Tag: FALSE

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations have taken place between the Home Office and other relevant government agencies with reference to the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting communiqué in which Heads recalled the importance to the people of the Commonwealth for legitimate and temporary reasons in order to benefit from stronger economic

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Home Office regularly consults with other Government departments and agencies about all aspects of the UK immigration system including with regard to those visiting the UK from the Commonwealth.

The UK continues to contribute to the Commonwealth Secretariat led group looking at the movement of Commonwealth citizens and how that can be improved taking due regard to the requirement in the Communiqué that the actions should “not conflict with national legislation and international obligations.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 11 May (HL8117) what assessment they have made of paragraph 27 of the Third Report of the House of Commons International Development Committee The UK’s Development Work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which states We are nevertheless concerned that DFID is not taking adequate measures to prevent its funds from being misused. Given the scale of the operation

Baroness Verma

We investigate thoroughly any claims that UK funds are misused. UK aid to the PA is subject to rigorous scrutiny, with safeguards in place to ensure its being used for proper development purposes.

UK support to the PA funds named civil servants from a pre-approved EU list only. The EU PEGASE mechanism is used to earmark funds to payment of vetted PA civil servants and pensioners. The list of approved recipients is subject to a vetting process that includes screening against international and ad hoc sanctions lists. The screening covers over 20 different risk categories, including terrorism financing and is updated daily.

The EU PEGASE mechanism is independently audited, as is UK direct financial assistance to the PA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-07-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL Deb, col 1352), whether when they use the words extremism”

Baroness Williams of Trafford

As part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST), the Prevent strategy was revised in 2011 to address all forms of terrorism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement by the Minister of State for Immigration, Mr Robert Goodwill MP, in his letter to Lord Roberts of Llandudno of 12 September, CTS Reference M9899/16, that over 3

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Annual Figures on the number of claims for asylum from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), including by country of nationality, are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016.

The Government is committed to ensuring that there is a more equitable distribution of UASC across the country and that no one authority has to care for more UASC than they are able to. That is why we introduced the voluntary National Transfer Scheme and have consulted with every region in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on their capacity. In order to continue the success of the voluntary scheme more local authorities will need to participate and offer places for unaccompanied children from councils which are caring for disproportionately high numbers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2015-12-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 9 March (HL5261), whether they have identified a threshold level of private-sector or financial corporation debt that might threaten financial stability”

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

As mentioned in the answer of 9 March, the Government does not set a specific target for private sector debt. However, the Financial Policy Committee (FPC), established as a policy committee of the Bank of England, is empowered to identify, assess, monitor and take action in relation to risks across the UK financial system. This includes risks which arise from beyond the core banking sector (such as private sector debt). The FPC actively monitors developments in the aggregate level of credit extended to UK households and private non-financial corporations, and has the macroprudential policy tools required to address any risk it identifies.

For example, the countercyclical buffer is a macroprudential instrument which is designed to protect the banking sector from periods of excess aggregate credit growth that can contribute to system-wide risk. The countercyclical buffer rate in the UK is currently set at 0%, and is reviewed on a quarterly basis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 December (HL Deb, col 1310), what assessment they have made of whether the statement that they never allow issues about our economic relationship to get in the way of upholding international law and international humanitarian law” is consistent with the remarks in June 2014 by the then Minister for Small Business

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

As the first country to produce a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights we have advocated the view that the promotion of business and respect for human rights go hand in hand. We see these as mutually reinforcing. The degree of influence we have with a country, including on human rights issues, depends on many factors; as a general rule we have more influence with countries with whom we have a strong trade and investment relationship.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 16 December (HL4327) that we are not submitting any evidence of possible genocide against Yezidis and Christians to international courts

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government believes that recognition of genocides should be a matter for international courts. It should be a legal, rather than political determination, decided by international judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible international judicial process.

However, we are funding a project that is documenting sexual violence in Iraq, in a victim sensitive way. This database of cases will then be used to help survivors access justice and ensure that perpetrators are held to account. We also co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution mandating the UN to investigate and report on Daesh abuses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the human rights section of the Belfast Agreement 1998, in which that government affirmed the right to freely choose one’s place of residence”

Lord Dunlop

As I have set out in previous answers, the UK and Irish Governments meet regularly at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, and will continue to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the practice of breast ironing” in Commonwealth countries of Africa

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government is aware of the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. There is little reliable data on the number of girls suffering this form of abuse, but we strongly condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms.

The Government places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming and works through diplomatic and development channels to tackle the causes and drivers of violence against women and girls as a matter of priority. The manifestations of violence may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes.

In Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria we are continuing to engage with governments and local communities to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence against women and girls. In Cameroon our High Commission has been working closely with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on campaigns in coordination with local religious leaders, to raise awareness and support community-led change to end the harmful practice of breast ironing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Prime Minister on 9 March that we have to make sure that we get cost-effective electricity and that we go green at the lowest cost” (HC Deb

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The negotiations regarding a Contract for Difference for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon remain ongoing.

Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) have put forward a number of alternative proposals to their 35 year strike price proposal and as these would be a significant deviation from Government policy it is right that we take time to consider these proposals as part of the on-going due diligence process.

Beyond the consideration of TLP’s alternative proposals the independent review, which Government announced on the 10 February, we will consider alternative approaches to financing tidal lagoons more generally, providing an evidence base to ensuring decisions are taken in the best interest of bill-payers – both today and in the future.

While we have made good progress with the TLP the review will need to have been completed before a final decision can be made on the Swansea Bay proposal.

Hinkley Point C would be a good deal for consumers – support for Hinkley would deliver around 7% of the country’s electricity needs with secure and reliable, low-carbon power.

We remain confident that the deal on Hinkley Point C will go ahead. We intend to publish a summary of the Value for Money assessment for Hinkley along with the contracts, once the documents have been entered into.