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  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina to cope with a potential influx of refugees and migrants, in the light of the political and security situation in that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) earlier this month gave a positive assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s contingency planning, particularly in Bijeljina and Trebenje, which are two areas that could be at risk of overspill. The British Government remains concerned about BiH’s limited capacity to register an influx of arrivals, and to conduct security screening, including through the use of biometrics. We welcome the fact that BiH and the UNHCR have identified the establishment of reception centres close to likely border crossing points as a priority, and look forward to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s provision of a comprehensive needs assessment to inform planning for external support.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina about the refugee and migrant crisis in the Western Balkans, and what provisions are in place to offer (1) UK, and (2) EU, support to the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the event of an influx of refugees and migrants into that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are in contact with all governments of the region on the migration crisis. On 23 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), pledged a UK contribution of £308,078 to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s Sarajevo office for contingency planning. This was part of a wider pledge of £3.1 million of aid to international agencies to support Western Balkans countries affected by the migration crisis. On 1 November, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced a further £5 million of humanitarian aid to the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean route. We are also contributing substantially through EU assistance programmes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The EU has provided €8.5 million of migration-related assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of this has been spent on technical assistance for effectively managing migration and asylum. It has also been spent on supply of equipment and on the construction of a reception facility for migrants. The EU is due to spend a further €2 million to support BiH’s border police.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the influx of refugees and migrants into the Western Balkans on the security situation in that region, and what discussions they have had with (1) NATO, and (2) the EU, about that issue.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government makes ongoing assessments of the impact of refugees and migrants on the security situation in the Western Balkans. There have been limited discussions in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on migration as the issue is largely a national and EU competence. NATO can address some of the causes of migration by helping to improve the security and resilience of countries in the region through its partnership frameworks and Defence Capacity Building activity. We have been in regular contact with the EU on addressing all aspects of the crisis. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Teresa May), participated in an EU Conference with Western Balkans and other countries in Luxembourg on 8 October, which agreed a comprehensive package of measures for dealing with the challenges of migration through the Eastern Mediterranean route. We consider it important that the actions agreed at this Conference, and other actions agreed between the EU and the Western Balkans – notably the 17-point Plan of 25 October – are implemented as soon as possible.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 27 October (HL2665), how much of the 2015 Common Agricultural Policy budget has been, or will be, spent in support of United Kingdom agriculture.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    In 2015, the UK has been allocated around 7% of the total CAP budget, equivalent to a total of €4 billion.

    In pounds sterling, based on the average European central Bank exchange rate for September used for calculating direct payments, this equates to a total of £2.9 billion. Of this amount, £2.3 billion is allocated to Pillar 1 direct payments and £620 million to Pillar 2 rural development.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the economic development of the north of England under Candu Energy’s plans for the reuse of the United Kingdom’s plutonium stockpile and closure of nuclear sites.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the process of submitting advice to DECC, which together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the disposition of plutonium. There are a number of options for dispositioning of plutonium that will be considered, including the potential option presented by Candu. A decision will be made by ministers in due course. The Government is confident that its preferred option for plutonium disposition will be implemented safely and securely, and in a way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the role that Candu Energy can play in the development of United Kingdom infrastructure and in creating new supply-chain jobs in the United Kingdom’s nuclear sector.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the process of submitting advice to DECC, which together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the disposition of plutonium. There are a number of options for dispositioning of plutonium that will be considered, including the potential option presented by Candu. A decision will be made by ministers in due course. The Government is confident that its preferred option for plutonium disposition will be implemented safely and securely, and in a way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to attracting further Canadian inward investment into the United Kingdom as a result of closer nuclear co-operation.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Canada in June 2015 on closer cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy. Officials are taking forward work to understand respective nuclear frameworks and the scope for inward investment.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Baroness Goudie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the potential benefits to the Northern Powerhouse of the Candu Energy option for the reuse of the United Kingdom’s stockpile of plutonium.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is in the process of submitting advice to DECC, which together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the disposition of plutonium. There are a number of options for dispositioning of plutonium that will be considered, including the potential option presented by Candu. A decision will be made by ministers in due course. The Government is confident that its preferred option for plutonium disposition will be implemented safely and securely, and in a way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.

  • Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who took the decision to disband the mounted section connected to Merseyside Police.

    Lord Bates

    The deployment and use of police animals are operational decisions for chief constables which are rightly made by local forces.

  • Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Fearn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what control there is over the flight of drones in the United Kingdom.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Article 166 of the UK Air Navigation order (ANO) 2009 requires operators of RPAS to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purposes of avoiding collisions. It also states that an operator may only fly the aircraft if they are reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.

    In addition, Article 138 of the ANO 2009, which also applies to RPAS, states that “a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.” This includes persons within another aircraft, and of course the aircraft that those persons are within. The government expects users to understand and comply with this type of regulation which has been made in place for many years, albeit covering the flight of the more traditional model aircraft.

    Safety and Security must always be the overriding priority and both commercial and leisure operators most operate drones responsibly and within the rules. I am able to confirm that with regards to the policing and monitoring of such vehicles the Police has provided initial guidance to constabularies across the UK.

    Operators of RPAS that collect personal data must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) unless a relevant exemption applies. The requirements of the DPA are regulated by the independent Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).