Tag: Lord Patten

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 21 December 2015 (HL4409), when was the last revision of the Agricultural Land Classification Survey guidelines.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The latest government guidance was published by MAFF in early 1989 and in 2000, a ‘predictive map’ for Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) was created which complemented but did not replace the ALC maps. Research funded by Defra, published on 14 January, looked at the predicted effects of climate change on ALC grading. Whilst the work has shown the ALC system to be robust it highlights that changes to grading may be required post 2030.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 8 February (HL5486), whether they have evidence that the Turkish Air Force has bombed its citizens in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south-east Turkey since the beginning of 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south east Turkey is extremely concerning. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces in violent terrorist attacks. The Turkish government has responded by striking PKK targets in south-east Turkey, including with the use of air power. We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. We continue to monitor the situation closely. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador in Ankara have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact on British shipping of the decision by the President of Egypt to give control of the expansion of the Suez Canal to the Egyptian armed forces.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are not aware of any impact on British shipping in relation to the Egyptian armed forces’ involvement with the Suez Canal. The New Suez Canal Project, completed in August 2015, has shortened the transit time and has increased the number of ships which the Canal can handle on a daily basis. The Egyptian armed forces continue to provide security for the Canal and support the activity of the Suez Canal Authority as they did before the expansion of the Canal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 25 May (HL39), what discussions they have had with the National Trust about badger culls; what was the outcome of those discussions; and whether they will publish the results of those discussions.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Defra officials have regular conversations with the National Trust about the Government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB) in England. The National Trust has published its view on badgers and TB on its website.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to set a maximum limit on the length of time that an individual can be detained in immigration detention centres.

Lord Bates

It is not possible to detain someone indefinitely under immigration powers. In order to detain an individual pending removal there must be a realistic prospect of removal in a reasonable timeframe.

Each case is determined on its own merits. The introduction of an arbitrary time limit could lead to the release of foreign criminals and illegal immigrants even when their removal is imminent.

Home Office guidance is clear that detention should be used sparingly, and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose. Published statistics show that, in the year to September 2015, over 90 per cent of individuals leaving detention had been detained for no longer than four months.

The Home Secretary commissioned Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, to undertake an independent review of welfare in the immigration detention estate. His report and the Government’s response to the report were published on 14 January by means of a Written Ministerial Statement (WMS).

The Government’s response includes the implementation of a new approach to the case management of those who are detained, aligned with a new “adult at risk” policy to ensure more rigorous assessment of those entering detention through a new gate-keeping function, maintaining this rigour through the new removals plans process to maintain a strong focus on, and momentum towards, removal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on press freedom of the takeover of the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November 2015, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. These reports reinforce our long-standing concerns about freedom of press in Turkey. Freedom of press and access to a range of views are crucial in a democracy. As a friend and ally, we urge the Turkish government to uphold the right of media to operate without restriction.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 20 April (HL7528), whether damage caused to bulbs and plants in commercial horticultural establishments, in town and country alike, would be considered serious enough to warrant the issue of a licence.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

As licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, whether or not a licence would be issued would depend on the specific circumstances under which an application is made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-07-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 30 June (HL758) about the recognition of genocide, which judicial bodies could take such a decision.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to believe that recognition of genocide should be a matter for competent courts, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy about the number of children a family or individual should have; and if so, what it is.

Baroness Altmann

The Government does not have a policy on the number of children a family or individual should have.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2015 (HL4413), whether passengers are involved in developing schemes for the railway between Salisbury and Exeter to meet their needs and support economic growth; and if so, how.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Network Rail’s Route Studies are part of the rail industry’s Long Term Planning Process. They look at the period from 2019 to 2043. They interpret the outputs from the previous market studies to determine the specific aspirations in terms of capacity and connectivity for the geographical area based on detailed demand analysis to forecast growth tailored to create specific forecasts for geographical areas.

The analysis identifies where forecast demand is likely to be mismatched with anticipated capacity and indicates where interventions such as train lengthening or additional services may be required.

Network Rail set up regional and wider stakeholder groups for both the Wessex and the Western Route Studies. Passenger representatives were involved in all these groups and the 90 day public consultations on the draft route studies received responses from a wide range of parties including individual members of public, campaign and user groups, MPs and local authorities which are summarised in the final Route Study documents . Copies of both Route Studies have been placed in the Library of the House.