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

    Lord Dear – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Dear on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the British tourism and airline industries of the ban on air flights between the UK and Sharm el Sheikh.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    UK aviation security experts have worked closely with their Egyptian counterparts on the ground, sharing their expertise in establishing effective security arrangements. We continue to work in partnership in a spirit of cooperation, and are grateful for Egypt’s close engagement and partnership. We look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security environment can be sustained.

  • Lord Forsyth of Drumlean – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Forsyth of Drumlean – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Forsyth of Drumlean on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the Ofcom Content Board are former employees of the BBC.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    There are 13 members of Ofcom’s Content Board which advises the Ofcom Board and Executive on content matters, covering television, radio and video-on-demand quality and standards. The Board’s members have experience from across the broadcasting industry including Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and S4C. 9 of the current 13 members have previously been employed by or have worked for the BBC. The amount of experience and the seniority of these roles varies considerably within that.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Exiting the EU plans to remain within the Cabinet Office premises or to relocate; and if it plans to relocate, whether it will move to its own building, or move, in its entirety or in part, to premises of another government department.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street. This will not change and Ministers will continue to operate from this building. Staff are also accommodated in 70 Whitehall.

    We are working with the Government Property Unit as where to locate further staff on a more permanent basis.

    DExEU staff will continue to be employed on the basis of being ‘on loan’ from a wide variety of departments and will not permanently transfer departments. No staff have been formally moved from DExEU to the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, or other government departments.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to transfer to other government departments any of the staff currently working within the Department for Exiting the EU, and if so, what is their estimate of the proportion of staff who will be moved to (1) the Ministry of Defence, (2) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (3) the Cabinet Office, or (4) other government departments.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street. This will not change and Ministers will continue to operate from this building. Staff are also accommodated in 70 Whitehall.

    We are working with the Government Property Unit as where to locate further staff on a more permanent basis.

    DExEU staff will continue to be employed on the basis of being ‘on loan’ from a wide variety of departments and will not permanently transfer departments. No staff have been formally moved from DExEU to the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, or other government departments.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many roles within the Department for Exiting the EU are currently unfilled; and how many job applications have been received for those roles.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 250 staff and the expertise of 120 officials in Brussels, and is continuing to grow.

    We are not in a position to give a total number of job applications as recruitment is ongoing and we will not be giving a running commentary. Our aim is to have a streamlined Department, while ensuring the right skills and experience to get the best outcome for the UK.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the World Chess Federation’s decision to enforce a requirement on all competitors in the Women’s World Chess Championship 2017 in Iran to wear the hijab, and what discussions they have had with, and what advice they have given to, UK Chess Associations about the safety of UK citizens competing in the event.

    Lord Ashton of Hyde

    We have had no discussions with the World Chess Federation on this matter. Visitors to any country should refer to FCO advice when travelling abroad, including abiding by local laws and customs.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what distinction they draw in issuing visas between Israeli citizens who live in Israel and those who live in illegal settlements in the West Bank.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    All applications for visas, entry clearances and leave to enter at the border are considered against the criteria set out in the published Immigration Rules (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules) regardless of the applicant’s nationality or where they live.

    A variety of factors may be taken into account when considering the application, but that would depend upon the applicant’s personal circumstances and what they had applied to do in the UK.

  • 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 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in setting up a coordinated and effective health care system in Sierra Leone, following the Ebola outbreak.

    Lord Bates

    DFID is supporting the President’s Recovery Plan (PRP) that focuses on delivering its two health priorities to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system post Ebola. They are:

    (i) Prevent, detect and respond to epidemics to ensure zero cases of Ebola. DFID is providing £38.5million to support epidemic preparedness in the country by strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory services, maintaining a rapid deployable treatment centre and monitoring Ebola survivors. This programme has been operational since December 2015 and will finish in December 2017.

    (ii) Saving the Lives of 600 women and 5,000 children. DFID is providing £150million over five years (2016 – 2021) to support the Government’s saving lives target by June 2017 and then increase the availability and quality of Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services by 2021. This is being done by equipping emergency obstetric centres, providing adolescent reproductive health services, increasing the availability of skilled health workers and by providing bed nets and free medicines to mothers and children. This programme commenced implementation this month.

    Each health priority has a clearly defined work plan with milestones and is coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Progress against the milestones is monitored and reported weekly with the President reviewing progress each fortnight. District surveillance reports are submitted weekly to track the incidence of notifiable diseases (such as Ebola, Cholera and Lassa fever), detect clusters of unexplained deaths and trigger immediate investigation. In additional DFID is engaging in the longer term planning to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system, including the development of a five year RMNCAH strategy.

  • 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 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning (1) the status of, and (2) the distribution of water resources from, the Golan Heights.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    ​The UK regularly raises the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.

  • 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 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of refugees from Syria who are Palestinian in origin.

    Lord Bates

    The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimates that 110,000 Palestinian refugees have fled Syria since the onset of the conflict; 42,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are estimated to be in Lebanon and 17,000 in Jordan, with the remainder in Egypt, Turkey and Europe.