The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many times he has met with Guy Verhofstadt to discuss the UK’s exit from the EU.
Mr David Jones
The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on Brexit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with with Guy Verhofstadt on the UK’s exit from the EU.
Mr David Jones
The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on Brexit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44230, whether the staff in his Department are new employees or have been seconded from other Departments.
Mr David Jones
The Department for Exiting the EU now has over 200 staff in London, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are regularly reviewed. We will ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with the task at hand.
The Department will include staff and officials from various departments across Government. The Department has already started drawing together expertise with staff from around 20 Departments and organisations from across Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he expects to have a permanent address for his Department.
Mr David Jones
The Department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Goldie on 13 September (HL Deb, col 1394), what plans are in place, once cities such as Mosul and Raqqa have been liberated from ISIS, to ensure the restoration of property, homes and businesses to their rightful owners, the re-establishment of diverse communities, and the creation of a legal framework to bring to trial those who have been responsible for genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our goal is to liberate Mosul, and eventually Raqqah, in a way that minimises the humanitarian impact, and supports political reconciliation and the return of local communities. We are engaging with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, our Coalition partners, the UN and other international organisations to ensure comprehensive plans are in place which do this. On 21 July, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will lead a global campaign to bring Daesh to justice, including putting in place processes to assemble evidence for future legal proceedings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Siegfried Hecker, published on 12 September, concluding that North Korea will have enough material for about 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year, that it has expanded uranium enrichment facilities, and that it has stockpiled plutonium.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have made clear our deep concern at and condemnation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear programme. We take into account all sources of information when assessing it. As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) made clear in his remarks to the UN Security Council on 23 September, that the United Kingdom condemns the recent nuclear test conducted by the DPRK, which is a direct violation of binding Security Council Resolutions. The DPRK must comply with its obligations under all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including abandoning all nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what humanitarian aid they are providing to injured and displaced persons in North Korea following the recent flooding in that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK supports organisations such as the UN through core contributions. UN agencies are delivering humanitarian assistance to people affected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will respond to the Independent Review of Consumer Protection Measures concerning Online Secondary Ticketing Facilities published on 26 May.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government is considering Professor Waterson’s Review and will publish its response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of retail businesses that have designated an appropriate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider for their sector in accordance with the EU ADR Directive.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Government supports the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to help businesses and consumers save time and money when dealing with complaints. Approved ADR is available for every consumer to trader dispute in the UK.
We have not estimated what proportion of retail businesses have a designated ADR provider as it is open to the retailer to choose a different ADR provider with the necessary skills and experience to deal with a particular dispute.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute acts as the lead competent authority and has held working groups and individual meetings with the other competent authorities to ensure consistency of approach.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the responses to the call for evidence on improving the consumer landscape and quicker switching published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in May.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Responses to the call for evidence on the consumer landscape and quicker switching are still being considered. The Government will publish a summary of the responses in due course.