The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Syrian opposition fighters trained by British military personnel have defected or surrendered to Syrian Islamist groups.
Earl Howe
We have no evidence to suggest that any Syrian opposition fighters trained by British military personnel have defected to extremist Syrian Islamist groups. Some of the Syrian opposition fighters have been detained by extremist groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they made representations to the UN Human Rights Council in September for the establishment of an international investigation into the conduct of the conflict in Yemen, in the light of the recommendation for such an investigation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
A resolution on Yemen was adopted by consensus at the last session of the UN Human Rights Council on 2 October. The Human Rights Council has no mandate to call for investigations into breaches of International Humanitarian Law, but the resolution does contain mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen. It calls on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen and continue to work with all parties to find a political solution to the conflict. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate government to improve its capacity to protect human rights. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered making representations at international level for a system of humanitarian visas in the light of the current migrant crisis.
Lord Bates
There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection and Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to make representations at international level for a system of humanitarian visas.
Instead, we are focusing our efforts on resettling vulnerable people in need of international protection from the region, including 20,000 Syrians by the end of the Parliament. This provides refugees with a direct and safe route to the UK and uses established UNHCR processes. This is in addition to the £1.12 billion in humanitarian aid provided by the UK for those most in need in the region – more than any other country in the world except the United States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which regulatory body is responsible for regulating the safety of e-cigarettes.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The General Product Safety Directive and associated regulations apply to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), for which Trading Standards are the enforcement authority.
The Department of Health is responsible for the transposition of the revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU), which from May 2016 will introduce additional rules on the composition, safety and presentation of e-cigarettes.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will be the designated competent authority under the Directive, which will operate a notification system for e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing refills prior to placing on the market.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Henig on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement by Lord Bates on 26 March (HL Deb, cols 1528–9) that licensing for private investigators would be introduced early in the next Parliament, what is the timetable for the introduction of licensing for private investigators.
Lord Bates
The Government is committed to ensuring the integrity of the private security industry and this includes private investigators.
In July, the Government committed to a review (formerly triennial review) of the Security Industry Authority. That review may make further recommendations for legislative change which the Government will then consider.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many housing association tenants are expected to buy their home under the Right to Buy scheme by (1) 2020 and (2) 2025; and whether they will place research on this topic in the Library of the House.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million tenants.
More details will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government for each local authority area what they expect to be the average discount from the Right to Buy scheme for housing association tenants in London.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Working with the National Housing Federation, the Government has secured an historic agreement with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with Right to Buy discounts equivalent to those enjoyed by Council tenants, up to a maximum discount of 70% of market value, or £77,900 (£103,900 in London), whichever is lower. This will deliver the manifesto commitment to extend the benefits of Right to Buy to 1.3 million housing association tenants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme since 2000 have been replaced; and whether they will place the figures for each year since 2000 in the Library of the House.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
In 2012, the Coalition Government reinvigorated the Right to Buy scheme, increasing maximum discounts to realistic levels and for the first time ever, introduced a requirement to replace every additional sale nationally with a replacement property.
In the first year (2012/13) following the reinvigoration of Right to Buy by the last Government, there were 3,054 additional homes sold. By the end of Q1 2015/16 there were 3,644 new starts and acquisitions. Councils have three years to replace the additional homes sold.
Right to Buy sales by Local Authority (Table 691) and Local Authority starts and acquisitions (Table 693) can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the government of Saudi Arabia, which was signed on 11 September 2014.
Lord Faulks
The Information Commissioner’s Office has upheld the decision not to publish this Memorandum of Understanding. That correspondence, dated 10 August 2015, can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their timetable for reviewing and amending the capital limit used within Employment Tribunal Fee remission applications.
Lord Faulks
The Government’s recent consultation on Court and Tribunal Fees, published on 22 July 2015, sought views on whether further benefits and payments should be excluded from the fee remission assessment. We will be responding to the consultation in due course.