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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many vessels belonging to people smugglers have been apprehended or destroyed in the Mediterranean in 2015.

Earl Howe

Since July 2015, the EU Naval Force Operation in the Mediterranean, Operation SOPHIA, has disposed of around 40 migrant boats. Her Majesty’s Government does not hold information on the total number of boats destroyed by other European actors operating in the Mediterranean. Figures are correct as at 10 November 2015.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people smugglers have been apprehended by United Kingdom or other European Union armed forces or law enforcement agencies operating in the Mediterranean area.

Earl Howe

As at 10 November 2015, the EU Naval Force Operation in the Mediterranean, Operation SOPHIA, has been involved in identifying 42 suspected migrant smugglers to the Italian authorities for further investigation. Outside of Operation SOPHIA, UK vessels involved in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean over the period from May to October 2015, have also identified a further 35 suspected smugglers to the Italian authorities.

The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the total number of suspected migrant smugglers apprehended by European law enforcement agencies in the Mediterranean this year.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Germany to discourage them from creating a pull factor” for migrants and refugees to enter the European Union.”

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), as well as other ministers and officials, have all recently discussed migration with their German counterparts. These discussions have covered all aspects of the migration crisis, including measures to reduce the flow of refugees and other migrants into the EU.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the present arrangements for the free movement of persons throughout the European Union are appropriate, in the light of the current level of population movement.

Lord Bates

The Prime Minister clearly set out in his speech and his letter to the President of the European Council the issues we are seeking to tackle through the EU reform negotiations.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in encouraging small pension funds in the United Kingdom to amalgamate or co-operate in order to be able to compete with larger international pension funds in the purchase of suitable assets.

Baroness Altmann

Automatic enrolment is driving scale in pension provision and the clear trend is towards larger schemes which are better able to take advantage of the economies of scale including better access to a wider range of investment vehicles.

The Government fully supports the concrete steps the pensions industry has taken to cooperate on investment strategies – for example, the Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PIP) launched in February last year, and the London Collective Investment Vehicle (CIV) currently under development by a number of local authorities’ pension schemes in London.

Moreover, the Government will also work with the Local Government Pension Scheme Administering Authorities more widely to ensure that they pool investments to reduce costs significantly, while maintaining overall investment performance.

Trustees and managers are ultimately responsible for making investment decisions in the best interests of scheme members, and the Government recognises the challenges of the current economic environment for scheme funding. The Pensions Regulator sets out on an annual basis its key messages on current market conditions and how trustees and employers can agree appropriate funding plans that protect members’ benefits without undermining the sustainable growth of the employer.

Ministers continue to meet regularly with key stakeholders from the pensions industry to understand better the range of challenges facing schemes and employers and will consider whether there are further steps the Government could take.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, if the European institutions decided to increase the European Union budget due to the migration crisis, the United Kingdom would be legally required to pay a proportion of such an increase.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Government does not believe that it is meaningful to speculate on hypothetical scenarios. The Government’s position is to argue for maximum reprioritisation of the EU budget from areas of lesser priority in order to accommodate migration spend within the limits of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in the 2016 annual budget negotiations.