Tag: Lord Kilclooney

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the EU guidelines for labelling products made in Israeli settlements will apply in the UK, and if so, what are the implications for future meetings between the Ambassador of the UK to Israel and representatives of the government of Israel.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The principal feature of the Interpretative Notice issued by the European Commission on 11 November on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 is a recommendation that goods imported into the EU which originate from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories should bear an indication which makes that provenance clear. That recommendation was included in technical advice to UK retailers and importers concerning labelling agricultural produce from the West Bank that was issued by Defra in 2009. We are currently in discussion with other Departments to consider whether revisions need to be made to the 2009 advice in the light of the Interpretative Notice. I do not anticipate that the UK’s bilateral relations with Israel will be affected by the EU’s decision to adopt this Notice, given that we have already had guidance in place for several years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their revised estimate for the reduction in block grant paid to the Northern Ireland Executive after the introduction of 17 per cent Corporation Tax in Great Britain and 12½ per cent Corporation Tax in Northern Ireland.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government has legislated to introduce a Northern Ireland rate of corporation tax, so the Northern Ireland Executive must now press on with the reforms necessary to put its finances on the sustainable footing required to complete this process.

The Northern Ireland Executive block grant would then be reduced by the amount of tax revenues foregone by the government as a result of devolution (due to direct and behavioural effects). Alongside this, the Executive would retain all revenues from the NI rate of corporation tax.

The government’s latest estimate of the impact on the Executive’s budget assumes that the NI corporation tax rate is set at 12.5% from April 2018, and also takes into account UK corporation tax main rates of 19% for the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20 and 18% in 2020-21. On this basis, there is an estimated cost to the Executive in 2020-21 of £275m.

These estimates will be updated in due course to take into account the government’s further reduction in corporation tax to 17%.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK, as one of the three guarantor powers of Cyprus, was consulted in connection with the request by Russia to the government of Cyprus for the provision of military facilities on that island.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have discussed with the Republic of Cyprus their dialogue with the Russian Federation on the provision of facilities for humanitarian and emergency purposes. The Republic of Cyprus have stated very clearly that they have no plans for a Russian military base on the island.

The UK remains fully engaged on issues of regional security with the Republic of Cyprus, while recognising that it is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide which bilateral agreements to sign.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the proposed £1,500 business rates discount for office space occupied by local newspapers in England outlined in the Budget will affect Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The £1,500 discount for office space occupied by local newspapers will be introduced in England for 2 years from April 2017. This measure will help to support local newspapers in England, alongside the other changes to Small Business Rate Relief. Business rates are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland and so this is a matter for the devolved administrations. Barnett consequentials apply to this measure in the normal way.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total payment made by the UK to the EU in 2014, and what was the total payment by the EU to the UK agricultural industry in that year.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The UK’s net contribution to the EU Budget in 2014 was £5.71 billion. This is the UK’s total contribution to the EU, reduced by the cash rebate and the money the UK receives from EU funded programmes.

The total receipts to the UK agricultural industry from the EU were £3.16 billion in 2014. Under this, £2.60 billion was for European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) (CAP pillar 1) and £0.60 billion for European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (CAP pillar 2).

These figures are available publicly in HM Treasury’s EU Finances 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the value of (1) UK exports to the US, and (2) imports from the US to the UK, for the most recent years for which figures are available; and whether this trade was based on any trade agreement with the US.

Lord Price

In 2015 UK exports of goods and services to the US were £ 95.1 billion and UK imports from the US were £ 59.7 billion.

There is no bilateral trade agreement with the US. Both the EU and US are members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). There are no estimates of the impact that their membership of the WTO and its trade agreements such as the Information Technology Agreement has had on UK-US trade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention that the Common Travel Area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland would continue if the UK ceased membership of the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed EU. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-05-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which of the 27 other EU member states have not legalised same-sex marriage.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Seven EU Member States have not legalised same sex marriage. These States are: Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there would be new trade barriers between the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the event of the UK ceasing to be a member of the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed EU. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent actions of the government of Bahrain towards the main Shia opposition group; what is their assessment of the state of human rights in that country; and whether the development of a new Royal Naval base in Bahrain is progressing.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), issued a statement on 17 July expressing concerns about the Bahraini High Administrative Court’s decision to dissolve the main Bahraini Shia opposition political society Al Wefaq. We continue to follow the case closely. We have urged the Government of Bahrain to protect political freedoms and representation for all Bahraini citizens and to encourage all sides to engage in constructive and inclusive dialogue to promote social cohesion and inclusivity.

We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain and it is a standing agenda item for the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting, held most recently in June 2016. The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised concerns about recent developments with the Bahraini Foreign Minister on 14 June, and during his visit to Bahrain on 30 May.

We have begun work on the future UK maritime hub at Mina Salman in Bahrain, HMS Juffair, to support Royal Navy deployments. We continue to maintain a naval presence which includes mine countermeasure ships, frigates, destroyers and maritime helicopters to contribute to the stability of the region and to make sure vital sea lanes remain open in the region.