UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2016

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korean agents have killed the Korean-Chinese pastor Han Choong Yeol.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of the concerning reports surrounding the murder of Han Choong Yeol in the border region between China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, any investigation will be a matter for the Chinese authorities.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 39080, if she will make it her policy to lay the Committee on Climate Change report on the compatibility of UK onshore petroleum with meeting UK carbon budgets and the Government’s response before Parliament prior to any decision is taken to reverse (a) the planning decision against fracking made by Lancashire County Council and (b) any other planning decisions that are made by local authorities concerning the extraction of shale gas.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Further to the Answer to Question 39080, we are continuing to consider the report and will lay it before Parliament with our response in due course.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on drugs related to diabetes in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    David Mowat

    In the 2015/16 financial year, the total net ingredient cost of prescription items prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom for drugs listed within trhe British National Formulary section 6.1 “Drugs used in diabetes”(using the classification system prior to edition 70), was £956.7 million1.

    1Source: Prescriptions for Diabetes, England 2005/06 to 2015/16, NHS Digital

    http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21158/pres-diab-eng-200506-201516.pdf

    “

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that bottles and cans containing alcoholic drinks should display the calorie count of the drink.

    Jane Ellison

    Current labelling regulations for alcoholic drinks are set at a European level. The United Kingdom did secure a provision for voluntary calorie labelling, which some businesses are already doing. The possibility of mandating calorie labelling on alcohol is under discussion at European Union level.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the financial health of the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company and its potential effect on the MARS programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) continues to progress the build of all four ships under the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Tanker contract. The Ministry of Defence is aware of reports in the specialist press regarding financial losses reported in the shipbuilding industry, including DSME. We continue to closely monitor this situation with DSME, noting that this is primarily a matter for the company.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with counterparts in the French government on providing (a) training and (b) logistics for the Lebanese armed forces.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK and France participate in a multilateral group that meets twice a year to coordinate capacity building support to the Lebanese armed forces.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many of the EU’s free trade arrangements include provisions relating to services.

    Anna Soubry

    The EU liberalises trade in both goods and services through WTO negotiations and bilateral and regional trade agreements. The EU’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) give the UK preferential access to 53 markets outside the EU. 27 of these markets are covered by agreements with provisions on services. These deals are valuable for the UK services sector. For example, UK services exports to South Korea grew by two-thirds (to £1.5bn) between 2011, when the EU FTA was provisionally applied, and 2013. The service sectors covered, and the degree to which they are liberalised, varies between agreements. Agreements which include services provisions are also under negotiation with partners including the United States of America and Japan. However, even the most recent EU FTA to be agreed, with Canada, offers less guaranteed access than the EU Single Market.

    Together with 22 other economies, the EU is also party to negotiations for a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement to liberalise trade in services further. At the WTO, the EU offers preferential access to its services markets for the world’s poorest countries. Further information on EU trade agreements and ongoing negotiations is available on the European Commission’s DG Trade website.

  • Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the renegotiation of the 1955 tax treaty between the UK and Malawi, and when the new treaty is expected to be agreed and signed.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Discussions with Malawi over a new tax treaty began some years ago, and substantive agreement has been reached at official level. The Government of Malawi have stated that they hope to be in a position to sign the new treaty in the near future.

    The current negotiations are a matter for the two governments. The UK’s starting point in negotiations is based closely on the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention, which is also the basis for most other countries’ tax treaties. Some developing countries prefer to follow the UN Model, the provisions of which differ in some areas to the OECD Model. The UK does adopt these provisions in its treaties where agreement is reached.

    This is a matter for the Government of Malawi. However, they have stated that there is no evidence that the current 1955 agreement has motivated British investors to deprive the Government of Malawi of its revenues.

    The terms of tax treaties are for the negotiators of both countries to agree. Only when both governments are content with the terms of the treaty will the treaty be signed. It would be inappropriate for draft treaties to be published in advance of signature to the treaty.

    In the UK tax treaties are published and subject to parliamentary scrutiny before they become law and enter into force. A form of approval is usually followed in the corresponding country, thus giving a further level of assurance that the terms are acceptable to both Governments.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Bahrain on the imprisonment of Sheikh Ali Salman in that country.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    We are concerned about the recent extension of the imprisonment of Al Wefaq’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Ali Salman. We continue to raise his case with the Government of Bahrain, including most recently on 30 May when I raised his case at the highest levels during a visit to Manama. I understand there is a further stage in the legal process.

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the British Red Cross research paper, Don’t stop at 999, published in September 2016, on preventable deaths; and what steps he is taking to ensure that basic first aid education is included in the Government’s public health strategy.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    No specific assessment of the implications of the recent Red Cross research – Don’t Stop at 999 has been made. However, it is recognised the timely application of first aid can help minimise the impact of injuries, as well as health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, and contribute to avoiding preventable deaths.

    The NHS Choices website contains information for the public on first aid responses to various injuries and health incidents. In addition, the Government is making available another £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England. This builds on last year’s funding of £1 million, which provided almost 700 more publicly accessible defibrillators in communities across England and increased the numbers of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    The national Act Fast campaign also aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of stroke, teach people what to look out for in themselves and others, and encourage those who notice the symptoms to call 999. Since Act Fast launched in 2009, it is estimated that an additional 47,000 people reached hospital within the vital three-hour window and over 5,000 fewer people became disabled as a result of a stroke.

    Local authorities in England have the lead responsibility for identifying and meeting needs for local interventions to improve the health of their populations.