The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason he included previously excluded expenditure such as war pensions in the latest UK response to NATO’s defence spending requirement.
Michael Fallon
From time to time we update our Defence spending calculations, to ensure that we are fully reflecting the NATO guidelines
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reasons are for the timing of his Department’s sale of the remaining £2 billion of Lloyds’ shares.
Harriett Baldwin
The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated his intention to return Lloyds Banking Group to the private sector over the coming year in his Mansion House speech of June 2015. The proposal to launch a retail sale in Spring 2016 is consistent with this commitment.
The Government is determined to build a share-owning democracy and to continue to reduce the national debt by making Lloyds shares available to the public. Final decisions around the timing of a sale are dependent on market conditions, among other factors.
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 steps his Department is taking to prevent ISIL from destroying valuable historical sites in Palmyra and elsewhere.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK strongly condemns ISIL’s wanton destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq, including in Palmyra. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped secure UN Security Council Resolution 2199 which obliges all UN Member States to prevent the trade in Iraqi and Syrian cultural property that has been illegally removed from those countries.
But strong words and legal frameworks are not enough. As a key player in the Global Counter ISIL Coalition, the UK is committed to degrading and defeating ISIL, including through military action. By checking ISIL’s advance, the Coalition’s air campaign and support for partner military forces in Iraq and Syria has had the effect of protecting key historical sites in both countries. However, there is inevitably a limit to what we can do. The only way of safeguarding all historic sites from ISIL is by defeating them politically and militarily. That requires continued effort by the Global Coalition, as well as a more inclusive political settlement in Iraq, and an end to the conflict in Syria.
On 28 October I will be co-hosting a summit with the Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove Maldon (Mr WhittingdaleJavid) on Cultural Heritage Protection.
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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 Spanish counterpart on incursions into Gibraltarian waters by Spanish ships in recent months.
Mr David Lidington
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond ) raised unlawful incursions with the Spanish government when he visited Spain in February. The Government has raised a number of serious unlawful incursions directly with the Spanish government at a senior level in recent months. I did this most recently on 12 September during a meeting with the Spanish Minister for Europe, Fernando Eguidazu Palacios.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve Britain’s economic ties with China.
Harriett Baldwin
In 2014, UK goods exports to China were worth £15.5bn, making China our 6th largest goods export partner. The government wants to improve this relationship, with a target for China to be the 2nd largest recipient of UK exports within a decade.
The Government warmly welcomes the State Visit of President Xi and Madame Peng, an important milestone that should lay the foundations for a golden age in the bilateral relationship. The Visit will build upon the sustained engagement by the Chancellor and other Ministers to deepen UK-China economic cooperation, including via the annual, Chancellor-led Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD).
At the most recent EFD in September 2015, both sides agreed a package of measure to strengthen their long-term collaboration, including on capital markets, bond markets, green finance, asset management and insurance. Further detail can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/462412/EFD_factsheet.pdf
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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 Australian counterpart on the effect of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull coming into office on Australian-UK relations.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK and Australia continue to enjoy a close and productive partnership. At the heart of this are regular dialogues between Ministers on important policy issues. Our shared values and interests mean that dialogues continue even as counterparts change. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) most recently spoke to Malcolm Turnbull on 8 October. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) is also in regular contact with his Australian counterpart.
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 progress was made during the recent visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on negotiations on the UK’s relationship with the EU.
Mr David Lidington
We are not able to give a running commentary on the discussions. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) is focussed on success. He believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. I welcome Chancellor Merkel’s statement to the Bundestag on 15 October that “it goes without saying that we will work constructively with the British government” on this question, and that she was “convinced that we will be able to find an acceptable compromise”.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to promote the legacy of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Tracey Crouch
The Rugby World Cup is expected to attract 466,000 international visitors to England – more than any previous RWC. Research from Visit Britain tells us that sport tourists traditionally stay for longer, have a propensity to travel around the country and spend more money when doing so. International visitors are expected to contribute up to £869 million in direct expenditure to the UK economy. Last year, an economic impact study by EY estimated a boost of almost £1bn to the UK’s GDP (of £2.2bn total spend generated). This includes £85m of infrastructure projects and the support of 41,000 jobs.
There are strong plans to drive legacy benefits from the tournament. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is working to spread the game’s popularity and there are also plans around the host cities to maximise economic and community benefits.
The RFU’s plans to grow the game include:
DCMS and the Government continue to be fully supportive of these plans.UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is coordinating a Rugby World Cup Business Festival programme of activity across 8 of 9 regions, aligned to the locations of fixtures. A Global Investment Conference (GIC), hosted by UKTI, launched the festival on 17 September 2015 at Lancaster House. This brought together government leaders and 150 senior potential and existing investors from 9 key Foreign Direct Investment target market countries with teams competing in the tournament.
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 progress on the (a) establishment of a national unity government in Libya and (b) ending of political instability in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
On 8 October the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Bernardino León, announced details of the proposed final political settlement in Libya. This included: names for the Prime Minister and five others members of the Presidential Council, the final text of the Political Agreements, and twelve other names proposed for ministerial positions.
We are working closely with international partners to encourage the Libyan parties to endorse the proposal. UNSMIL hope to achieve formal signature before 20 October.
We are working tirelessly in support of UN efforts to establish a Government of National Accord in Libya. Negotiations remain difficult. But only an inclusive government will deliver the peace and stability that the Libyan people desire and deny the space for ISIL and other extremist groups to operate.
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 effect of John Boehner’s resignation as US Congress Speaker on US-UK relations.
Mr Hugo Swire
I was sorry to hear of Mr Boehner’s resignation. He has been a good friend to the UK and a strong advocate of the transatlantic relationship. It is unclear at this stage who the next Speaker will be but we remain confident that, whomever is selected, the UK-US relationship will remain as vibrant and strong as ever. We look forward to working with his successor.