Tag: Lord Patten

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations either directly or via Commonwealth mechanisms to the government of Malaysia concerning the current prosecution of the cartoonist professionally known as Zunar.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have repeatedly lobbied for the repeal of this act at the highest levels, including by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), when he visited Malaysia in July. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and our High Commission in Malaysia have met Zunar a number of times, most recently in October. We continue to follow his case closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the utility for rail resilience purposes of the Yeovil to Exeter railway line when the Castle Cary/Taunton to Exeter St Davids railway line is blocked.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

As part of the resilience element of its Western Route Study, Network Rail assessed the route requirements which would support the diversion of an hourly Great Western Railway (GWR) service from Exeter to Castle Cary via Taunton to Exeter to Castle Cary via Yeovil in the event that the relevant section of the Great Western Main line is restricted by, for example, engineering works or severe weather.

This assessment concluded that additional infrastructure would be required to accommodate a combination of an additional hourly service between Exeter St Davids and Axminster and an hourly diversionary GWR service.

A copy of the Western Route Study has been placed in the Library.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Commonwealth countries as trading partners for British exporters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Shared systems and language mean the cost of trade between Commonwealth countries is estimated at 19 per cent lower than with non-Commonwealth countries. Increasing trade across the Commonwealth is a UK priority. The UK is committed to helping the Commonwealth unlock its vast potential in the area of trade and will use the opportunity of hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018 to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 April (HL7529), whether badger predation on hedgehogs is increasing or decreasing.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

There has been no assessment of whether badger predation on hedgehogs is increasing or decreasing. Badgers have, however, been identified as one of a range of factors that could potentially have an impact on hedgehog populations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect on relations between the UK and Turkey of the closure of media outlets in Turkey following the attempted coup of 15 July.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Following the failed coup on 15 July the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan), travelled to Ankara on 20 and 21 July to express the Government’s support for Turkey’s democratically elected government. He also emphasised to senior politicians the need for Turkey to adhere to international human rights obligations in the aftermath of the coup and during the imposition of a state of emergency, including press freedom and the rule of law. The Government continues to follow events there closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to announce plans before 2020 to replace the single track railway lines between Salisbury and Exeter with double track railway lines in order to further promote economic growth in that region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In August 2015 Network Rail published the outcome of the Wessex and Western Route Studies undertaken by the rail industry. This includes a review of the future demand on the line between London, Salisbury and Exeter.

The Government expects to set out in July 2017 its investment plan for the railways during 2019 to 2024 and will take account of the industry proposals in developing this plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their representatives in any UK embassies are banned from making representations concerning capital punishment in any country or countries.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

No such bans exist. On the contrary, the pursuit of the abolition of the death penalty is part of what the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has called the “every day work” of our missions in countries which continue to implement the death penalty.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which areas of Turkey are safe for British travellers.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The areas of Turkey to which we advise against travel are clearly set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s travel advice. The FCO advise against all travel to within 10 km of the border with Syria and to the city of Diyarbakir. The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the remaining areas of Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Hatay provinces; and to Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 May (HL8205), whether they hold information on the number of single line tracks on passenger lines in their records; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Department for Transport does not hold detailed records of track layouts. These records are held by the Infrastructure Operators. The information is provided to the Department on request and is also available in commercial map publications at specialist railway bookshops.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect on UK–Turkish financial services transactions of the reported collection by the Turkish government of client research carried out by Turkish brokerage houses following the attempted coup of 15 July.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government is aware of news reporting of Turkish brokerage houses’ research being sought by the Turkish authorities, but the impact on UK-Turkish financial services transactions is as yet unclear. It is not unusual for governments to refer to research undertaken by independent researchers and analysts. We have and continue to emphasise that the Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt must be demonstrably lawful and proportionate. We will continue to engage with the Turkish Government on its response to the coup attempt and monitor the situation closely.