Tag: Jeffrey M. Donaldson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations to support the candidacy of Argentine Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra for the position of UN Secretary General; what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands of such an appointment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

I have received notice that Argentina’s Foreign Minister, Susana Malcorra, is bidding for the role of UN Secretary-General. We want a strong Secretary-General, one with integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform. It is imperative that any Secretary-General serves the whole membership. We judge all candidates on their merits. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) criteria by which applicants are selected and (b) names of applicants who applied to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

Mike Penning

Guidance on applying to host the Armed Forces Day National Event is available from the Ministry of Defence’s Ceremonial Events and Commemorations Team whose contact details are on the Armed Forces Day Website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk.

Applications typically take the form of a letter from the Local Authority Leader /Chief Executive, to the Defence Minister in the House of Lords (Earl Howe). This letter is assessed to gauge the strength of the applicant’s argument as to why they should be selected, and the quality of their proposals for the event. In addition, the following aspects are considered:

Proximity to previous national events – there would be an aspiration to stage the event in a different region of the country to previous events, in order to capture a fresh local audience.

Maturity of any existing annual event hosted by the applicant.

Availability of a suitable venue and infrastructure within the applicant’s jurisdiction.

Support of local populace for the Armed Forces.

The applicant’s capacity to administer an event of equivalent scale and significance.

Financial resource available, and plans to secure adequate sponsorship.

While it would be inappropriate to name the authorities that lost out to Liverpool City Council in the process of selecting the hosts for the National Armed Forces Day event in 2017, we can confirm that no formal bid was received from any local authority in Ulster.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department asked local authorities in Northern Ireland to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

Mike Penning

It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the deadline for the receipt of applications for Armed Forces Day 2018 will be.

Mike Penning

Applications for the National Event are accepted at any time, though should typically be submitted by the end of March in the preceding year, so March 2017 for the 2018 event.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans she has to reappoint the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

In May, I reappointed William Smith to the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland for a further five year term. There is currently one remaining vacancy in the position of member and I plan to launch a competition to fill this position in the autumn. This will ensure that the Commission will have its full complement of members well in advance of when preparations need to commence for the next review of Parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland, which is likely to be around late 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many freedom of information requests to her Department remain unanswered after (a) 20 and (b) 90 days on 1 April 2014; and which freedom of information requests to her Department on what subjects remain unanswered.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. The subject matters associated with these unanswered requests relate to the arm shipments in the 1970s and 1980s from Libya to Ireland, and matters relating to a High Court injunction concerning the release of inquest papers by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.