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 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.

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 has taken to encourage other nations in the Levant and Arabian peninsula to accept refugees from Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have been at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria, having committed over £1.1bn, which includes funding for regional countries to assist arriving refugees.

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), recently visited Lebanon and Jordan, where he paid tribute to the efforts of these countries in hosting Syrian refugees. Syria’s neighbours have been incredibly generous in welcoming huge numbers of refugees. There are now over four million Syrian refugees in the region, including over one million who fled Syria in 2014 alone. Turkey hosts the highest number of refugees, at over 2 million, followed by Lebanon at over 1 million and Jordan at over 628,000. The UK has allocated £559 million to support refugees in the region and vulnerable host communities to date, including £304 million in Lebanon and £193 million in Jordan. The Gulf States continue to contribute generously to humanitarian support for the Syria crisis, and there are large numbers of Syrians already in the Gulf.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the most recent Global Financial Stability Report from the IMF.

Harriett Baldwin

The IMF’s report concludes that risks to global financial stability from emerging markets remain elevated, amid falling risk appetite and increasing market liquidity risks.

The UK Government is alive to any implications of these risks for UK financial stability. The Government established the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to identify and manage these types of risk to the UK financial system.

The Bank of England’s forthcoming 2015 stress test of the UK banking system will assess its resilience to a deterioration in global economic conditions, particularly in emerging markets.

Furthermore, the UK’s financial regulatory bodies are continuing to work at an international level on risks relating to global financial market liquidity.

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 US counterparts on the targeting of non-IS targets by Russian forces in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) discussed Russia’s military build-up in Syria with Secretary of State John Kerry at the UN General Assembly last month. Government ministers and officials discuss Syria with their American counterparts on a regular basis, and have shared concerns over Russia’s strikes on non-ISIL targets in Syria. The UK and US, together with France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, issued a statement on 2 October expressing concern about Russian strikes in Syria, calling on Russia to stop attacking the Syrian opposition and civilians, and to focus on 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 policy aims his Department achieved at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.

Grant Shapps

As a cornerstone of the international rules-based system, the UN is a universally recognised platform for countries to reach agreement on the global issues that affect us all. The opening session of the UN General Assembly brings together political leaders from across the world in a way that sets the multilateral agenda for the year ahead. Since the opening of the General Assembly’s 69th session in September 2014, notable achievements in support of UK policy aims include: a new set of global development goals to help eradicate extreme poverty within the next 15 years; support for the Secretary General to develop a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism; a General Assembly resolution on the Arms Trade Treaty which maintained momentum towards the Treaty’s entry into force in 2014; strong human rights resolutions on Syria and the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea; and $220m (£145m) in savings on peacekeeping mission costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress British military forces have made on defeating the ISIL threat in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are providing intelligence and surveillance to support coalition partners, who are carrying out air strikes in Syria against ISIL. Airstrikes are making a difference on the ground, for example, they supported ground forces in driving ISIL out of Kobane. In addition, we will make a significant contribution to the US-led effort to train and equip the moderate Syrian opposition who are fighting against ISIL. Ultimately, we need to see an inclusive political transition in Damascus which produces a Syrian government, without Assad, with which we can work to fight ISIL.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that Crimea is still internationally recognised as part of the Ukraine.

Mr David Lidington

The Government strongly condemns Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea which violates the UN Charter and is illegal under international law. The UK co-sponsored UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 on the "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine", which was adopted on 27 March 2014 with 100 votes in favour and only 11 against. This result delivered a resounding international condemnation of Russian actions in Crimea and made clear Russia’s isolation in the Security Council and in the international community.

G7 leaders issued a statement on 4 June which affirmed G7 countries’ non-recognition of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and condemned the unacceptable interference in Ukraine’s sovereign affairs by the Russian Federation. G7 Leaders confirmed the decision by G7 countries to impose sanctions on individuals and entities who had actively supported or implemented the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and who were threatening the peace, security and stability of Ukraine. They underlined their implementation of a strict policy of non-recognition with respect to Crimea/Sevastopol, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262.

The EU has regularly condemned Russian actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and supported action including the imposition of travel bans and asset freezes on 72 individuals and the sanctioning of two entities; the cancellation of the EU-Russia Summit; agreement not to hold bilateral summits; and a decision to block Russian membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Energy Agency.

On 16 July, and in line with the EU’s policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, the Prime Minister and other EU Leaders requested the European Commission and the European External Action Service to present proposals for additional measures on restricting investments in Crimea and Sevastopol. The European Council also asked the International Financial Institutions to refrain from financing any projects that explicitly or implicitly recognised the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol.

The UK remains firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.