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 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship afforded to British citizens visiting Turkey.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
It is our understanding that British citizens are not hindered from Christian worship in Turkey. As stated in the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey released on 10 November, freedom of worship continues to be generally respected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent deaths of Kurdish men and youths in Van and other parts of south-east Turkey since 1 January; and whether they have made representations to the government of Turkey about that matter.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south east Turkey, including Van, is extremely concerning. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces in violent terrorist attacks. We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised the need to respect human rights and the importance of avoiding civilian casualties to the Government of Turkey.
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 current state of Anglo-Polish relations.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has a strong bilateral relationship with Poland, one that the Government is committed to strengthening even further. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has agreed with his Polish counterpart to work more closely together to enhance the relationship towards a more strategic partnership. The UK and Poland share a vision for the future of the EU and of European security including many foreign, defence and security policy priorities. We are partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and share a commitment to the security of our allies and ensuring that NATO continuously adapts to changing threats. We continue to work together to deliver the outcomes of the Wales NATO Summit as we look forward to the Warsaw Summit in July. The UK and Poland are also partners in trade; the UK is Poland’s second largest export market. There are also close historical links between our countries. Together with the President of Poland the Prime Minister was honoured to attend the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral last September to pay tribute to those who fought, including the brave Polish pilots who played a crucial role in standing up for freedom.
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 comments by the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, quoted in The Sunday Times on 8 May, that the Zionist bashing” at universities “has gone unchallenged”.”
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place in higher education or anywhere else in society for bigotry, hatred or any form of racism such as anti-Semitism.
Recent reports of anti-Semitism are extremely concerning and must be met with a decisive response. We expect all universities and all bodies with a role in English higher education to be absolutely clear in their opposition to racism in all its forms, and to have robust policies in place to tackle such hatred and support victims.
At the Government’s request, Universities UK has set up a taskforce to examine what more can be done to tackle harassment and hate crime on campus, and this includes anti-Semitism within its remit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of badger culls in England and the effects of those culls on the welfare of cattle.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government plans to publish a report on this year’s licensed badger control operations as it has done for the first three years of the programme. The Animal and Plant Health Agency continues to assess annually the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in areas where badger control is licensed for the purposes of controlling the disease. The analysis of the first two years impact is available on the GOV.UK website.
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.
|
Religion |
Granted in Year |
Grand Total |
||||
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
||
|
Christian |
5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
19 |
|
Christian – Coptic/Orthodox |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Grand Total |
5 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
20 |
“
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.