UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Lord Stevens of Ludgate

  • Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Prime Minister’s comments regarding the stability of peace in Europe if the UK leaves the EU, what contingency plans they have made.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In his speech on 9 May, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), was clear that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off by remaining a member of the EU. If the UK were to leave the EU, the withdrawal negotiation would need to address a wide range of difficult issues, including co-operation on foreign policy.

  • Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Prime Minister’s comments regarding the stability of peace in Europe if the UK leaves the EU, what steps they have taken to strengthen the armed forces.

    Earl Howe

    The Government believes that the UK should remain in a reformed EU. As the Prime Minister has said, our EU membership helps keep the UK safer and stronger. We have the largest defence budget in the EU and the second largest in NATO. In addition, we have committed to spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence over the course of this Parliament, and the Ministry of Defence’s budget will rise by 0.5 per cent above inflation every year to 2020-21. We are maintaining the size of the Army, and we are increasing the size of the Royal Navy, the RAF and the reserves.

  • Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Deighton on 27 March to remarks by Lord Myners, Lord Higgins and Lord Flight (HL Deb, col 676) and the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 3 July 2013 (WA 143), whether they continue to consider that borrowing from the central bank is illegal under Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; and, if so, what options are available in respect of government debt and quantitative easing while the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union.

    Lord Newby

    The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. The MPC makes decisions on its policy tools, including quantitative easing (QE), in order to meet the 2% inflation target in the medium term.

    The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic policy framework. To use monetary policy tools to meet fiscal objectives, such as financing government borrowing, could conflict with the MPC’s objective of price stability and undermine confidence in the UK’s monetary policy framework. Additionally, government borrowing from the central bank is illegal under Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

  • Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stevens of Ludgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the European Union’s balance of trade with the United Kingdom of any United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union.

    Lord Deighton

    The Government has made no assessment of the impact on the European Union’s balance of trade with the United Kingdom of any withdrawal from the European Union.

    The EU represents a market of over 500 million people with a combined GDP of around £10.5 trillion. It is the largest single market in the world.

    The EU is the UK’s most important trading partner; 45% of our exports are destined for the EU and seven of the UK’s top ten individual trading partners are EU member states.