Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Russia about alleged state interference in the affairs of the RBC newspaper and news service; and whether they will make public any responses received.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government has not made any specific representations to the Russian Federation regarding the dismissal of three editors of Russian newspaper RBK on 13 May. However the Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), did raise our broader concerns about the suppression of civil society in Russia with his counterpart Deputy Minister Titov in December 2015. As set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Report, the UK is deeply concerned about the reducing space for dissenting views and the increasing pressure on the media community in Russia.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that people recently displaced by violence in South Sudan receive humanitarian protection.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are working with humanitarian partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (who both receive Department for International Development funding) to assess the situation and mobilise responses where possible, including the provision of water, food and health services for internally displaced persons. However, at present, continued insecurity is a significant barrier to humanitarian operations in some areas. We are pressing for action at the UN Security Council to ensure that United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan has the equipment and unrestricted access it needs to fulfil its mandated task of providing a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish his Department’s negotiating priorities for a free trade deal with the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will change the criteria for primary and acute care provision better benefit rural communities.

    George Freeman

    All new care model vanguards, which include multispecialty community providers, integrated primary and acute care systems, enhanced health in care homes, urgent and emergency care and acute care collaborations have now been selected.

    Selection of the 50 vanguards followed an open and rigorous process, with participating organizations being selected from urban and rural areas.

    While NHS England is only able to have a limited number of vanguards as part of its national programme, it aims to support all local areas with an ambition to deliver care in new ways that improve patient experience and outcomes.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have received young carer assessments under the Children and Families Act 2014 since its implementation; and what proportion of young carers received services from the local authority to meet their needs following such an assessment.

    Edward Timpson

    This information is not available to the Department.

    From April 2015, all young carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs for support by the local authority. These new provisions work alongside those in the Care Act 2014 for assessing adults to enable ‘whole family approaches’ to assessment and support. This means that when a child is identified as a young carer, the needs of everyone in the family will be considered. This will cause both children’s and adults’ support services to assess why a child has a caring responsibility, what needs to change, and what would help the family to prevent children from taking on this responsibility in the first place.

    This reform is intended to ensure effective, joined-up support with the potential to offer a single point of professional contact for young carers and their families.

  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he has about the individual who currently holds the position of UN Special Advisor on Genocide; what recent representations to that individual about the killings by Daesh of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq; and what plans he has to meet the Special Advisor to discuss the crisis in those countries.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Adama Dieng was appointed UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on 17 July 2012. His role is to: raise awareness of the causes and dynamics of genocide; to alert relevant actors where there is a risk of genocide; and to advocate and mobilise for appropriate action. The Office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect has made a number of statements in relation to the situation in Iraq and Syria. These statements can be found on the UN website, and cover a range of issues including: incitement to violence in Syria on religious grounds; expressing concern about the on-going threat to the safety of minority groups in Syria; and expressing alarm at reports of the abduction of 1,500 Yezidi, Christian and Shabak women and girls.

    Any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that military assistance, support and training provided by the UK to the Kurdistan regional government does not directly or indirectly contribute to or facilitate the commission of violations of international human rights or humanitarian law.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence takes it role in promoting human rights very seriously. Before the UK undertakes any training of foreign troops around the world, we assess the potential impact of the proposed training in relation to human rights and international humanitarian law and we seek to mitigate any risks.

    To support the fight against Daesh the UK military is currently providing the Infantry Battle Course to the Peshmerga. This course includes training on international humanitarian law.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people applied to the Pubs Code Adjudicator vacancy; and how many such people were (a) longlisted and (b) shortlisted.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East on 10 March, Official Report, Vol 607, Col 428.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his consultation on drones expected to be published before summer will include options on the classification of drones generally; and whether he has assessed existing weight categories as appropriate.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is developing new rules for all drones that are proportionate to the risk of their specific operation rather than based on weight categories.

    The Government will seek to ensure that UK regulation is consistent with this approach. EASA has conducted a consultation and impact assessment on the approach and therefore we do not currently intend to consult further on these measures.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether parity of esteem as established in the Belfast Agreement 1998 applies to people who live in the Republic of Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    This Government understands the concept of parity of esteem, as set out in the 1998 Belfast Agreement, as placing a general obligation on the UK Government to treat people of different traditions in Northern Ireland fairly and with equal respect. In the Agreement it is clearly expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland.

    As a general obligation there is no definition of particular circumstances in which it does or does not apply.

    As I have set out in previous replies to the Noble Lord, this Government is firm in its commitment to the protection of people against any form of discrimination, and the promotion of opportunity for all, across the whole of our United Kingdom.

    In respect of the Noble Lord’s question about those who might march wearing army uniforms but who are not members of an army, the concept of parity of esteem clearly does not absolve people from upholding the law. This Government has made clear many times that we will never accept any form of equivalence between members of the security forces and those who engage in terrorism or other forms of paramilitary activity.