Tag: Liam Fox

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length is of each deployment and posting for armed forces personnel.

Penny Mordaunt

Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many deployments are family postings.

Penny Mordaunt

Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid in personal independence payments to (a) UK and (b) non-UK citizens in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has been available in Great Britain since April 2013 and will be introduced in Northern Ireland later this year. A person’s nationality is not a consideration when assessing entitlement to PIP; rather it is whether they have a right to reside in Great Britain and whether they have met the presence conditions which are material. Information on the amount of PIP paid to UK and non-UK citizens is not available. Information on benefit expenditure as is available is published on Gov.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what timescale he has set for the completion of the next tranche of zero carbon housing.

James Wharton

As detailed in the Productivity Plan – ‘Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ – the Government will not be implementing zero carbon homes. The zero carbon homes standard, in particular the ‘allowable solutions’ carbon off-setting element, would have placed a significant regulatory burden on the house building industry.

The energy performance standards for new homes were strengthened by over 30% during the last Parliament. The latest changes to standards came into force last year and it is important for those changes to be given time to bed in.

The Government is keeping the energy standards for homes under review and must also meet its obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. As part of this the Government must report to the European Commission in 2017 on whether UK building standards are ‘cost optimal’ and ensure that all new buildings are ‘nearly zero energy buildings’ from 2021.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote zero carbon housing.

James Wharton

As detailed in the Productivity Plan – ‘Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ – the Government will not be implementing zero carbon homes. The zero carbon homes standard, in particular the ‘allowable solutions’ carbon off-setting element, would have placed a significant regulatory burden on the house building industry.

The energy performance standards for new homes were strengthened by over 30% during the last Parliament. The latest changes to standards came into force last year and it is important for those changes to be given time to bed in.

The Government is keeping the energy standards for homes under review and must also meet its obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. As part of this the Government must report to the European Commission in 2017 on whether UK building standards are ‘cost optimal’ and ensure that all new buildings are ‘nearly zero energy buildings’ from 2021.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the Government’s aims are for the forthcoming Paris Climate Summit; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to securing an ambitious, legally binding, global deal on climate change at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 in Paris in December.

The UK is working with other countries to secure ambitious mitigation commitments from all parties that together keep the global goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C within reach. We also want an agreement that includes a regular review of targets to increase ambition over time, a global long term goal and a robust, legally binding rules framework to ensure transparency and accountability of commitments to help the world track progress, improve competitiveness and provide business certainty.

It will also be important that the Agreement supports the most vulnerable countries to build climate resilience. I am pleased that my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a significant uplift in funding through the International Climate Fund (ICF) providing at least £5.8 billion over the next five years. This complements commitments from other countries such as France and Germany and should help build momentum for climate action beyond Paris.

However, there remains a lot of work to do and we are working closely with international counterparts to help secure an ambitious deal.

Following the outcome in Paris, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will lay a statement in the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of recent territorial gains of the Islamist insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson

The situation in Syria and Iraq is very serious and the territorial gains made by ISIL are deeply concerning. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion. Our objective is to see a prosperous and stable Iraq as part of a stable region. The recent developments clearly threaten this. In the immediate term we are very concerned about the large numbers of Iraqis being displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas. As well as a strong security response by the Iraqi forces, there needs to be a strong political solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what efforts his Department is making to support the Iraqi government in maintaining stability in that country.

Hugh Robertson

We are continuing to play an active role, providing a range of political and humanitarian support. On 12 June, we deployed a team of humanitarian experts to Northern Iraq. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) subsequently announced a £3million emergency aid package for civilians fleeing the violence in Mosul and surrounding areas. The package will help provide clean water and sanitation and essential medicine, as well as help the UNHCR establish camps for Internally Displaced People. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and are working with key partners, including the Red Cross/Red Crescent and UN agencies.

I met Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari in London on 12 June and underlined the our support for the Iraqi government and the people of Iraq in their struggle against terrorism. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)has been engaging actively with international leaders in recent days on how to respond to the current situation in Iraq, including discussions with US Secretary Kerry, the Iraqi, Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers, and the Israeli Minister for National Security.

We have made clear the need for an inclusive and unified approach within Iraq. The immediate need is for the Iraqi Security Forces to stabilise the situation, working with civilian and regional authorities in order to establish unity and cooperation across the country. Regional actors also can and must play a constructive role.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the threat ISIS and other Islamist groups in Syria pose to (a) the wider Middle East and (b) other areas.

Hugh Robertson

The UK is deeply concerned by the growth of terrorism in Syria and Iraq. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion.

ISIL’s advance in Iraq shows that they are a serious threat. It shows clearly the importance of taking a strong stand against extremists, and that is why we are giving our full backing to the moderate groups in Syria who are fighting them. It is not yet clear what the recent developments in Iraq mean in the longer term, but clearly ISIL’s ability to operate in both Syria and Iraq is a cause of concern for the international community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of imprisoned extremists returned from terrorist operations overseas (a) radicalising the Muslim prison population and (b) recruiting other prisoners to commit terrorist acts in the UK or overseas.

Jeremy Wright

I am responding to this question as I am the Minister responsible for the prison estate. We are well aware of the risks posed by individuals who return to the UK having gained experience, through training or participation, in terrorism overseas. At the current time clearly those travelling to and from Syria are of particular concern.

The Prison Service works closely with the Police and other Agencies in all areas of Counter Terrorism work; including where individuals are held in custody having returned from overseas. All prisoners are managed according to the risk they pose, taking into consideration all relevant information and intelligence that is identified.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has long recognised the threat posed by terrorists and extremists, and has considerable experience in managing this threat. The Prison Service will continue to use its well established and effective three-tiered response: to identify behaviour that may indicate extremism, to report it using established intelligence systems, and to manage it through disruption and intervention.