Council on this matter. We continue to follow closely developments in the ICC, including the level of States’ cooperation with the Court, and will consider further measures as appropriate.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to table a resolution for discussion at the UN Security Council drawing attention to the failure of member states to assist the International Criminal Court in bringing to justice those indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an established procedure for dealing with instances of non-cooperation and reports regularly to the UN Security Council on this matter. We continue to follow closely developments in the ICC, including the level of States’ cooperation with the Court, and will consider further measures as appropriate.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (HL921), what changes the Red Arrows offered to make to their original programme; and what, if any, safety advice was received by the Red Arrows and from whom.

    Earl Howe

    The Red Arrows did not offer to make any changes to their original, approved routine or display sequence. However, they did liaise with the event organisers, who are responsible for mitigating risks to those on the ground and those in boats in the local estuary, on where best to locate the display. To avoid flying over anyone in the estuary, the Red Arrows were prepared to display over the sea.

    The Red Arrows did not receive any safety advice specifically relating to a display at Fowey Regatta.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 May (HL7878), when the Marine and Coastguard Agency will institute a prosecution of those responsible for that incident.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will not be instituting any prosecution following the collapse of the mezzanine deck on the ST HELEN ferry at Fishbourne, Isle of Wight.

    Before a prosecution is commenced the matter must pass the two stage test as outlined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The MCA has confirmed that it will not pass both stages and have decided that it would not be in the public interest to pursue this further at this time.

  • Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulations protect the contact details of vulnerable people being passed to other commercial agencies when purchasing a product online or having one purchased on their behalf.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    The UK Government takes the protection of people’s personal data very seriously. The handling and sharing of personal data is primarily governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), which establishes a legal framework of rights and obligations that protect individuals’ personal information.

    The Information Commissioner’s Office, who is the independent regulatory body responsible for enforcing the DPA in the UK, has produced the guidance for the general public on such matters. This guidance can be found on its’ website at; www.ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my- information-being-handled-correctly/

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  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the British Red Cross report Not So Straightforward and its campaign to reunite refugee families, Torn Apart.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We are reviewing our process for dealing with applications for refugee family reunion in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Justice. We are working closely with the British Red Cross and are considering the recommendations made in the Not So Straightforward report in detail.

    We have now improved our guidance on processing family reunion applications so that it is clear, consistent and accessible. We intend to publish this in the next few weeks. We have also committed to redesigning the application form to ensure that applicants better understand the process and what is required of them.

    There are no plans to extend the family reunion criteria as called for in the British Red Cross Torn Apart campaign. The current family reunion policy meets our international obligations and strikes the right balance. Where family members cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules, such as in the case of an 18 year old applying to join their refugee parents in the UK, we consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting entry clearance outside the Rules.

  • Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the size of the Privy Council on 13 July; and how many appointments had been made to it up to that date since 11 May 2010.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    The information is set out in the table below.

    Date

    Number of Privy Counsellors

    13th July 2016

    657

    Appointments since 11th May 2010

    179
  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the authority of Nottinghamshire Police to categorise wolf-whistling as a hate crime rather than a public nuisance; and whether they consider that such a decision may derogate from the seriousness of classification of hate crime.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The five strands of monitored hate crime (race, religion, sexual orientation transgender identity and disability) are the minimum categories that police officers and staff are ex-pected to record. There are, however, many other groups in society who have been targeted with hostility and crime. Any specific incidents of Hate Crime are an operational matter for the police.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Pensions Regulator about the length of time it will require to report on the BHS pension scheme; and whether they plan to communicate that information to fund managers.

    Lord Freud

    The right approach is to allow the Pensions Regulator to get on with its investigations into the use of its anti-avoidance powers. There is a clear legal process that must be followed and this can sometimes take a considerable amount of time. The Pensions Regulator’s Chief Executive has given a commitment that it will have made significant progress by the end of 2016. It has said that when it becomes appropriate to do so it will consider publishing a report of the case under Section 89 of the Pensions Act 2004. The Regulator is independent and Ministers cannot become involved in its decisions on whether or not to exercise its powers or seek to influence its investigations in any way.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to establish a scheme to retrain as trade negotiators people with experience of high level intergovernmental and global institutional practice.

    Lord Price

    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has created the Department for International Trade, which is responsible for promoting British trade across the world and ensuring the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. We are building up our trade policy capability. ​The Department has begun a process to recruit and train staff to work on the UK’s trade policy. We will adapt the resource devoted to trade policy in line with future demands.