Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that British citizens travelling to India are aware of the illegal practice of capturing and breaking young elephants in India for use in the tourism industry.

Mr Hugo Swire

We are aware of reports that some elephants in use in the tourist industry in India have been captured as calves and then beaten and mistreated. This practice is illegal in India. Officials in London have discussed this issue with Save The Asian Elephant (STAE), an organisation that works to stop this cruel treatment.

The UK is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. The UK has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. We secured agreement from the Indian government in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.

It is not for the Government to make British citizens aware of this practice. However, we will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of armed forces personnel originate from Commonwealth nations; and whether his Department plans to increase such numbers in future.

Mark Lancaster

As at 1 October 2014, 4% of our trained UK Regular Forces had a Commonwealth nationality. The Ministry of Defence is considering its approach to foreign and Commonwealth recruitment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recent UK efforts to prevent people smuggling in the Mediterranean.

Mr David Lidington

We are working with our EU partners in tackling those criminal elements who are involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The EU Naval Forces Operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med – shortly to be renamed Operation Sophia) was launched on 22 June and is now in its second phase which aims to locate, interdict and seize smuggling vessels, and detain suspected smugglers, on the high seas. The UK has been one of the largest EU contributors to this mission. HMS ENTERPRISE has been deployed since 4 July and she will shortly be joined by HMS RICHMOND with her organic Lynx helicopter, Royal Marines boarding party and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for enhanced surveillance.

A recently passed United Nations Security resolution, (http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2240(2015), endorses our actions on the high seas under the EUNAVFOR Med operation. The UK was at the forefront of securing this resolution.

In addition, the UK’s multi-agency Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) Taskforce builds on existing extensive law enforcement capability in the UK and overseas focusing on the crime networks in source countries, transit points including the Mediterranean as well as at the UK border and France. The Taskforce is already working with international partners, actively sharing intelligence and progressing criminal investigations.

The OIC Taskforce builds on the existing progress made by Immigration Enforcement and others to tackle the gangs that target the most vulnerable. Last year UK law enforcement disrupted more than 170 organised crime gangs involved in immigration crime while so far this year, Immigration Enforcement alone has seen 48 convictions and the disruption of 27 organised crime gangs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

Grant Shapps

DFID is focussing its bilateral programme on reducing new HIV infection rates in southern Africa, the region hardest-hit by the epidemic. Our efforts are focused on the integration of HIV prevention and treatment services within sexual and reproductive health programmes. A particular emphasis is on the needs of women and girls and those populations most at risk.

DFID is increasingly working through multilateral organisations, which can work in many more countries than the UK can reach on its own and at a much larger scale. That is why the UK made a commitment of up to a £1 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for the 2014–16 replenishment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) nature and (b) purpose is of the deployment of UK armed forces to Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK currently has 20 Armed Forces personnel deployed in Mogadishu, Somalia. Those personnel are supporting a range of UN and EU Missions to provide training, mentoring, and logistical support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and develop the Somali National Army. The purpose of those Missions, and therefore our support, is to counter the terrorist threat from Al Shabaab and achieve security and stability within Somalia and the wider East Africa region. The total UK deployment includes a Defence Attache and Assistant DA at the British Embassy in Mogadishu.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the attack on UK military vehicles in Kabul on 11 October 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The attack on a NATO convoy on 11 October is a reminder of the threat under which our troops in Afghanistan continue to work, in partnership with the Afghan Government and others in the international community, to build and sustain a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan. We always seek to draw on knowledge and experience acquired as a result of such incidents. Our commitment as part of the NATO mission and in honour of those who have given so much in this endeavour is unwavering.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress she has made in resolving the political situation in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace

It is essential that the cross-party talks deliver a way to implement the Stormont House Agreement and also a means to address the continuing impact of paramilitary organisations.

The Northern Ireland parties are engaging intensively on these issues but time is short and a resolution is needed urgently.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from his Russian counterpart on the deployment of UK troops to the Baltic states.

Michael Fallon

None.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Japanese counterparts on security reforms in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We welcome Japan’s recent security reforms, which will allow Japan to play a greater role in international peace and security. During his visit in August, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed with the Japanese Foreign Minister the opportunities these reforms will create for even closer bilateral cooperation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that automotive manufacturers have not falsified emissions data in the same manner as Volkswagen has done.

Andrew Jones

In the UK, the Vehicle Certification Agency conducts tests on vehicles and components to ensure they meet the minimum standards required by European and UN-ECE legislation.

Emissions tests are carried out to determine that the level of pollutants emitted from a vehicle is below the required limits. The test is a laboratory based test under controlled conditions in order to achieve repeatable results.

The Department for Transport recognises the current test cycle for emissions is outdated and no longer represents normal driving patterns. Discussions have taken place over recent years to replace this with an updated more relevant laboratory test. The Department anticipates this will be implemented from 2017. In addition, a new real world driving emissions test is being implemented to ensure emissions in normal driving comply with the legal obligation. These new tests will remove the ability of car manufacturers to falsify test results.

All new vehicles are tested in accordance with EU law to ensure that they meet the legislated requirements for emissions. There is no evidence that these emissions tests have been falsified in the UK.