Tag: Andrew Rosindell

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what future plans his Department has to co-ordinate with the armed forces of the Russian Federation in tackling ISIS.

Michael Fallon

The UK is part of the Global Coalition against ISIL. Russia is not. We attach great importance to the US and Russian discussions on safe separation and air safety, and call on Russia to do all it can to minimise the risk to Coalition aircraft fighting ISIL.

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 policy of recent military defeats by Afghan forces; and what discussions he has had with his Afghan counterparts on the insurgency at Kunduz.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We enjoy a close security dialogue with the National Unity Government in Kabul. The Commander Joint Forces Command, the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon) have all visited Afghanistan recently to discuss the security situation with Afghan counterparts. When the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) assumed full responsibility for national security at the end of 2014, we and they understood that there would inevitably be testing times ahead. The ANDSF have responded well. The Taliban attack on the city of Kunduz was a setback for ANDSF, but government forces have regained control of the city. NATO will be working with the Afghan Government to identify lessons from this incident and the fighting season more broadly. NATO and the UK remain committed partners of the Afghan Government. The Taliban should accept President Ghani’s invitation now to end the fighting and join the peace process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent a similar incident to the airstrikes in Afghanistan which killed Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors occurring in future.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

It is essential that there is a rigorous process to determine the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) trauma centre in Kunduz in order to prevent something like this occurring again. We await the conclusions of the investigations currently being undertaken by NATO and by the governments of the United States and Afghanistan, and any lessons that these offer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the potential for future UK airstrikes in Syria.

Michael Fallon

I have not held discussions with my Russian counterpart.

I have regular conversations with my US counterpart on a range of subjects, including the campaign against ISIL, and most recently met him on 9 October 2015. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, there is a strong case to do more against ISIL in Syria, but the UK will not join Coalition air strikes against ISIL in Syria without the endorsement of Parliament.

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 Israeli counterpart on the recent conflict at Temple Mount.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have made representations to the Government of Israel stating that it is vital that the longstanding status quo in respect of access to Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif, and other historic sites, be preserved. In recent weeks, Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this with senior Israeli officials and the Israeli President. Our National Security Adviser also raised this with his Israeli counterpart. Most recently, on 12 October, the Charge d’Affaires at our Embassy in Israel raised this issue with Israel’s Deputy Defence Minister, requesting that restrictions on visitors be lifted.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to provide tax incentives for businesses seeking to enter the automotive and motor racing industries.

Mr David Gauke

The Government provides generous tax incentives to help new and innovative businesses in the UK, including the automotive and motor racing industries. The rate of corporation tax is currently 20% and will be 18% in 2020, the lowest of any economy in the G20.

The Government supports research and development (R&D) in the automotive and motor racing industries through R&D tax reliefs. At Summer Budget 2015, the Government also announced that it would increase the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance to £200,000 which will further support investment in plant and machinery.

The Government has also committed £86 million through the Advanced Propulsion Centre to secure Britain’s strength in the research, development and commercialisation of low carbon vehicle technologies.

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 recent progress has been made on extracting potential oil reserves near the Falklands; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

A number of international oil and gas companies are involved in the current exploration around Falkland Islands waters which is expected to continue into 2016. The results of exploration will be announced at the appropiate time by the companies concerned.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the export of illegal drugs from Afghanistan.

Mike Penning

Her Majesty’s Government provides counter-narcotics assistance to a range of international partners, including Afghanistan. We do so to tackle the international drugs trade and minimise the threat it poses to the UK. Our work involves the sharing of operational information and expertise and the provision of capacity building. It is important to protect activities which form part of the UK’s contribution to the international counter-narcotics effort and to respect the principle that international partners are able to operate in secrecy on matters of national security against organised crime. As such, it is our policy not to disclose specific details of our counter narcotics work, as to do so risks reducing its effectiveness and damaging international relations.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority acts to prevent companies from fraudulently using capital raised from selling ring-fenced bonds to bail out poorly-performing parent companies.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government has legislated to ensure that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), are fully empowered to maintain the integrity of the ring-fence, and to take action in preventing this type of misconduct.

The ring fencing regime includes requirements that directors of the ring-fenced body (RFB) be able to take decisions independently of group entities; that transactions with group entities be on arm’s length terms; and that arrangements with other group entities should be managed as with third parties.

The PRA and the Bank of England have powers to take action if such a transaction were to have a potential impact on the prudential resilience or resolvability of the RFB. The FCA can also take enforcement action for breaches of its rules or for these types of market abuse, which includes the imposition of substantial financial penalties.

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 he plans to take to deter Russian forces from targeting non-IS targets in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to urge Russia, both in public and through diplomatic channels, to focus its efforts on ISIL targets. The EU Foreign Affairs Council on 12 October also called on Russia immediately to cease targeting the moderate opposition.