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  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress achieved at the meeting of the Middle East Quartet on 10 September.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On 30 September 2015, the Quartet met in the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Quartet released a statement reaffirming its commitment to the two state solution and noting the urgency of progress towards this objective, in the context of the intensifying threat of terrorism, sectarian extremism and radicalisation in the Middle East. Amongst other things, the Quartet expressed concern at current trends, and stressed the need for significant steps on the ground, consistent with past agreements. The UK, represented by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), attended the expanded second part of the meeting. The Foreign Secretary stressed the need for practical actions which would have impact on the ground and expressed concern at settlements, housing demolitions and population clearances.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the present situation of the Yezidis displaced from the Sinjar/Shengal region, irrespective of their current location; what proportion of those displaced are in camps; and what plans there are for protecting those outside camps during the winter.

    Baroness Verma

    UK aid is reaching thousands of vulnerable people across Iraq, include the most vulnerable groups, such as Yezidis. All UK-funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion or ethnicity. The UK works with the Government of Iraq, Kurdish Regional Government, UN and the international community to support the rights of all minorities and to ensure our aid reaches those in greatest need.

    Humanitarian actors have started the winterisation preparations. We regularly engage with the UN and other partners to ensure that the needs of those most requiring assistance are taken into account. As part of the humanitarian response in Iraq, populations outside of camps have been described as a priority target.

    DFID announced an additional £20 million of humanitarian funding for Iraq on 29 September, taking our total contribution to £79.5 million since June 2014.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are consulting the Foreign Minister of Italy on his proposal for enhanced aid and investment in the whole Mediterranean region.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), most recently discussed the Mediterranean region with the Italian Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 14 September. Ministers frequently meet their Italian counterparts to discuss the broad range of issues affecting the Mediterranean, including our close cooperation on migration.

  • Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define the term very significant obstacles”

    Lord Bates

    Paragraph 276ADE(1) of the Immigration Rules sets out the requirements for leave to remain on the basis of the applicant’s private life in the UK. Under paragraph 276ADE(1)(vi), where the applicant is aged 18 or over and has lived continuously in the UK for less than 20 years (and whether or not they have done so for more than half their life), there must be “very significant obstacles” to the applicant’s integration into the country to which they would have to go if required to leave the UK. Guidance for caseworkers on this is contained in section 8.2.3.4 of the Immigration Directorate Instruction Appendix FM 1.0b Family Life (as a Partner or Parent) and Private Life: 10-Year Routes, published on GOV.UK.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to extend their definition of a notifiable crime to include (1) all driving offences, or (2) all driving offences that cause injury.

    Lord Bates

    There are no plans to extend the definition of a notifiable crime to include all driving offences or all driving offences that cause injury.

  • Lord Judd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Judd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 September (HL1861 and HL1991), what further steps remain in the process of taking a decision about extending the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, and what timetable they have set for those further steps to be taken.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Secretary of State is giving careful consideration to the inspector’s report on the inquiry into proposed extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and will issue her decisions in due course.

  • Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people aged (1) 21 and over, and (2) under 21, are known to have returned to the United Kingdom from a conflict zone since January 2014; and of those, how many were (a) charged with an offence and convicted, and (b) not charged but were put under supervision and entered into programmes of deradicalisation.

    Lord Bates

    Figures on the number of people who have returned to the UK from all conflict zones are not available. However, the Police have estimated that around 700 people from the UK who are of concern are thought to have travelled to the Syria/Iraq region since the start of the conflict, and that around half of those have returned. All decisions on handling returnees from Syria or Iraq are taken on a case-by-case basis. For some, prosecution for terrorist offences is the right course of action, and this will be a decision for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. For others, it may be that support from mental health or social services might be more appropriate.

  • Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people aged (1) 21 and over, and (2) under 21, are currently in prison for a terrorist offence; of those, (a) how many have been released on licence since January 2014, and (b) how many have undergone a programme of resettlement or deradicalisation; and what information they have on the effectiveness of resettlement or deradicalisation programmes.

    Lord Faulks

    As of Friday 23 October, there were 94 prisoners convicted of or on remand for offences under Terrorism Act legislation in prisons in England and Wales. Of these, 85 are 21 and over, and 9 are under 21. Of these 94 prisoners, 2 have been released and subsequently recalled to prison since January 2014.

    Of the 94, 46 prisoners have undertaken the Extremism Risk Guidelines assessment. These assessments only occur when a prisoner has been convicted and settled in to prison. The Secretary of State has asked the department to review its approach to dealing with Islamist extremism in prisons and probation. This will be supported by external expertise and will sit alongside the cross government work currently underway on developing de-radicalisation programmes.

  • Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been paid to external research and polling companies by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in each month since October 2014, and to which companies payments were made.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Details of research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. BIS has published its research strategy and details of the monitoring and evaluation of its programmes. Details can be found at the ‘BIS evaluation strategy’ and ‘BIS research strategy’ sections of the GOV.UK website, which are attached.

  • Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Kramer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have commissioned from external research and polling companies on small business policies in each month since May.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Details of research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. BIS has published its research strategy and details of the monitoring and evaluation of its programmes. Details can be found at the ‘BIS evaluation strategy’ and ‘BIS research strategy’ sections of the GOV.UK website, which are attached.