Tag: Lord Laird

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union member state; how many from each of those states are resident in the UK; and in each case how many are of pensionable age.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

There is no legal obligation on a British citizen living overseas to register with the British Embassy, but the UN estimated that in mid-2015 there were more than 1.2 million UK citizens living permanently elsewhere in the EU. These estimates do not include British citizens travelling or residing for part of the year in another Member State.

* Population of UK citizens permanently resident in the European Union; UN estimate, mid-2015

Total (thousands)
TOTAL UK IN EU	1,216.0
Austria	11.0
Belgium	27.3
Bulgaria	5.3
Croatia	0.7
Cyprus	40.5
Czech Republic	4.8
Denmark	18.6
Estonia	0.5
Finland	6.9
France	185.3
Germany	103.4
Greece	17.7
Hungary	7.0
Ireland	254.8
Italy	65.0
Latvia	1.1
Lithuania	3.3
Luxembourg	6.6
Malta	12.0
Netherlands	49.5
Poland	34.5
Portugal	17.8
Romania	3.1
Slovakia	4.9
Slovenia	0.6
Spain	308.8
Sweden	25.0

Office for National Statistics data show that, between January and December 2014, there were approximately 2.9 million European Union member state nationals resident in the UK.

* Population resident in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by nationality; ONS statistics August 2015 (2014 data)

Total (thousands)
TOTAL EU IN UK	2,940
Austria	18
Belgium	17
Bulgaria	59
Croatia	4
Cyprus	17
Czech Republic	37
Denmark	26
Estonia	14
Finland	14
France	160
Germany	131
Greece	54
Hungary	85
Italy	170
Latvia	108
Lithuania	155
Luxembourg	0
Malta	8
Netherlands	82
Poland	853
Portugal	175
Republic of Ireland	331
Romania	175
Slovakia	79
Slovenia	5
Spain	131
Sweden	32

There are many different ways of defining and calculating migration data so different sources will not necessarily be comparable.

No information is available on the numbers of UK and EU citizens in receipt of a UK State Pension broken down by nationality. This is because the UK State Pension is a contributory based pension, where nationality or citizenship do not form part of the eligibility criteria.

There is no data available on the number of European Union member state nationals resident in the UK who are of pensionable age.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2879) concerning the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any change to the name of a town or city in Northern Ireland requires the majority support of both communities.

Lord Dunlop

I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answer of 29 October 2015 (HL2879). The Government remains fully committed to supporting the institutions and principles established under the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what non-disclosure agreements the Department for Constitutional Affairs made in 2003–04, and on what date each agreement was made.

Lord Faulks

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Ministry of Justice is the successor department to the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Searches have been conducted for the information requested. These searches have revealed no trace of any records that relate to such non-disclosure agreements, nor any references to records that were held previously and destroyed.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 12 November (HL 3335) concerning contact with the government of the Republic of Ireland, what progress has been made in the development of human rights in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as contained in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

Lord Dunlop

The UK and Irish Governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, including the development of human rights in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as contained in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

The Government was elected in May with a clear mandate to implement its manifesto commitment to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights. We believe that it is entirely possible to do that in ways that are consistent with the Belfast Agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what debt, if any, they have that dates from before 1 January 1901; and what are the arrangements for payment of that debt.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government has redeemed all gilts issued before 1 January 1901. On 5 July 2015, the government redeemed all outstanding undated gilts, some of which pre-dated 1901. These were the 2½% Annuities, 2¾% Annuities and 2½% Consolidated Stock, first issued in 1853, 1884 and 1888 respectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 November 2015 (HL3723), what difference, if any, there is between people in Northern Ireland and people of Northern Ireland in the application of their policies.

Lord Dunlop

In this context there is no difference between people ‘in’ Northern Ireland and people ‘of’ Northern Ireland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have an agreement or understanding with the IRA that there will be no attempts to stop or bring to court its members on charges relating to tax fraud in South Armagh.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government does not have any agreement or understanding in place with the IRA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the control of drones flying in UK air space.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones. We have also completed a series of public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options, and the potential for restrictions on purchase and use.

Education of drone users is vital. The DfT is working with the CAA on raising awareness of responsible drone use. This includes the CAA’s ‘Drone Code’ safety awareness campaign, the issuing of safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to certificates of sponsorship used to support immigrants’ entry clearance or extension of stay applications, (1) how many sponsoring employers are currently registered, (2) where those employers are listed, (3) how many certificates of sponsorship are granted to each sponsoring employer, (4) whether such figures are available on application, and (5) what was the total number of those sponsored in the last two years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are currently 30,181 sponsoring employers on the register of licensed sponsors.

The register is published on the “www.gov.uk” website and can be found on the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers

The number of certificates granted to sponsoring employers differ depending on their recruitment requirements. Sponsoring employers may submit a request at the point their licence application is submitted. A sponsor can submit a further request to increase their allocation once licensed.

A sponsor is not granted a pre determined allocation of Certificates of sponsorship (CoS) at licensing stage.

The total number of CoS assigned to individuals in 2014 is 133,820.The total number of CoS assigned to individuals in 2015 is 131,617

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2714) concerning activity under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any representatives of the government of the Republic of Ireland were present at the most recent talks under Section 1 of the Belfast Agreement.

Lord Dunlop

I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answers on this subject. The involvement of the Irish Government is in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement.