Blog

  • Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to make a decision on the resettlement and future of the Chagossian people, and whether Parliament will be consulted in advance of that decision.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government is considering all relevant advice and material, including the recent independent feasibility study published in February 2015, and the results of the public consultation, published in January this year. The consultation period has now ended. The Government hopes to make a decision soon.

  • Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and what action they plan to take to protect the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in the event of such a withdrawal.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have a special relationship with the EU, provided under Protocol 3 to the UK’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community. The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. After two years, the departing Member State is deemed to have left the EU, meaning that both the rights and the obligations that derive from membership would lapse. This two year deadline can be extended, but only by unanimous agreement of all EU Member States.

    At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the UK special status in a reformed EU. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), to the House of Commons on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for Gibraltar of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and what action they intend to take in relation to Gibraltar in the event of such a withdrawal.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Gibraltar’s economy is strengthened by the UK’s EU membership. As the Chief Minister of Gibraltar has clearly stated, an UK exit from the EU would pose "an existential threat in economic terms" to the territory.

    The UK will continue to defend and support Gibraltar’s interests, and uphold British sovereignty. The UK will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes. Furthermore, the UK will not enter into any process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the government of Burma plans to (1) protect resources in ethnic areas in Burma, and (2) press for a moratorium on large-scale extraction projects.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government of Burma’s term of office expires on 30 March. It will be for the incoming government, led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), to formally announce its policies when it takes office. Resource issues will be a major issue for any new government. The NLD made a manifesto pledge to distribute the proceeds of resource extraction fairly, to address the issue of environmental degradation associated with this industry and to raise labour safety standards. The UK already supports work on public financial management in Burma. We have also actively supported Burma’s candidacy for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. We stand ready to work with the incoming government on resource issues at its request.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Women’s League of Burma’s call for the National League for Democracy to focus on bringing peace to the ethnic states.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The National League for Democracy, which is due to lead the incoming Government in Burma, made the peace process and political dialogue its primary manifesto pledge. The peace process is also a priority for the UK. We are providing £19 million over five years to the Peace Support Fund and, with a £5 million contribution, the UK is also the largest donor and currently chair of the multinational Joint Peace Fund. We stand ready to provide further assistance to the incoming government as requested.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have raised the treatment of political prisoners with the government of the United Arab Emirates.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our relationship with the United Arab Emirates allows us to discuss a range of important issues, including human rights. If we have concerns regarding arrests, convictions or sentencing we make these clear to Emirati authorities as part of our broader strategic engagement.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact of tax regimes in each Crown Dependency and British Overseas Territory on tax receipts from individuals.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of (1) corporate, and (2) individual, tax evasion in each of the last five years have involved a British Overseas Territory or a Crown Dependency.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact on UK tax receipts of the corporate tax regimes in Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested is not available in this format.

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

    Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion they have had with universities in order to encourage them to raise awareness of the NHS Low Income Scheme.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There have been no discussions with universities or student representative bodies to encourage them to raise awareness of the NHS Low Income Scheme. However, information is made available to the public, including students, about the Help with Health Costs arrangements, which includes the NHS Low Income Scheme. This information is provided in various ways, including through the NHS Choices website and long-standing arrangements to make leaflets available to all the NHS service access points, for example general practitioner surgeries and NHS dental practices. The NHS Business Services Authority, which manages the Help with Health Costs system, also uses social media to raise awareness of the Help with Health Costs arrangements, such as through the Student Bursaries Facebook and Twitter accounts.