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  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I have regular meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in my capacity as Foreign and Commonwealth Office Science Champion. However, as was the case under previous administrations, details of these internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

  • Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Joan Walley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which UN peacekeeping missions established since 1990 do not have a human rights mandate.

    Mark Simmonds

    21 out of 51 peacekeeping missions established since 1990 did not include a human rights mandate to monitor and intervene. Of these 21, only the Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is still in operation.

    Human rights mandates or components in peacekeeping missions vary depending on the context, and are common in newer peacekeeping missions. The UK Government has supported these human rights mandates wherever possible. This is part of our broader efforts to mainstream human rights into the UN’s peace and security work.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of (a) Farshid Fathi, (b) Behnam Irani, (c) Silas Rabbani, (d) Amin Khaki, (e) Saeed Abedini and (f) other pastors and deacons imprisoned in Iran being beaten in prison.

    Hugh Robertson

    We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the UK has made to Israel following the Israeli parliament’s consideration of legislation to allow force-feeding of Palestinian administrative detainees on hunger strike.

    Hugh Robertson

    Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv met with an official from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office on 17 June, they expressed our concern over the bill.

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent correspondence his Department has received from UK citizens living in Italy on delays in passport renewal; whether all such letters were acknowledged; and for what reasons any such letter has not yet been acknowledged.

    Mr David Lidington

    Passport renewal is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Passport Office under the responsibility of Home Office Ministers. Any related correspondence received in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is therefore transferred to that Office for response.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made by the President of Iran towards granting greater civil rights to religious minorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Hugh Robertson

    The UK welcomed President Rouhani’s comments in 2013 that all Iranians, including religious minorities, should “feel justice.” Unfortunately, there has been little noticeable change in the approach taken by Iran’s security and judicial authorities.

    The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent illegally-harvested timber and endangered hardwoods being imported into the UK.

    Dan Rogerson

    In March 2013 the Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations were introduced in the UK. The regulations implement the EU Timber Regulation, which aims to prevent the trade of illegally harvested timber in the EU by:

    • prohibiting the placing of illegally harvested timber and timber products on the EU market for the first time;
    • requiring operators who place timber products on the market for the first time to exercise ‘due diligence’; and
    • requiring traders to keep records of their suppliers and customers in order to facilitate the traceability of timber products through the supply chain.

    The UK also provides financial and in-country support to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process between the EU and timber producing countries under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. Once VPAs are in operation, EU-bound timber exports will be issued with FLEGT licences which guarantee the timber’s legality.

    In addition, the import of a number of endangered hardwood species into the UK is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) licensing system. The system aims to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of endangered species and is implemented in the EU by the Wildlife Trade Regulations.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the annual income from the carrier bag levy in the four years from October 2015.

    Dan Rogerson

    The estimated gross revenue from the charge in England is set out in the table below:

    Calendar year

    2015

    2016

    2017

    2018

    Revenue

    £22.1million

    £110.5million

    £112million

    £113.5million

    The Government expects retailers covered by the charge to deduct reasonable costs from the revenue raised and use the remaining part for good causes. VAT will be included in the 5p charge.

    No profits generated from this charge goes to the Government.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the planned further research into the use of carbon monoxide as a potential method of culling badgers will include (a) trials on living badgers, (b) trials on existing badger setts and (c) laboratory trials.

    George Eustice

    The planned further research involves preliminary tests to investigate the potential use of carbon monoxide in a sett environment. These preliminary tests will not involve the use of either live badgers or active setts. Whether or not we proceed with further research involving live badgers or active setts will depend upon the outcome of these preliminary tests.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Secretary of State meets his Chief Scientific Adviser at least weekly, sometimes more frequently.