Tag: Lord Patten

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 implications for inward investment in Turkey by UK companies and financial institutions of the attempted coup of 15 July.

Lord Price

The attempted coup of 15 July came as a surprise to everyone including UK investors in Turkey. The democratically elected government remains in power. Its policies, relating to international investors, remain the same or have been improved, with the aim of encouraging more foreign direct investment. UK investors were quick to confirm their intention to maintain or enhance their investments. We have consulted widely with the UK investor community, their message is clear; they are in Turkey for the long term and do not believe the events of 15 July have altered the economic fundamentals or the business case for continuing to invest in the market.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship by British citizens visiting the Maldives.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Maldives is an Islamic country. Under its laws public observance of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. We state this in our Travel Advice and advise UK tourists to respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 8 January (HL4766), what is their assessment of the adequacy of railway links between London and South-West England.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The National Infrastructure Commission is not currently undertaking work on railway links between London and South West England.

Network Rail assessed the adequacy of the rail links between London and the South West as part of the rail industry’s Long Term Planning Process. The Western & Wessex Route Studies form part of this process and develop options for future services and for investment in the rail network up to 2043.

The options set out in the Route Studies are based on a regional and route based interpretation of the outputs and demand forecasts from previous market studies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the trend in the size of the hedgehog population in England since 2000; and what is the reason for that trend.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ State of Britain’s Hedgehogs Report 2015 estimated a population of 1.55 million hedgehogs in England, Wales and Scotland in the 1990s. Since 2000, rural populations are thought to have declined by at least a half and urban populations by up to a third. The current population is estimated at around 1 million.

The reasons for their decline are complex and include a number of factors including intensive agricultural practices (including loss of hedgerows), use of pesticides reducing availability of food, roads, a lack of available shelter in urban areas and restriction of movement and badgers which predate on hedgehogs and compete for their food.

The Government supports efforts to encourage local communities to work together in supporting the hedgehog such as making our gardens more hedgehog friendly and more welcoming to wildlife in general.

Working with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species the Government has recently published advice for homeowners in the form of five simple steps to make gardens more hedgehog friendly, from letting grassy areas grow wild to providing food and shelter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect on bovine health in Exmoor of the National Trust’s advice to their tenant farmers not to participate in badger culls.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Alongside strengthening cattle testing and movement controls and improving biosecurity on farm and when trading, licensed badger control in areas where bovine TB is rife, like Exmoor, is an essential part of the Government’s 25-year strategy to eradicate the disease in England.

Badger control licence applications from groups of local farmers and landowners are assessed against criteria that include the area of accessible land. Provided that enough land is accessible to achieve an effective badger population reduction across the wider area, Natural England can issue a licence. Thus, even if some local landowners do not participate, long term disease reduction benefits can still be realised across the wider area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 July (HL761), by what date they expect the draft regulations seeking to amend the Local Authorities (Recovery of Costs for Public Path Orders) Regulations 1993 to be laid before Parliament.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

I am unable to confirm a precise date at present but I expect to publish the draft regulations later in the session.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when ministers last met representatives of the Investment Association to discuss fund management industry matters.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Ministers’ Quarterly Transparency Returns provide details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business and are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on the Government’s website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Turkey’s application to accede to the European Union, what assessment they have made of (1) freedom of the press and media, and (2) freedom of the judiciary, in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

As part of their EU accession process, we encourage Turkey to continue to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, including the principles of freedom of expression, the separation of powers and an impartial judiciary. We welcome progress made thus far, and as the EU Commission has highlighted, further sustained work is needed to meet EU standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the welfare of Iraqi Christians fleeing that country; and how many have been granted refugee status in the United Kingdom in each year since 2010.

Lord Bates

Our country information and guidance recognises that, in general, religious minorities including Christians, are particularly vulnerable and are likely to be at risk of persecution in parts of Iraq. Each claim is considered on its individual merits, taking into account up to date country information.

In the 5 years since 2010, we have granted refugee status to 20 Iraqi’s with a claimed Christian religion however we are unable to confirm that the reason for the grant of status was on the basis of their Christianity.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the Syrian Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart on the BBC Radio Four programme Sunday that European countries taking in Syrian refugees are harming Syria.

Lord Bates

The Government has been leading the way for a comprehensive and sustainable response to the conflict in Syria. The Government believes that the best way to help the majority of the many displaced Syrians across the globe is through practical and political action within affected regions. That is why the Government has prioritised humanitarian assistance in crisis regions and supports regional protection programmes which will improve the conditions for refugees seeking protection in their region of origin until they are able to return to their homes.

The Government recognises, however, that not all displaced Syrians can be supported effectively in the region and that is why we have committed to granting protection to 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees under our Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme over the course of this Parliament.

The Government shares Archbishop Jean-Clement’s view that we must actively seek an end to the conflict as it is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for Syrian refugees, as opposed to larger scale relocation or resettlement.