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  • Lucy Allan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lucy Allan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Allan on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the progress of the economic recovery in Nepal since the recent earthquake in that country.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Economic recovery has been slow. Delays setting up the National Reconstruction Authority and unrest in the border area with India, which has closed most border crossings for over 6 weeks, make economic recovery challenging. We are pressing the government to prioritise the post-disaster response.

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on her Department’s work of re-allocating elements of her Department’s budget to help local authorities deal with Syrian refugees.

    Justine Greening

    There will be no substantive impact on existing DFID programming. It is right that we work with communities in the UK taking refugees as we do elsewhere in the world, but of course, we will stay within ODA rules.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress the Government is making on meeting the UK’s international obligations to refugees fleeing Syria.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the Syrian crisis. To date, we have committed over £1.1 billion. This makes us the second largest bilateral after the US and means we have done more than any other European country.

  • Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Carol Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether any of her Department’s spending will be counted towards the target of spending 2 per cent of gross national income on defence.

    Justine Greening

    In 2014/15, the Ministry of Defence provided fantastic support to DFID to support humanitarian activities, contributing £32million, and was therefore reimbursed from the ODA budget. This spending will count towards the target to spend 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Church of England following the letter sent to the Prime Minister by 86 bishops on 10 September about the Church providing funds to meet all additional costs of increasing the number of refugees taken into the United Kingdom; and what assessment they have made of the further support the Church of England can provide to meet the needs of refugees in the United Kingdom.

    Lord Bates

    On 10 September 2015 a letter signed by 37 Bishops was sent to the Prime Minister. This letter set out how the Church stands ready to play their part but also how they believe the country could resettle more than 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years.

    The Home Office wants to involve the Church in the design and implementation of the longer term programme of work. We are happy to have meetings with representatives from the Church to discuss the issues raised in the Bishops letter. Some of these meetings have already taken place with more planned over the next few weeks.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost, in the first year, of accepting Syrian refugees.

    Lord Bates

    The first 12 months of each refugee’s resettlement costs will be funded using ODA (Official Development Assistance). After year one we will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years.

    The anticipated cost for the first year is still being worked out between relevant Government departments and local authorities. We expect to agree indicative costings in the near future.

    There are a range of factors that have to be included when it comes to bringing people to the UK and helping them to settle. Each person coming from Syria will have different needs so it is not possible to say how much the support for any individual will cost.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will revise the country guidance for Eritrea so that asylum applicants from that country are favourably considered for protection as refugees, in the light of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights on Eritrea and other reports of human rights abuses in that country.

    Lord Bates

    We have updated our country information and guidance on Eritrea. This takes into account the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report as well other sources reporting on the human rights situation. The revised documents, covering illegal exit and national service, were published on 9 September and are available on the Gov.uk website. They recognise that there are human rights challenges in Eritrea – particularly around the national service programme – but, as with all asylum applications, stress the need to consider each claim on its individual merits.

    All EU Member States have a responsibility to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We are confident that our European partners understand and apply this, whether to Eritrea or anywhere else. We are in regular discussions with our EU counterparts – individually and via the European Asylum Support Office – to discuss various aspects of asylum policy and practice.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to call upon all European Union member states to uphold the principle of non-refoulement for refugees from Eritrea.

    Lord Bates

    We have updated our country information and guidance on Eritrea. This takes into account the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report as well other sources reporting on the human rights situation. The revised documents, covering illegal exit and national service, were published on 9 September and are available on the Gov.uk website. They recognise that there are human rights challenges in Eritrea – particularly around the national service programme – but, as with all asylum applications, stress the need to consider each claim on its individual merits.

    All EU Member States have a responsibility to respect the principle of non-refoulement. We are confident that our European partners understand and apply this, whether to Eritrea or anywhere else. We are in regular discussions with our EU counterparts – individually and via the European Asylum Support Office – to discuss various aspects of asylum policy and practice.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Mexico following the publication in December 2014 of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain concerned by reports of the use of torture in Mexico. Ministers have raised human rights with their Mexican counterparts on several occasions, including at the highest level during the President’s State Visit in March 2015. Officials at our Embassy in Mexico City also regularly raise our concerns in meetings with the Mexican government. In support of this ongoing dialogue, this year, the UK is working with the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute to train judges to deal with torture and enforced disappearance cases.

  • Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which developing countries they are currently negotiating taxation treaties, and what is the timetable for each negotiation.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have responsibility for negotiating the UK’s double taxation agreements, subject to oversight by HM Treasury. HMRC run an annual consultation exercise to establish the negotiating priorities for the coming year, which are then approved by ministers. As part of this exercise they consider representations made by UK businesses, NGOs and government departments, including the Department for International Development, as well as the UK’s diplomatic missions throughout the world. When the programme is published it also invites representations about our forward programme.

    HMRC’s programme for 2015/16 covers the following countries: Colombia, Fiji*, Ghana, Guernsey, India, Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, Kazakhstan*, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho*, Malawi*, Portugal*, Russia, Thailand*, Turkmenistan*, UAE*, US, Uruguay*.

    The UK’s starting point in negotiations is based closely on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention, which is also the basis for most other countries’ tax treaties. Some developing countries prefer to follow the UN Model, the provisions of which differ in some areas to the OECD Model, and the UK has agreed to adopt these provisions in its treaties. The object of the negotiations is to produce a text acceptable to both countries, balancing their preferences. There is no timetable for how long negotiations should take. It is quite normal for negotiations to take two to three rounds to complete.

    Consultation during the negotiations would be rare.

    *Negotiations largely completed.