Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 10198, whether funding to settle refugees within the UK will be allocated solely from the overseas aid budget.

Justine Greening

In line with the internationally agreed rules on Official Development Assistance (ODA), expenditure to support refugees in the UK for the first twelve months of their stay will be allocated from the overseas aid budget.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Wildlife Crime Unit in preventing wildlife crime in the UK and in rescuing animals illegally held in captivity.

Rory Stewart

The Government appreciates the important work which the National Wildlife Crime Unit carries out in tackling wildlife crime. It has not, however, conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of its contribution to preventing crime or rescuing animals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has received about the current political situation in Sark and the island of Brecqhou.

Dominic Raab

The department is engaged in frequent discussions with Chief Pleas and a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in the jurisdiction of Sark (which includes the island of Brecqhou). The UK Government has urged all with an interest in Sark’s future to engage positively with its elected government, which is responsible for the island’s economic strategy, and we encourage the government of Sark to make the best possible use of the practical help and support which continues to be offered by the UK Government and other ‘Friends of Sark’ (which includes Alderney, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the implementation of European Professional Cards for doctors does not inhibit his Department’s ability to perform background checks on doctors from European countries and to ensure that they meet the medical qualification standards required by the NHS.

Ben Gummer

The European Professional Card (EPC) will not be introduced for doctors until 2018 at the earliest. The European Commission will review the effectiveness of the EPC process for the first wave of professions, which includes nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists, before any decision is taken to extend the EPC to other professions.

In the United Kingdom, independent health regulators are responsible for performing checks on health professionals from European countries to ensure that they meet agreed standards of fitness to practise. For doctors, this role is undertaken by the General Medical Council.

Although under the EPC system the responsibility for carrying out initial background checks will transfer to the home regulator of the professional, UK regulators will continue to be able to carry out registration checks, and can require additional information if there are any justifiable doubts about a registrant’s application or fitness to practise.

The UK Government has negotiated new safeguards to ensure that the high standards we expect from staff in this country are met by those from elsewhere in Europe who come to work here. These include:

– the introduction of an EU-wide alert mechanism which regulators will use to inform other countries of professionals who have been restricted from practising; and

– applying language controls for healthcare professionals from the EU so that regulators are able to ensure that professionals have the necessary knowledge of English before they are able to work in the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate how many new EU regulations and directives have been implemented in the UK in 2015 which affect British manufacturing industries.

Anna Soubry

All regulations implementing EU legislation that were introduced in 2015 and their associated impacts can be found on legislation.gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure former aircraft carrier personnel do not become deskilled before the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers come into active service.

Penny Mordaunt

Comprehensive training programmes, including embedding personnel with the US and French Navies, ensure that skills are retained and developed in support of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers coming into service.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a distinction is made by the Government between Commonwealth Realm Orders and decorations where Her Majesty the Queen is Sovereign of the Order and an order where the Governor General as Her Majesty the Queen’s representative is the Head of the Order; whether there is a reciprocal recognition policy in place between each of the Commonwealth Realms concerning titular honours; and whether there has been any change in his Department’s rules on that policy in the last two years.

James Duddridge

The recognition of foreign honours is a matter for the Royal Prerogative and is governed by convention. The convention has not changed in the last two years. My Department does not set rules or regulations for these matters.

The main distinction between Orders of which Her Majesty The Queen is Sovereign and those where The Queen is not Sovereign is that The Queen approves and appoints recipients of all awards in the former and the recipients can apply to receive their awards at an investiture in the UK.

There is no reciprocal recognition policy in place between each of the Realms concerning honours and associated titles. Whether a title associated with an honour awarded by one Realm is recognised in a second Realm is a matter for the second Realm.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cases were referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final court of appeal by Commonwealth realms in 2015; and how many such cases were referred to that Committee by each realm.

Mr Hugo Swire

The total number of cases submitted to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) from Commonwealth countries in 2015 is not currently available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on alleged human rights violations in that country; and what progress has been made on promoting a fair and independent judicial system in India.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed human rights with Prime Minister Modi during Mr Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom in November 2015. Mr Modi reassured the Prime Minister and honourable members in his address to Parliament that he fully respected India’s traditions of tolerance and diversity. I raised the extensive interest taken by right honourable and honourable members in this place with the Indian High Commissioner on 12 January. The Indian Constitution provides for a judiciary which is independent of the legislature and the executive. The courts have proved to be a powerful medium of progressive change in India and a protector of India’s Constitution, challenging successive governments on various issues, including human rights. However, we do acknowledge that there is a backlog of cases and are encouraged by discussions in India to address this issue.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage innovation and competition amongst broadband network providers and (b) reduce monopoly control over broadband infrastructure.

Mr Edward Vaizey

It is a matter for Ofcom to monitor and regulate competition in electronic communications markets and last year it launched a Strategic Review of Digital Communications. Maintaining and promoting competition and innovation in the electronic communications markets are key areas that Ofcom is considering.

The promotion of competition and innovation in the telecommunications sector is high on the Government’s list of objectives for the European Commission’s review of the Electronic Communications regulatory Framework, as was reflected in our response to its consultation. Proposals from the Commission are expected later this year.