Tag: Andrew Rosindell

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 6^th largest goods export partner. The government wants to improve this relationship, with a target for China to be the 2^nd 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:

• improving facilities through £10m investment
• investing in people, including by recruiting and training nearly 3,000 referees and over 3,000 new coaches, and recruiting 6,000 volunteers (‘the Pack’) to help run the tournament
• increasing schools’ participation in rugby, especially state schools. 130,000 new state school pupils have played rugby, of whom a third are girls and of whom 3,000 are now playing regularly for a club
• attracting 16-24 year old players back to clubs
• promoting touch rugby to appeal to more people
• the Unity Project to promote rugby in Europe’s developing rugby nations; and
• cultural engagement through over 700 rugby themed events and celebrations.

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.

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 steps his Department is taking to increase participation in motor sport for young people from families with lower incomes.

Tracey Crouch

Around 25,000 adults already participate in motorsports each week in England and with support this number could increase further. Motor sports and motor cycling clubs and associations are eligible to apply to Sport England for funding and I would encourage them to consider this as an option to help increase participation.

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 encourage a return to representative, democratic governance in Zimbabwe once Mr Mugabe ceases to hold the office of President.

Grant Shapps

The Government supports progress towards a peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe, where the rule of law and human rights are upheld, laying the foundations for long-term sustainable development. We frequently urge the Zimbabwean government to implement the new constitution agreed in 2013, which provides a foundation for improved governance and human rights, and to make necessary reforms to the electoral system to resolve the shortcomings identified by Southern African Development Community and the African Union observer mission during the 2013 elections. The UK also continues to support democracy by working with civil society organisations, human rights defenders and other stakeholders.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of the potential link between the HPV Vaccine and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such a link on the progress of the Government’s HPV vaccination programme.

Jane Ellison

The human papillomavirus (HPV) sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Department on immunisation matters, considered the safety of HPV vaccine when it met in June 2015. The sub-committee reviewed safety information provided by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as reports in the media and literature investigating temporal associations of the HPV vaccine to a range of overlapping syndromes including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The HPV sub-committee agreed that no available evidence supports a causative link between HPV vaccination and POTS or other overlapping syndromes. It strongly supported the continued use of the HPV vaccine to prevent infection with HPV and to protect adolescent girls from cervical and other HPV associated cancers. This position was agreed by the JCVI, which concluded it has no concerns about the safety of the HPV vaccine.

As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety ofHPV vaccines will be kept under continual review.