Tag: Andrew Rosindell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role his Department has played in advising the Sovereign on the UK’s position on the future use, style and designation accorded to UK nationals of British dual nationals of the Queen’s Commonwealth realms; and what changes there have been to established practice in the last two years.

James Duddridge

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 18 January 2016 (PQ 22935). The recognition of foreign honours is a matter for the Royal Prerogative.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the events in Cologne at New Year 2015-16 in respect of information given to new immigrants to the UK on legal and cultural issues.

James Brokenshire

We expect all immigrants to the UK to abide by the law and to respect our shared values, and those who wish to stay permanently have to take the Knowledge of Life in the UK Test which reinforces this expectation. For those that do not respect the law, we will consider removal and exclusion. We keep all our immigration polices under regular review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will reverse its decision to impose an annual charge to Australian and New Zealand citizens for use of the NHS.

James Brokenshire

The Impact Assessment published on 4 February 2016, alongside the draft Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2016, estimates that a net additional £41 million could be raised for the NHS in present value, over 5 years, in 2016-17 prices, by applying the health charge to Australian and New Zealand nationals and reducing the annual health charge for Youth Mobility Scheme visa applicants from £200 to £150.

The Impact Assessment can be viewed at the link below and is also available in the Vote Office (Commons):

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2016/9780111143278/impacts

These changes are subject to affirmative resolution and will be debated in the House of Commons and House of Lords. If they are approved by Parliament, the Government plans to implement the changes from 6 April.

The Government think it only fair that Australian and New Zealand nationals contribute to the UK’s health service in the same way as other non-EEA nationals.

The changes will only apply to Australian and New Zealand nationals who plan to enter the UK for a temporary period of more than six months; visitors will not need to pay the charge and Australians and New Zealanders will continue to benefit from our reciprocal healthcare agreements.

Further, the Government has in recognition of the close and important links between our countries, agreed during discussions with the Australian and New Zealand Governments, to reduce the health charge that applies to the Youth Mobility Scheme from £200 to £150 in line with students. This is the category used by more than half of Australian and New Zealand nationals granted visas to the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times Russian military (a) aircraft and (b) ships have entered British territory in the last 12 months; what the average response time was for the armed forces on each of those occasions; and what the type and model was of the aircraft or ship on each of those occasions.

Penny Mordaunt

I can confirm that there have been no unauthorised incursions by Russian military aircraft into UK sovereign airspace in the last twelve months.

There have been three authorised Treaty inspection flights by Russian military An-30b aircraft in UK airspace under the auspices of the multi-national Open Skies Treaty. On each occasion the UK received advance notice of the aircraft’s arrival and it was hosted for the duration of its mission at RAF Brize Norton.

For information on Russian naval assets entering UK territorial waters I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2015 by the previous Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois) to Question number 218391.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military operations the UK has undertaken against (a) Daesh and (b) al-Qaeda in the last 12 months.

Penny Mordaunt

In the last 12 months, the UK has been continuing Operation SHADER against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. There have been no UK military operations against Al Qaeda in the same period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of migrants expected to attempt to enter the EU from Syria and other conflict zones during the period May to September 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have not made an independent estimate. The Government uses the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration data and analysis on migrant and refugee flows. The objective of the EU-Turkey deal is to stop irregular migration from Turkey and focus support on the majority of migrants and refugees who remain in the region near their homes. This is where we target a significant amount of UK support. We have pledged more than £2.3 billion in response to the Syrian conflict.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of tax refunds to large businesses as a result of decisions from the European Court of Justice in the last 10 years.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs holds data about tax repayments to business, but does not record whether repayments are linked to CJEU decisions.

The amount repayable is often the result of decisions in both the UK courts and CJEU and it would be impossible to accurately disaggregate how much was linked to the decisions of an individual court.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the discovery by the US Navy of an Iranian ship bound for Yemen containing a significant cache of weapons is a breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2216; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

UNSCR 2216 states that all Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the named individuals and entities designated by the Yemen Sanctions Committee. We continue to urge Iran to desist any transfer of weapons particularly those that breach any UN Security Council Resolution and instead to play a constructive role in the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the anti-trust implications of the proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse.

Harriett Baldwin

Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to reduce UK reliance on fossil fuels from Eastern Europe.

Andrea Leadsom

Fossil fuels are widely traded internationally, and the UK imports fossil fuels from a variety of different countries to supplement our domestic production. This diversity of supply reduces our reliance on fossil fuels from any single region, including Eastern Europe.