The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania on (a) Central Media Enterprise, (b) Adrian Sârbu and (c) Ronald Lauder.
Mr David Lidington
The Department has had no recent discussions on these specific issues with the government of Romania.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in media ownership in Romania.
Mr David Lidington
The British Embassy in Bucharest follows developments in the Romanian media closely, including changes in media ownership. The economic crisis of 2008 resulted in questions over the profitability of many media outlets and changes in ownership. The Government considers that a pluralist media is important for media freedom and the freedom of speech as provided for in the Romanian Constitution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania on improving media freedom and media pluralism in that country.
Mr David Lidington
The British Embassy in Bucharest follows the issue of media freedom in Romania closely, given its impact on the quality of democracy and on the rule of law. As part of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), to which Romania has been subject since its EU accession, the European Commission has called on Romania to “review existing standards to safeguard a free and pluralist media”. We have worked closely with the European Commission and the Romanian government in encouraging full implementation of CVM recommendations including on the relationship between the media and state institutions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greek and Turkish governments on the unification of Cyprus.
Mr David Lidington
The UK remains a strong supporter of a Cyprus settlement. We engage regularly with Greece and Turkey, at a range of levels, as part of our efforts to build support for the UN-led settlement talks. We look forward to continuing to work with Greece and Turkey to help the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunite their island through a just and lasting settlement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has formed a view on the legality of the maritime claims made by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea as set out in the nine-dotted line map annexed to the Notes Verbales communicated to the UN Secretary-General in May 2009.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK takes no position on the underlying and conflicting claims in the South China Sea. We encourage all parties to resolve all their maritime disputes peacefully, in accordance with international law, for example the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much revenue accrues to the public purse for payments received for semen collection licences.
George Eustice
The information will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many semen collection licences her Department has issued in each year from 2010 to 2015.
George Eustice
The information will be placed in the House Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many single farm payments were issued by the Rural Payments Agency on 1 December 2015; and how many of those payments were calculated incorrectly.
George Eustice
The Secretary of State and I have regular meetings and discussions with the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The Chief Executive of the RPA also attends the department’s weekly Executive Committee.
Around 33,000 Basic Payment Scheme claims were paid promptly and accurately on 1st December, the first day of the payment window that runs through to 30 June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to improve the administration of the Rural Payments Agency.
George Eustice
The Secretary of State and I have regular meetings and discussions with the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The Chief Executive of the RPA also attends the department’s weekly Executive Committee.
Around 33,000 Basic Payment Scheme claims were paid promptly and accurately on 1st December, the first day of the payment window that runs through to 30 June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with veterinary experts on the use of colistin and colistin resistance in animals, food and humans.
George Eustice
I discussed the issue of colistin resistance on 1 December with the Chief Executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate following the publication of a report on the issue in relation to China.
In November, the UK Government attended an EU workshop on the impact on public health and animal health of the use of antibiotics in animals, which included the use of colistin. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has also held initial discussions on the use of colistin and colistin resistance with other experts across government, including the Food Standards Agency, Department of Health and Public Health England, and key industry bodies.