Tag: Andrew Rosindell

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to help Syrian refugees assimilate into British society.

Richard Harrington

The Home Office is working closely with colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government to plan for the integration of Syrian refugees.

We are carefully considering issues such as access to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), how access to employment can best be supported and how to draw on the support offered from the voluntary sector, including refugee and disapora organisations as well as faith organisations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) Russian and (b) US counterparts on the extension of British airstrikes to 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 assessment he has made of the current level of representation of the British Overseas Territories at Westminster; and whether his Department plans to increase such representation and adopt a model similar to that used in (a) France and (b) the Netherlands.

Grant Shapps

The constitutional status of the Territories was reviewed prior to the publication of the 2012 White Paper: Security, Success and Sustainability. We believe that the fundamental structure of our constitutional relationship is the right one, with powers devolved to the elected governments of the Territories to the maximum extent possible consistent with the UK retaining those powers necessary to discharge its sovereign responsibilities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to amend the US-UK extradition treaty to make the legal requirements for extradition the same for US and UK citizens.

James Brokenshire

Under the UK-US Treaty there is no practical difference in the treatment of UK and US nationals, or indeed the nationals of any other country. This was also the conclusion of the independent Review of the UK’s Extradition Arrangements which the Home Secretary asked Sir Scott Baker to conduct, which stated “We have concluded that the United States/United Kingdom Treaty does not operate in an unbalanced manner” and that “there is no practical difference between the information submitted to and from the United States”. Changes were made to the operation of the Treaty in the last Parliament, such as the introduction of the ‘forum bar’ under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The Government believes that the Treaty is operating fairly.

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.