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  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a central point in the UK, or elsewhere, for recording war crimes in Syria, in particular the starvation of civilians and the deaths under attack of medical personnel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    War crimes and other atrocities in Syria are dealt with at the international level. The Government supports the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which is mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law in Syria with a view of ensuring perpetrators are held to account.

    We also support other bodies that are collecting evidence in the region such as UN Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapons in Syria.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has called for a halt to the indiscriminate use of weapons on medical and educational facilities, calling on parties to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. The UK supported UN Security Council resolution 2254, which was unanimously adopted in December calling for an end to indiscriminate attacks and unrestricted humanitarian access.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether means have yet been found, through UN agencies or otherwise, for purchasing the large supplies of grain recently available in the Jazira Canton of Syria.

    Baroness Verma

    At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict. This is the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    The UN reports that the potential to purchase grain from the Jazira Canton of Syria is unchanged compared with their analysis of June 2015. The Jazira Canton, covering the wheat producing areas of Al Hassakeh and Ar Raqqa, remains under the control of the Syrian regime, the Kurdish authorities and Daesh. Humanitarian access to these areas is therefore, restricted by continued violence, insecurity and wilful obstruction. Control of access routes in the Jazira Canton by armed groups means that the UN are unable to access wheat producing areas, assess the quality of the wheat produced, or transport it to other regions. In addition, the milling capacity within Al Hassakeh governorate is insufficient to meet the operational needs of the UN. According to the UN, bread availability in Al Hasakeh and Ar Raqqa is currently adequate, thus reducing the need for the UN to buy wheat grain for local distribution.

    The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the UN World Food Programme , committing £227 million to provide food support in Syria and the region since the start of the crisis. By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria had provided over 15.1 million food rations, each of which feeds one person for one month; access to clean water for over 1.6 million people; and more than 4 million relief packages.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Final Resolution of the 12th International Conference on the European Union, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds, held at the European Parliament in January.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we do not agree with all points made in the Final Resolution of the 12th International Conference on the EU, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds, held at the European Parliament in January, we too call for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party to cease its attacks and share the participants’ desire to see a return to the peace process.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in HM Treasury on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department for Education on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord Nash

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department of Energy and Climate Change on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department of Health on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Smith of Basildon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department for Work and Pensions on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.

    Lord Freud

    There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments　laid　since 2010　or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that　the　number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked　at 1,885　in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how much revenue would be raised if aviation fuel were subject to the same rate of tax as fuel for motor vehicles.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In accordance with its bilateral Air Service Agreements, the 1944 Chicago Convention and EU law, the UK does not tax aviation fuel. Consequently, no such assessments have been made.