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  • Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the nature of the agreement between Morocco and the EU; and in particular whether Morocco has access to the European single market.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Morocco’s relationship with the EU is framed through the EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Their relationship covers political and economic cooperation as well as trade and technical assistance. Morocco does not have full access to the European Single Market, but a free trade area established in the 2002 EU-Morocco Association Agreement allows for easier trade in goods between Morocco and the EU.

  • Lord Skelmersdale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Skelmersdale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Skelmersdale on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish an affirmative order to amend the law on public footpaths.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    I am unable to confirm a precise date at present. The Government expects to publish an affirmative order later in the session. I would be happy to meet my Noble Friend and other interested peers to discuss progress with the whole package of reform.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent the continued demolition of Palestinian homes.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to raise our serious concerns over this issue with the Israeli Government at all levels. On 07 September, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) emphasised our concerns about demolitions with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman during their meeting.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in response to the concern expressed by the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Development Aid in the occupied Palestinian territory about the declining health of Bilal Kayid.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    According to an agreement made between Mr. Kayid and the Israeli Government, Mr. Kayid’s administrative detention will not be renewed past 12 December. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises our concerns over the use of administrative detention with the Israeli authorities.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for ending the siege of Gaza in the light of the new data released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirming that Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip tightened during July and the warning from the UN that Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any assessment on this specific issue, we remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. We continue to press for urgent measures to relieve the humanitarian suffering of those in Gaza and urge donors to disburse their Gaza pledges.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take in the light of the call by the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities for international support to improve the living conditions of those living in Gaza and to lift the blockade.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK remains deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. As my hon friend the Minister of State Rory Stewart is new to his role, he is conducting a full examination of our work in the OPTs, including our support to Gaza. UK aid helps to provide basic services and support economic development in Gaza. The UK government continues to press for a sustainable political solution which will address Israel’s legitimate security concerns whilst opening up movement and access.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel in the light of the concern expressed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine about the death of a refugee and the high number of civilian injuries from live ammunition on 16 August during an Israeli military incursion into Fawwar refugee camp.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over this issue, we have regularly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate. We understand the IDF is currently investigating the circumstances of the death.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel following reports that Israeli forces prevented an ambulance from taking an injured person from Fawwar refugee camp on 16 August.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not made representations to the Israeli authorities over this specific issue.

  • Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Porter of Spalding on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the emerging findings of the Local Government Association’s Housing Commission report Building our Homes: communities and the future.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    We welcome the work which the Local Government Association is doing to meet our shared aims of delivering the homes which communities need, and creating a housing market that works for everyone. Many of our existing measures will help to achieve those aims.

    The government has already doubled the housing budget to help deliver a million homes and double the number of first time buyers. We have allocated £8 billion to deliver 400,000 affordable homes, including shared ownership, starter homes and homes for affordable rent. This government and its predecessor have pursued a wide range of actions to improve the speed of the planning process, and we are taking steps to diversify the market.

    We look forward to reading the full report, and engaging with the Local Government Association on existing and future policies.

  • Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Porter of Spalding – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Porter of Spalding on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of extending the council tax referendum provisions introduced by the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 to include levying bodies such as Internal Drainage Boards on (1) the ability of local authorities to raise revenue through council tax or the delivery of their statutory functions, and (2) the ability of Internal Drainage Boards to deliver flood defence and land drainage activities.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The referendum threshold is not a cap – councils can set any council tax increase they like provided they obtain the consent of their local electorate in a referendum. Including levying bodies in the council tax referendum legislation increases the transparency and accountability of public bodies for their tax-raising and spending decisions. Local authorities and their levying bodies had shown that they can work together to cut costs and improve services, and this measure placed all local authorities on a common footing when setting council tax.