Tag: Mark Pritchard

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the FA about the affordability of tickets to Premier League matches for people on the national average wage.

Tracey Crouch

The pricing of tickets is a matter for the clubs to decide on, however we would encourage all clubs, whether in the Premier League or not, to think carefully about affordability for all fans when setting their ticket prices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the level of trade was between Israel and the UK in 2013-14; and what steps he is taking to increase bilateral trade with Israel.

Anna Soubry

Bilateral trade in goods and services between the UK and Israel was £4.6 billion in 2013 (Source: Pink Book 2014). Figures for 2014 covering trade in both goods and services will be published by the Office for National Statistics on 30 October in the 2015 edition of the Pink Book.

UK Trade and Investment engage in promotion activities which focus on promoting the UK’s financial services, healthcare and food and drink sectors to the Israeli business community.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what collaboration is taking place between universities, space companies and the European Space Agency on developing nuclear engine technology for future spacecraft.

Joseph Johnson

European Space Agency has no active nuclear engine programme and we are not aware of any activities taking place with regards to such technology in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the labelling of goods produced in Israeli settlements with World Trade Organisation law.

Anna Soubry

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK observes its obligations under the WTO Agreements. The UK’s laws and practices on designations of origin for products produced in Israeli settlements are compatible with those obligations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consult on implementing no smoking zones outside government buildings for people employed in those buildings.

Jane Ellison

The Government has no current plans to extend smokefree legislation to outside public areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to extend the BBFC’s voluntary pilot project for the rating of online music videos to other online platforms, UK music labels and publishers and non-UK music labels; and what plans he has to review the voluntary nature of that scheme.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Independent evaluation of the pilot shows that 78% of parents value age ratings for online music videos and 86% of parents would choose online channels with clear age ratings for their children’s viewing. We were pleased therefore to announce recently that the industry and the BBFC were putting their online music videos ratings scheme on a permanent footing and extending it to include videos produced in the UK by independent labels, as well as by major UK labels.

We welcome this voluntary action by industry and will now be looking at how the lessons learned in the UK could help international partners adopt a similar approach.Government is committed to working with labels and platforms towards seeing age rating on all online music videos.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps with his EU partners and the US Department of Defense to improve the traceability and tracking of small arms and light weapons provided to the Kurdish Regional government for use in fighting against ISIS.

Michael Fallon

All military equipment exported from the UK, including the gifting of small arms to the Kurdistan Regional Government is subject to stringent assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. This includes assessment of the end-use and likelihood of the equipment being diverted. As part of the provision of small arms to the Kurdistan Regional Government, the UK also requested and received assurances on handling, secure storage and useage from the Ministry of Peshmerga as the responsible Government authority in charge of end-use.

The Government is committed to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). This is a core international instrument for tackling these issues and the Government is committed to its full implementation. The Government also supports the work carried out by the EU as part of its Small Arms and Light Weapons Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Palestinian Authority on introducing legislation to abolish the death penalty.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government opposes all use of the death penalty as a matter of principle, including sentences imposed by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. I have asked that my officials in Jerusalem raise the issue of the death penalty with the Palestinian Authority in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what checks his Department carries out on non-governmental organisations and charities before allocating them funding to ensure that they do not have discriminatory policies against individual countries or states.

Mr David Lidington

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office conducts due diligence checks, for example background checks, on non-governmental organisations and charities before any offer of funding is made. However, the checks vary depending on the size, nature and operating environment of the proposed work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the major auction houses on the sale of stolen antiquities from conflict areas and the links between the proceeds of such sales and the funding of terrorism.

Mr Edward Vaizey

I have no current plans to hold discussions with the major auction houses, nor has the Government recently discussed the sale of conflict antiquities with them. The Government believes that regulating trade in antiquities is primarily the responsibility of the art and antiquities trade itself. The established trade associations possess codes of ethics by which they expect their members to abide and we expect the associations to strictly enforce those codes. The DCMS has produced advice and guidance to help UK dealers and auction houses consider the relevant issues such as ensuring the secure provenance of cultural objects in which they deal.

The UK takes the issue of illicit trade in cultural goods very seriously and is continuously working to combat this type of trafficking.

The UK has legislation in place, the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, which makes it an offence to import or export objects if that is prohibited under any enactment. Once an EU Regulation prohibiting such import or export comes into force, the act becomes a UK offence. Accordingly, prohibitions on export and import of certain Syrian cultural property under Council Regulation (EU) 1332/2013 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria, have been backed up by UK offences since December 2013. These are complemented by a statutory instrument (The Export Control (Syria Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 2014) which was laid before Parliament on 18 July 2014. The prohibitions relate to the trade in certain Syrian cultural goods where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the goods were removed from Syria on or after 9 May 2011 without consent of the legitimate owner or in breach of Syrian or international law.

The import, export and dealing in illegally removed Iraqi cultural property is prohibited under The Iraq (United Nations Sanctions) Order 2003. While not specific to war situations, the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003 prohibits dealing in cultural objects illegally excavated or illegally removed from monuments or structures of historical, architectural or archaeological interest.