Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken and plans to take to ensure that out of city areas are adequately defended and protected from a repetition of the recent attacks in Paris.

Mr John Hayes

Since the attacks in Mumbai in 2008 the Home Office has worked with the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department of Health and the police and security and intelligence agencies to develop a strong, police-led capability to deal with large-scale firearms attacks in the UK. We have also improved joint working between the emergency services to deal with the particular challenges of this type of incident so that specialist joint police, ambulance and fire teams are now in place in key areas across England (including London), with equivalents in Scotland and Wales. Firearms police are trained to respond to a marauding firearms attack and fire and ambulance teams are trained and equipped to manage casualties in higher risk environments. Under the Spending Review, the Government has also committed to protecting police spending in real terms and to further strengthen police firearms resource to protect citizens from terrorism. New funding is also available to the security and intelligence agencies to provide for an additional 1,900 officers to better respond to the threat we face from international terrorism, cyber-attacks and other global risks.

We are reviewing our response to firearms attacks of the type seen in Paris, to see if there is anything we can learn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2015 to Question 16779, if he will assess the extent to which grants made by his Department to Action on Smoking and Health were used for activities designed to influence his Department, other departments or Parliament.

Jane Ellison

The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for lobbying purposes.

ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance his Department is providing to the National Museum of the Royal Navy in making urgent repairs to HMS Victory.

Mr Philip Dunne

In March 2012 the custodianship of HMS Victory transferred to the HMS Victory Preservation Company, a charitable trust established as part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) to ensure the preservation of the ship for future generations.

Part of this arrangement was a £25 million grant from the Ministry of Defence matched by a similar grant from the Gosling Foundation. The Heritage Lottery Fund contributed an addition £5 million from its Catalyst Fund. These funds form an endowment for the maintenance of the vessel. The NMRN continues to receive Grant in Aid from the Royal Navy, but the maintenance and repair of the ship is the responsibility of the Museum and the Trust.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in reducing red tape for British business during his Department’s renegotiation of the UK relationship with the EU.

Mr David Lidington

The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain – so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. That includes cutting red tape to make Europe more competitive, so we create jobs and make British families more financially secure. We have made progress; legislative proposals under the new Commission fell by 80 percent in 2015, and more regulations were repealed in 2015 than in the whole of the previous Commission. But the burden from existing regulation is still too high and so we are working to secure a target to cut the total burden on business.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that his (a) Department will not enter into negotiations with Argentina without the full consent of the Falkland Islands government and (b) Department’s position remains to deny any transfer or reduction of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands without the full consent of the Falkland Islanders.

Mr Hugo Swire

We are hopeful for an improvement in bilateral relations with Argentina. Our position on the Falkland Islanders’ right to self determination will not change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rules are on the use, style and designation in UK passports of UK titles of honour, such as knighthoods, granted to both UK and dual nationals by one of Her Majesty’s Commonwealth Realms as well as titles of honour granted by Commonwealth states where the Queen is not Head of State; and whether those rules have been amended or revised in the last five years.

James Brokenshire

British titles of nobility bestowed by the Queen are presented on the biographical page of the British Passport. These include members of the House of Lords, holders of knighthoods and baronetcies as well as Dames of the Realm.

The response to parliamentary question 19413 on the 15 November 2015 provided information on awards offered by other countries. Her Majesty’s Passport Office guidance states that a title may be recorded as an observation on the British passport to recognise the holder is also known by another name.

Her Majesty’s Passport Office policy on titles has not been revised in the last five years. Published guidance can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/118548/titles-included-in-passports.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the £20 million funding for English language tuition to isolated women announced by the Prime Minister on 18 January 2016 will come from the Home Department’s counter-terrorism budget.

Mr Marcus Jones

No. The £20 million community-based English language training offer is new funding which will be routed through DCLG and will form part of its Integration Programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the UK is providing to Taiwan since the recent earthquake in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

Through The British Office in Taipei we have worked closely with the Taiwanese authorities to establish whether any British Nationals were affected by this tragic earthquake. The Taiwanese authorities have responded swiftly and effectively to the earthquake. Taiwan is not a recipient of UK aid, which is targeted at the poorest, and those least able to cope with such disasters.

The Foreign Secretary and I have passed our thoughts and condolences to the people of Taiwan and all those affected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s policy is on funding for the Equitable Life Payment Scheme that has not been disbursed.

Harriett Baldwin

Payments under the scheme will continue to be made annually to With-Profits Annuitants for the duration of their annuities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to provide British pensioners living overseas with the same annual uprating of their state pension as British pensioners who are resident in the UK.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government has a clear position, which has remained consistent for around 70 years: UK state pensions are payable worldwide and uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so for example in the European Economic Area or countries where we have bilateral agreements. There are no plans to change this.

Not uprating where there is no legal requirement to do so frees up about £0.5 billion a year which can be used to fund Government priorities in this country.