Tag: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact of tax regimes in each Crown Dependency and British Overseas Territory on tax receipts from individuals.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The information requested is not available in this format.

HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the tax gap each year. The latest edition was published on 22 October 2015 and is available on the gov.uk website.

Estimates are made for all major taxes, including corporation tax and income tax. However, this information is not broken down in such a way that can be used to identify the loss of tax receipts due to the tax regimes requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision to offer a £100 million aid package which will be implemented under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa set up to tackle instability and the causes of migration.

Baroness Verma

Migration within and from Africa is a major development issue. It needs to be addressed in part by tackling instability and the root causes of migration. At the Valletta Summit the European Union agreed a new €1.8 billion Trust Fund focussing on four main areas linked to development priorities identified by the host governments in Africa: i) promoting greater economic and employment opportunities; ii) strengthening resilience of communities and in particular the most vulnerable, as well as refugees and displaced people iii) improved migration management in countries of origin and transit; and, iv) improved governance and conflict prevention, and reduction of forced displacement and irregular migration.

The Trust Fund is composed of three windows, one for the Horn of Africa, one for the Sahel and one for North Africa. The proposed work of the Trust Fund complements DFID’s own approach in these regions. The UK is represented by DFID on each of the EU Trust Fund window’s Operating Committees and on the overall board of the Trust Fund. DFID, the FCO and Home Office officials work as one team to coordinate engagement with EU Trust Fund. The UK is playing a full role in shaping the Trust Fund’s strategy and we work hard to ensure that the funding is well spent and that proposed projects deliver maximum value for money.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Eritrean nationals appealed against an initial asylum refusal in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In answer to Questions HL329 and HL331, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8090.

In answer to Question HL330, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8089.

In answer to Question HL332 and HL333, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 11/05/2016 for Questions HL8091 and HL9092.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the progress of the peace process in Burma in the light of the recent Union Peace Conference, 21st Century Panglong.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We welcome State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s peace initiative – the Union Peace Conference, 21st Century Panglong. It was the most inclusive peace conference to date and successfully brought most of the major players to the table. This was a significant achievement in its own right. The conference marks the beginning of a process, and there are now proposals to follow up at six-monthly intervals. We will continue to support this process as it moves forward to the next stage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the statements made by representatives of the UN about breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition, and other parties to the fighting, have been reflected in risk assessments for licences for military aircraft, bombs and other equipment issued for sales to Saudi Arabia since their operations began in Yemen in March.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition. We have received assurances from the Saudi Arabian authorities that they are complying with IHL and we continue to engage with them on those assurances. The Saudi Arabian authorities have their own internal procedures for investigations and we encourage them to be open and transparent in this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law.

The UK takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. We rigorously examine every application on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

The Ministry of Defence monitors the reports of alleged IHL violations which informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of evidence from Government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. We are also offering advice and training to Saudi Arabia to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 2015 Global Hunger Index, in particular regarding the connection between conflict and hunger in the Central African Republic and Chad.

Baroness Verma

The Department for International Development regularly tracks a range of nutrition and hunger assessments to assess the situation in Africa, including the Global Hunger index, and we are concerned by the situation in Chad, where over 3 million people are food insecure, and in Central African Republic, where over 2.5 million people are food insecure. Food insecurity has been significantly exacerbated by conflict in Central African Republic and around Lake Chad, which has caused the destruction of harvests, forced displacement, and the blockage of trade routes. This year DFID has spent £7m on humanitarian assistance in Chad, with a focus on preventing and treating malnutrition and supporting displaced people, and £18m on humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic, with a focus on providing essential healthcare, livelihoods assistance and emergency support to the most vulnerable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have raised the treatment of political prisoners with the government of the United Arab Emirates.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Our relationship with the United Arab Emirates allows us to discuss a range of important issues, including human rights. If we have concerns regarding arrests, convictions or sentencing we make these clear to Emirati authorities as part of our broader strategic engagement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the sexual violence, harassment, threats and other forms of abuse against Sudanese women’s rights defenders; and what assessment they have made of what more could be done to end the range of abuses experienced including sexual violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

All instances of sexual violence, harassment or abuse against women are deeply concerning, but the recent Human Rights Watch report sets out a number of disturbing instances of harassment and abuse of female human rights defenders. The UK will continue to press the Government of Sudan to take action on sexual and gender-based violence. We are also funding a number of projects, including training for lawyers taking on court cases relating to public order laws and legal redress to victims of sexual violence. We assess that the Government of Sudan needs to take action on a number of fronts to end such abuses, including further revising the Criminal Act and other laws pertinent to the prosecution of sexual offences.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of Eritreans who challenged an initial asylum refusal won their appeal in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In answer to Questions HL329 and HL331, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8090.

In answer to Question HL330, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8089.

In answer to Question HL332 and HL333, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 11/05/2016 for Questions HL8091 and HL9092.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to press the government of Burma to ensure that the Burmese army ceases attacks in Kachin State and engages in a genuine process of political dialogue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are concerned by reports of ongoing offensives in Kachin State. There is a risk these operations could destabilise the peace process. The Kachin participated in State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent peace initiative – the Union Peace Conference, 21st Century Panglong – which we welcome. The best prospect for peace in Kachin is for the follow-up to the Panglong conference to be successful. We will continue to support this.