The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure that UK students will retain the ability and funding to study at universities elsewhere in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Joseph Johnson
Future arrangements for migration, student funding and UK students studying abroad will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has had discussions with representatives of Japanese businesses operating in the UK pursuant to the memorandum presented by the Japanese government to the Prime Minister at the recent G20 Summit.
Mr David Jones
Ministers and officials from across the Government are working closely with Japanese companies operating in the UK to reinforce the continued importance of a close business relationship between our countries. The Department for Exiting the EU will continue to support this work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the UK’s status as a signatory to the Euratom Treaty after the UK leaves the EU.
Jesse Norman
The Government is assessing the legal and policy implications of the public’s vote to leave the EU including the UK’s membership of EURATOM.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.
Mr David Jones
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent article in the journal Science Motherless babies!”How to create a tabloid science headline in five easy steps
Lord Prior of Brampton
Occasionally, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) engages with the Science Media Centre to deliver press briefings. When it does so, the HFEA works with the Centre to ensure that the relevant science is carefully explained.
The terms of reference of the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee are set out in Annex A of the HFEA’s Standing Orders, a copy is attached. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the HFEA on scientific and clinical developments (including research) in assisted conception, embryo research and related areas. The Committee’s functions are to:
– make recommendations to the Authority on the safety and efficacy of scientific and clinical developments (including research) in assisted conception, embryo research and related areas;
– make recommendations to the Authority on patient information relating to those scientific and clinical developments;
– advise the Authority on significant implications for licensing and regulation arising out of such developments, and;
– where required, work with the Authority members to consider the social, ethical and legal implications arising out of such developments.
Many members of the Committee are experts in their own right and may comment on published research in their own capacity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Sudan about the arrest and continuing detention of Reverend Hasan Kodi Taour, Reverend Kuwa Shamal Kori, Abdelmonim Abdelmawla and Petr Jasek.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware that the four men in question remain in detention. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum were present in court to observe the most recent hearing on 26 September, and are in close contact with the lawyers representing the defendants. We regularly raise our concerns over this case with the government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan to Khartoum in September. We will continue to monitor this case closely.
More widely, freedom of religion or belief remains a consistent theme in our ongoing human rights dialogue with the government of Sudan. We consistently call on them to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005, within which religious freedom is enshrined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 11 May (HL8212), what steps they are taking to ensure that the human rights of Christian pastors in Sudan are protected, in the light of the ongoing detention of Reverend Hasan Kodi Taour.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware that the four men in question remain in detention. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum were present in court to observe the most recent hearing on 26 September, and are in close contact with the lawyers representing the defendants. We regularly raise our concerns over this case with the government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan to Khartoum in September. We will continue to monitor this case closely.
More widely, freedom of religion or belief remains a consistent theme in our ongoing human rights dialogue with the government of Sudan. We consistently call on them to ensure all legislation is consistent with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005, within which religious freedom is enshrined.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Amnesty International report on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur; whether they intend to ask the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to open an investigation; and what representations they have made, or plan to make, to the Sudanese Ambassador to London in the light of that report.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are concerned by the allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Sudan and we are aware that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is looking into these. The use of chemical weapons under any circumstances is contrary to international law and we wholly condemned it. We were also concerned to read the other allegations made in the Amnesty International report, which highlight the need for access to conflict-affected areas. We see ensuring access for the UN/AU Peacekeeping Mission throughout Darfur as the most important next step and have raised this in the context of the report with the Sudanese in London, Khartoum and New York.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when considering trade, diplomatic, political and other bilateral links with the Republic of Sudan, what weight they attach to (1) the Amnesty International report on the use of chemical weapons in Darfur; (2) the Médecins Sans Frontières 2000 report Living Under Aerial Bombardment; (3) the Human Rights Watch 2015 report concerning the use of cluster bombs; (4) reports in 2016 of aerial bombardment in Blue Nile and South Kordofan; and (5) the outstanding warrants for the arrest of Sudanese leaders on genocide charges.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our primary focus, in both our political engagement and the work of the Department for International Development, is to support the peaceful development of the country allowing ordinary Sudanese people to have a voice in their future. The first step in this process would be a cessation of hostilities and unrestricted humanitarian access to all areas of the country, including Darfur and the Two Areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. We consider all the information at our disposal, including the reports referred to, when assessing the situation on the ground and regularly raise our concerns about violations of human rights and international humanitarian law directly with the government of Sudan, and in international fora where appropriate. We remain a firm supporter of the International Criminal Court and encourage all States to act on its indictments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the budget of the UK Trade Office in Raleigh, North Carolina for (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government Office in Raleigh will be run by the member of staff hired locally in the US. Costs are expected to be low and limited to salary, office space rental and discretionary budget for travel and representational activities.