Tag: Lord Pearson of Rannoch

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in the last four years, how many British Muslims have joined the armed forces, and how many they estimate have gone independently to fight in Syria and North Africa.

Earl Howe

All candidates joining the Armed Forces are subject to exactly the same vetting procedures applicable to their chosen branch or trade, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

There is no requirement for personnel to declare their religion. However, the numbers of British personnel who joined the UK Regular Armed Forces and self-declared their religion as Muslim in the last four financial years is set out below. The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any British Muslim members of the UK Regular Armed Forces going Absent Without Official Leave to fight in Syria or North Africa in the last four years.

Intake to the UK Regular Forces of personnel with a British Nationality declaring a Muslim religion, by Financial Year

2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
10	20	30	20

Note: figures show intake to UK Regular Forces, both trained and untrained, which comprises new entrants, re-entrants, direct trained entrants (including professionally qualified Officers), intake to the Army from the Gurkhas and intake from the reserves. They exclude all movements within the Regular Forces; including flows from untrained to trained strength, transfers between Services and flows from Ranks to Officer due to promotion. All numbers are rounded.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 1 April (HL7086), why the Office for National Statistics Pink Book cannot be used to establish the UK’s gross and net contributions to the EU; what Government sources provide a more accurate picture, and why.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Data published in the Office for National Statistics Pink Book represent only those transactions that are administered by official bodies, in accordance with the European System of Accounts 2010 for the purposes of producing statistics on the UK’s balance of payments. These do not include all receipts from the EU. Table 3B, page 16, of European Union Finances 2015 (CM 9167) provides complete outturn figures, including receipts administered by public sector bodies and those received directly by beneficiaries. The difference between these, and other figures, are explained further in Annex B of the Treasury analysis of the long-run economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have instigated, or are aware of, measures that prevent the sending of sporting trophies, such as deer horns, to Switzerland or the US.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The export of sporting trophies to the USA and Switzerland is possible in principle. Each consignment would have to comply with import conditions imposed by those countries. Any consignment would also have to comply with EU animal by-product regulations relating to the provenance, condition and treatment of the material.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Leader of the House whether she will encourage Government ministers to provide full answers to Written Questions from members of the House rather than providing references to third-party sources.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

As Leader of the House, I am responsible for encouraging departments to give timely answers to Questions for Written Answer (QWAs), a duty I take very seriously.

The House has set out clearly (most recently in agreeing the Procedure Committee’s 5th Report on the 2014-5 Session) that all answers to QWAs should be complete and comprehensible, and as such should not rely on references to external documents or webpages. I will continue to make this guidance clear to Ministers. Whilst it is for individual Ministers to account to the House for the content of the answers they provide – with Ministers providing personally signed answers to members as part of this direct accountability – any member is welcome to inform me of any particular concerns about a response they have received.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost of the in-work benefits for EU workers, of which the Prime Minister is negotiating to delay payment.

Lord Freud

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for Employment (Ms Patel) in the House of Commons on 20 November 2015 to Question number 211618.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 25 April (HL7458), what is their estimate of the UK’s (1) gross, and (2) net, contributions to the EU for 2015.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Full year outturns for 2010-14 are available in table 3.B of European Union Finances 2015 (Cm 9167) which is available in the Library of the House and on gov.uk. No estimates of the UK’s total net contribution in 2015 are currently available, since these are not forecast.

For the purposes of producing a fiscal forecast, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts both UK gross contributions to the EU and contributions net of EU receipts administered by the UK public sector. These do not represent an estimate of the UK’s total net contributions since they exclude receipts directly administered by the European Commission, which means the net contribution appears higher than is actually the case. Therefore, they are not directly comparable with the data for 2013 and 2014 set out in table 3.B European Union Finances 2015, provided in Written Answer HL7458. Details of the OBR forecast can be found at table 3.A of European Union Finances 2015, and the differences between the figures in tables 3.A and the total net contributions set out in 3.B are explained fully in Annex B of both European Union Finances 2015 and HM Treasury analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of (1) the present situation in Nepal, especially in outlying villages that cannot be reached by road, and (2) the aid that was sent to Nepal following the recent earthquakes; how much such aid they sent, and what assessment they have made of how much was sent by British citizens; and how much of that aid fulfilled the purposes for which it was sent.

Baroness Verma

While emergency aid has reached most areas, we still estimate one million people will be living in temporary shelters at altitudes above 1,500 metres over the winter and are in need of urgent cold weather support. DFID, through its partners, is providing winter support to approximately 42,000 families (over 200,000 people) both via in kind assistance (blankets, mattresses, clothes, shelter insulation, solar lamps and cook stoves), as well as through a number of activities that contribute to an enabling environment for an effective and responsive humanitarian support. For example we are supporting helicopter operations to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to communities in areas inaccessible by land. Winter distributions are over 60 % complete and are expected to be fully complete by the end of January.

Information on total aid sent to Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquake can be found online through UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair’s (OCHA) Financial Tracking System which is updated periodically. DFID’s response to the devastating earthquake now stands at £70 million following further commitments made at the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction. Funds raised by the British public for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal have already reached over £85 million, which includes £5 million in matched funding provided by DFID. More information on Nepal DEC work including a review of the response is available online. The UK is committed to ensuring that our assistance is made available to those most in need. We work with trusted partner NGO’s and UN agencies to deliver the UK humanitarian effort. These groups provide real time feedback of the situation on the ground to ensure DFID funds are used effectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the proportions, by value, of British exports of goods to EU member states invoiced in (1) sterling, (2) US dollars, and (3) euro, in 2015.

Lord Price

The data requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs collects data on the currency of invoice for trade with non-EU countries but businesses are not required to declare the currency of invoicing for trade with EU member states.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to alter the timing of school exams to accommodate Muslim children during Ramadan, and whether they have similar plans to accommodate Jewish children and the children of other non-Christian religions during their religious festivals.

Lord Nash

This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Noble Lord. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Lords Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the operations of the European Gendarmerie Force.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The European Gendarmerie Force is not a European Union force. It has its own separate treaty between the countries that participate, which does not include the UK, and is not part of the European Union framework. The Government notes the work of the European Gendarmerie Force, but has no plans to pursue membership.