The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has been granted to Moussa Koussa; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Royal Prerogative of Mercy can only be exercised following a conviction. Moussa Koussa has never been convicted of any offence in the UK, therefore the question of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy has never arisen.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Minister attending the Summit Conference on the future Governance of Libya in Rome on 12 and 13 December 2015 discussed the matter of compensation for UK victims of IRA Semtex supplied by the Gaddafi Regime with any parties attending the Summit; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The formation of a Government of National Accord (GNA) is an important step towards engagement with the Libyan Government on reconciliation initiatives relating to Qadhafi-sponsored terrorism. Once stability returns to Libya and our Embassy re-opens we will urge the Libyan authorities to engage again with UK victims and their legal representatives, including those seeking compensation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reduced staff numbers on London Underground.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The safety of customers and staff is the top priority of Transport for London (TfL). TfL work as a team with London Underground (LU), the police, emergency services and my department, to prepare for, and deal with, incidents that threaten the security of the transport network. Station staff are supported by the LU Control Centre, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, working closely with the police, with access to CCTV cameras and other systems in order to manage and respond to incidents.
LU will continue to ensure there are sufficient staff in place to maintain each station’s security, congestion control and emergency plans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the link on the DVLA website to information on the EU referendum will be removed when the purdah period comes into force.
John Penrose
All links to the eureferendum.gov.uk website will be removed from government channels such as GOV.UK at the start of the 28 day restricted period ahead of the EU Referendum.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Moussa Koussa’s arrival in the UK by aeroplane at Farnborough in March 2011 was by prior agreement with the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Moussa Koussa flew to the UK from Tunisia of his own volition, having notified our authorities shortly before his departure of his intention to travel here.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of political prisoners in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We do not hold such details. However, we regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around specific cases, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reducing staffing at control rooms on London Underground.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The department is confident that the changes introduced by Transport for London will not have a detrimental impact on passenger safety on the London Underground.
Not every London Underground (LU) station has a Station Control Room, as they are not a safety or security requirement at all stations. In advance of making the recent changes, LU reviewed the requirement for a Control Room at each station to determine their necessity based on individual station and staff needs.
At some locations it was decided that there was no longer a requirement for a Control Room as there were better ways to provide Control Room functionality in the station. Moving station staff into customer facing areas increases their ability to identify suspicious behaviour and to report it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons restrictions are placed on people aged over 65 seeking to lease a car through the Motability scheme.
Justin Tomlinson
The Motability scheme is not restricted to those under 65. Around one third of Motability customers are aged 65 or older.
The Motability scheme is available to those in receipt of a qualifying benefit, regardless of their age. These benefits are the enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment, the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government holds of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing of Moussa Koussa; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie remains the subject of an open investigation led by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (the Scottish Prosecution Service) and the Police Service of Scotland. The details of that investigation are a matter for those authorities.
Helping the police take forward their investigation is a priority. We continue to provide them whatever support we can. However, the worsening of the security and political situation in Libya has practically stalled effective engagement. Scottish investigators will continue to develop the elements of their investigation that do not require them to travel to Libya. Once stability returns efforts will be made at the earliest and safe opportunity to re-commence the co-operation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the perceptions of the Shia in Bahrain as to the legitimacy of the Alkhalifa government in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We follow the political situation closely in Bahrain, including Shia interests. We encourage all political parties, to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement. Despite the opposition’s decision to boycott the 2014 elections, we commended the participation of a broad range of candidates which saw 14 independent Shia candidates win seats, of which three were women.