Tag: Lord Patten

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 December (HL4088), what proposals they have also to consult travellers who use the railway line between London, Salisbury and Exeter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Network Rail undertook public consultations for a period of 90 days on the Wessex and Western Route Studies prior to their publication in August 2015.

The Government expects to set out in July 2017 its investment plan for the railways during 2019 to 2024 (CP6). The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) will undertake public consultation as part of the process to develop plans for CP6.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any of the UK’s fellow members of NATO are currently using military force against their own citizens.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government has not made any such assessment. Through signature of the Washington Treaty, all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) have reaffirmed their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN, and their commitment to the principles of security, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. The UK expects all our NATO Allies to live up to these commitments.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of weapons smuggled into the UK from Albania, Bosnia and Serbia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Criminals from a wide range of countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Serbia, attempt to smuggle weapons into the UK and other EU countries illegally.

Border Force works with partners, including law enforcement agencies from the UK and overseas, to disrupt the increasingly sophisticated attempts to smuggle prohibited goods into the UK. Border Force uses intelligence generated from a wide variety of sources and state of the art technology to seize weapons and other prohibited goods at ports of entry across the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on relations between the UK and Turkey of the decision in the Turkish Parliament to strip parliamentary immunity from 124 deputies.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The lifting of parliamentary immunity is a matter for the Turkish parliament. As a modern democracy and candidate for EU accession, we would expect Turkey to undertake any subsequent legal processes transparently and fully respect the rule of law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the political situation facing UK companies contemplating investing in Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

UK companies are active in a range of sectors in Turkey, and the UK is consistently among the country’s top sources of foreign investment. The failed coup in Turkey on 15 July and its aftermath has had some short term impact, and the political situation remains challenging. The Turkish economy is well under-pinned and offers significant opportunities for investors in the medium and long term, particularly if the government proceeds with planned structural reforms.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 14 December (HL4086), whether their next Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report in April 2016 will contain an assessment of the effectiveness and outputs of project funding on human rights and democracy in their priority countries in the most recent full year; and if so, whether it will be subject to independent audit.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The 2015 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report will include references to project funding on human rights and democracy in priority countries where appropriate. All Foreign and Commonwealth Office funding, including human rights and democracy project funding, is subject to robust monitoring and evaluation, and like all government spending is subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 2 February (HL5483), when they next expect to review their national policy on development in Green Belt land in England.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

At the General Election this Government reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the strong protection for the Green Belt set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework makes clear that most new building is inappropriate there, and that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. We have no plans for a review of Green Belt policy. However, we are consulting on proposals to allow development on brownfield sites in Green Belt for starter homes, and for neighbourhood plans to be able to allocate Green Belt land for small starter home developments where locally approved.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to date of the Right to Roam policy.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Government recognises that the right of access for open-air recreation under Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 plays an important role in the public’s use and enjoyment of the natural environment in England. Although it has made no assessment of the benefits of the right of access, a report Costs and benefits of public access to the countryside – Literature Review, which was made to Natural England in 2013, noted that the recreational use of the countryside provided significant benefits to individuals, society and the wider economy.

The Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment survey, which is funded by Natural England with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Forestry Commission, has recorded the number of visits per year to open access land. The results of the survey show that between 2009/10 and 2013/14 on average 27.8 million visits per year were made to open access land.

The Government is also developing a 25 Year Environment Plan which aims for Britain to be the healthiest and most beautiful place to live, work and bring up a family. We will be working with the Natural Capital Committee to develop a plan to protect and improve our natural capital and to provide opportunities for sustained prosperity and wellbeing.

The Government wants everyone to feel the benefits of an improved environment and the opportunities that come from access to the countryside and our green spaces, including for recreation and relaxation. We are making strides to improve our understanding of the value of nature, to better quantify the range of benefits we get from our land, water, air, and seas. This will allow us to enhance the quality of the decisions we take about how these assets are managed, using natural capital as the common currency.

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 Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 6 June (HL320), what assessment they have made of the effects on Turkey’s candidate status for accession to the EU of the recent resolution of the German Parliament declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 and 1916 an act of genocide.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government recognises the horrific suffering inflicted on the Armenian people and other groups living in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century. The Government’s policy is that the recognition of genocide is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. The Government believes that the priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples and Governments of Turkey and Armenia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-10-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current levels of, and recent increases in, the total remuneration paid to the executive heads of the major charities in England and Wales.

Lord Ashton of Hyde

Charity trustees, almost all of whom are unpaid, set levels of executive remuneration and must do so acting in the best interests of the charity. A 2014 study by The National Council for Voluntary Organisations found that senior executives in charities were generally paid substantially less than for similar roles in the public or private sectors. Charities are legally required to provide details of the number of staff in pay bands over £60,000 in their publicly available annual reports, and many charities go further in their accountability and publish full details as a matter of good practice.