The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support the armed forces is providing to Iraqi forces related to the conflict with Daesh in Falujah.
Penny Mordaunt
As part of Coalition forces, the RAF is conducting airstrikes against Daesh targets in support of ISF operations in Fallujah.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-15.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether any non-UK EU nationals were sent postal votes in error for the upcoming EU referendum.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission became aware of an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales on 1 June that meant some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received postal votes.
The software provider has resolved the issue which means that all postal votes that have been sent to non-eligible EU citizens have been cancelled, including in cases where completed postal votes had already been returned.
All of the affected electors have also been written to by their local Electoral Registration Officer with an explanation of what happened and have been told that they will not be able to vote at the referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the change in defence spending has been since May 2015.
Michael Fallon
The Spending Review 2015 set out the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) budget for the rest of this Parliament reflecting the Government’s commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence. The MOD budget will increase by 0.5% above inflation each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21, during which time the Department will have access to the new Joint Security Fund.
The Defence Budget for 2016-17 is £35 billion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what forecast his Department has made of the change in international and EU investment in UK-based science research in the next five years.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to play a leading role in European and international science, research and innovation. The strengths of UK science and research draw in significant international and EU funding as evidenced by the £5.4 billion of overseas investment in UK research and development in 2014.
The Government’s commitment to supporting international collaborations is demonstrated by the introduction of the Global Challenges Research Fund which will provide £1.5 billion over the next five years to support research on global issues affecting developing countries. Our international partnerships are also supported by the Newton Fund linking UK researchers with researchers in 16 partner countries. The Government is committed to ensuring that UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) recruit more teachers and (b) otherwise ensure that schools do not experience a shortage of teaching staff.
Nick Gibb
Teaching continues to be a hugely popular career. There are more teachers in England’s classrooms than ever and record levels of high quality graduates are entering the profession. There are now 454,900 full time equivalent teachers, an increase of 5,200 from 2014 and 13,100 from 2010.
Teacher recruitment remains a challenge as the economy improves. The Government has increased Scholarships and bursaries and for the best qualified graduates in priority subjects. We have also supported the growth of Teach First and announced a £67m package to recruit an additional 2,500 mathematics and physics teachers to improve the knowledge and skills of 15,000 existing teachers. For 2016/17, initial teacher training providers will have freedom to recruit as many trainees as they need within limited controls.
The School Direct training route has been allocated over 17,500 training places this year, representing 40 per cent of all training places. We are also supporting schools to retain good teachers by improving pupil behaviour, tackling unnecessary workload and increasing pay flexibility.
We are also creating a National Teaching Service (NTS). By 2020 this will have placed 1,500 high-performing teachers and middle leaders in underperforming schools in areas of England that struggle to recruit or retain high quality teachers. A pilot NTS scheme, starting in North West England in September 2016, will aim to attract 100 teachers and middle leaders into the region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the establishment of an independent, international and impartial body to investigate violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation and alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen. The UK fully and actively supports the UN’s efforts to achieve a political solution to bring an end to the conflict. I discussed the importance of progress with President Hadi of Yemen on 25 November. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate Government to improve its capacity to protect human rights.
The UK has previously engaged the Yemeni Government – both bilaterally and through the UN Human Rights Council – on a wide range of human rights issues. We continue to raise the importance of compliance with international human rights law by all sides to the conflict. The UK welcomes the September UN Human Rights Council resolution which contains mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been tasked to help Yemen investigate human rights abuses and violations, but it will be up to Yemen to decide on how it sets up its own domestic mechanism. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on the protection of human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, from where the Royal Navy will attain the remaining personnel necessary to crew the two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Royal Navy has attracted significant investment as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, including an increase in personnel to 30,600 by 2025. This level of investment continues to ensure delivery of Continuous Carrier Capability from both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the future of the Special Investigation and Prosecution Team in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
James Duddridge
The Special Investigation and Prosecution Team was set up following Sir Robin Auld’s Commission of Inquiry in 2008-2009 which identified a high probability of systemic corruption in the Turks and Caicos Islands. As a result of its investigation, criminal charges were brought against a number of individuals, including former Premier Michael Misick. The trial is expected to start this month and is likely to run for several months. The start of the trial is an important moment for Turks and Caicos Islands that will ensure justice is seen to be done and draw a line under past allegations of systemic corruption. Given that the trial is only just about to start and its outcome is unknown, it is difficult to make firm conclusions on Special Investigation and Prosecution Team’s future at this point. The Turks and Caicos Islands authorities would be involved in any decision as Special Investigation and Prosecution Team works for them not the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from his French, US and German counterparts on the UK’s decision to extend airstrikes to Syria.
Michael Fallon
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 December 2015 to Question 18966.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to allow US border guards to patrol UK airports.
James Brokenshire
The US operates border pre-clearance facilities at a number of international airports to allow passengers on flights to the US to clear US customs and immigration controls before they arrive in the US. The US Government seeks to negotiate such arrangements with the relevant UK airports, as any interested airport would need to adapt its operations accordingly. However the introduction of pre-clearance operations would also require approval by the UK Government. We continue to discuss pre-clearance with the US but no formal agreement has yet been reached.