The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers of the Scottish Government and (b) his Cabinet colleagues on reducing the voting age to 16 for all Scottish and UK elections.
David Mundell
The Scottish Parliament passed an Act to lower the voting age in those elections in June 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the potential effects of the provisions of the Trade Union Bill in Scotland.
Anna Soubry
The Minister for Skills in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has had an exchange of correspondence on the Trade Union Bill with Roseanna Cunningham, Minister for Fair Work, Skills and Training.
On 8 October, he also had a telephone conversation with Ms Cunningham that covered the Bill.
On 7 September, he also met with the Scottish Trade Unions Congress to discuss the Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of progress in meeting the recommendations of the Smith Commission; and if he will make a statement.
David Mundell
I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to his hon Friend, the member for Lanark and Hamilton East.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Andrew on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what contribution staff at the Department for International Development office in East Kilbride have made to the delivery of UK development policy over the last twelve months.
David Mundell
The 600 plus staff in DFID’s office in East Kilbride are an intrinsic part of the UK Government team delivering our £9.8 billion international development effort. They make a crucial contribution to improving the lives of millions of people in some of the poorest communities in the world.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the mandatory criminal courts charge on the number of guilty pleas.
Lord Faulks
Section 55 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 places a duty on the Lord Chancellor to carry out a review of the Criminal Courts Charge three years after implementation of the charge. No such assessment has been made to date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of individuals who are innocent of crimes but have pleaded guilty in order to reduce their liability for the mandatory criminal courts charge since April 2015.
Lord Faulks
Section 55 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 places a duty on the Lord Chancellor to carry out a review of the Criminal Courts Charge three years after implementation of the charge. No such assessment has been made to date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to bring forward their review of the mandatory criminal courts charge.
Lord Faulks
It is right that we find better ways to pay the costs of running our criminal courts, and the introduction of this charge has made it possible to recover some of the costs from offenders, which reduces the burden on taxpayers. The Government is keeping the operation of the criminal courts charge under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 22 June (HL689) in determining that North Korea does not pose a terrorist threat, what assessment they made of any involvement by North Korea in assassinations, attempted kidnapping and offering support for the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of media reports linking individuals alleged to be agents of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to assassination attempts against DPRK citizens who have resettled in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The reports also detail the actions taken by the ROK authorities in response to these incidents. There are also occasional unverified reports that North Korean agents have abducted refugees resident in other countries. While the DPRK has acknowledged its involvement in the historical abductions of Japanese citizens during the 1970s and 1980s, it has not admitted to participation in these more recent reported cases. We strongly support efforts to resolve enforced disappearances and spoke on this matter during a UN Human Rights Council panel discussion in September.
We are also aware of media reports alleging cooperation between the DPRK and the Tamil Tigers, Hezbollah and Hamas. Despite these reports, recent public assessments indicate that the DPRK is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since 1987. However, the UK remains extremely concerned by the DPRK’s indiscriminate global proliferation of arms and related material, in violation of UN sanctions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made on behalf of Phyoe Phyoe Aung who is currently detained in Burma.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have raised with the Burmese authorities our concerns at the violence which occurred during the student protests at Letpadan Monastery in March, when Phyoe Phyoe Aung and others were arrested. We have called for the Government of Burma to investigate the incident and for all remaining student demonstrators to be released from prison and charges to be dropped. Our Embassy in Rangoon is closely monitoring the cases of the 56 who have been charged, 48 of whom remain in detention, and have attended the most recent trial hearing in Thuyawaddy on 13 October.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they offer to youth-led civil society initiatives countering hate speech and promoting religious tolerance in Burma.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain deeply concerned about the rise in Burma of hate speech and religious intolerance. We have raised this with the Burmese authorities and will continue to do so, both publicly and in private. We have supported inter-faith dialogue in Burma in recent years through a number of projects to help build relationships and understanding. These have included projects to develop relationships between Burmese youth and different religious communities, and to forge exchanges between activists on religious freedom in Burma and Indonesia.