The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to transfer operational command and control of the EU units from all other departments to the Department for Exiting the European Union.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff from various departments across Government, including from the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the criticisms in the report published on 8 July by the Independent Evaluation Office of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The IMF and the Crises in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, what value they now place on the IMF’s forecasts and policy statements.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The government continues to value the IMF’s forecasts and other analytical outputs, which are supported by high quality technical analysis and data-gathering. This is used alongside the government’s own analysis, and the work of other institutions. We do not believe that the International Evaluation Office’s (IEO) report entitled The IMF and the Crises in Greece, Ireland and Portugal provides compelling evidence to alter this practice.
The government values the work of the IEO, which is important in improving transparency, oversight and enhancing the learning culture at the Fund.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the possibility of charges of fraud, corruption, conspiracy and attempting to pervert the course of justice being brought against lawyers working for Leigh Day and Public Interest Lawyers with regard to the Al Sweady case.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Crown Prosecution Service routinely provides the Attorney General with updates on cases and casework issues. In accordance with the practice adopted by previous Law Officers the Attorney General does not usually comment on which individual cases are raised with him.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the remarks by the Prime Minister on 9 May regarding the “risk” to “peace and stability on our continent” should the UK vote to leave the EU, what contingency plans they are preparing for deploying Army Reserves.
Lord Bridges of Headley
In his speech on 9 May, the Prime Minister was clear that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off by remaining a member of the EU. If the UK were to leave the EU, the withdrawal negotiation would need to address a wide range of difficult issues, including co-operation on foreign policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to suspend immediately the implementation of all pending and future judgments of the European Court of Justice.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The UK remains a member of the EU until our withdrawal is completed. We will exercise our rights and meet our obligations as a member of the EU accordingly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in conjunction with UK allies, they plan to increase the level of military activity against British jihadis fighting for ISIL in Iraq and Syria; and whether their objective is to kill such individuals on the battlefield before they return to the UK as potential terrorists.
Earl Howe
UK military action in Syria and Iraq is against Daesh targets, regardless of nationality, as December’s Parliamentary motion made clear. As part of the global coalition, the UK is making a substantial air contribution to the campaign to defeat Daesh in both countries and providing training to Iraqi (including Kurdish) security forces taking the fight to Daesh on the ground. The Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) announced in June that we would deploy up to 250 personnel to the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq to increase our training contribution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Director of Public Prosecutions the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take Mark Pearson to trial for sexual assault, and the claim by the defence solicitor in that case that the CPS initially provided amended and misleading video evidence to the court.
Lord Keen of Elie
The CPS’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, as this can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, whether the public interest lies in prosecuting.
It is open to the defence in any crown court case to argue, after the prosecution has closed its case, that the evidence is too weak for the decision to be left to the jury. In this particular case the judge clearly considered that the decision was properly a matter for the jury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what warnings and advice they intend to give to the public about the incidence of treatment-resistant head lice in the UK.
Lord Prior of Brampton
There are no plans to issue any specific warnings or advice around the incidence of treatment-resistant head lice. Guidance for the treatment of head lice is to wet comb using a head lice comb, as opposed to using insecticides.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the costs of Larry the 10 Downing Street cat’s veterinary treatment in July were met by donations from staff, and whether they plan to refund those staff.
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The costs were met by staff through voluntary staff donations due to their affection for Larry. There was no compulsion to donate and no refunds have been requested. The remaining funds will contribute towards the future upkeep of the Chief Mouser.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are putting in place any additional positive vetting and security measures to ensure that the Government’s Brexit strategy and tactics are not leaked by FCO civil servants to the EU or other European governments; and if so, what those measures are.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Under the HMG Security Policy Framework all government departments are required to ensure that their staff have the appropriate level of security clearance for the work they are doing. The FCO is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union, which leads on our withdrawal negotiations with the EU. Both departments have ensured that all relevant staff are properly security-vetted. Both departments have reminded their staff of the need to deal with all sensitive information on restricted channels of distribution, and at the appropriate levels of security.