Tag: Mark Pritchard

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 his Georgian countertpart on freedom of expression and freedom of the media in that country.

Mr David Lidington

We raise human rights concerns with Georgian Ministers and officials, including freedom of expression and freedom of the media, at every appropriate opportunity.

We are closely monitoring the recent and ongoing court case involving the Rustavi 2 television company and continue to encourage Georgia to abide by the rule of law and due process in relation to all legal cases. We also impress the importance of creating a positive environment for media and civil society organisations working in Georgia.

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 government of Japan on the abolition of the death penalty in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We remain strongly opposed to the death penalty. Together with EU partners, we will continue to express our opposition to the death penalty. We recently co-funded a report on Japanese attitudes to the death penalty and will use this report to influence Japanese policy makers.

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 steps the Government has taken to stop UK funding being used to pay the wages of convicted terrorists from the Palestinian Territories in custody in Israeli prisons.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

No UK money is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The UK’s direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is used to pay the salaries of PA public sector workers only. Our support is provided through a World Bank trust fund which carries out close monitoring of PA expenditure. The whole process is independently audited, which means we know exactly how our money is spent. We also have robust accounting procedures in place which mean we are confident that our funds do not benefit terrorist groups, and we ensure that our partners do the same.

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 government of the Republic of Congo on the payment of UK companies for infrastructure work undertaken in that country on behalf of the Congolese government.

Grant Shapps

We were recently made aware of a case where a company owned by a British national has found it difficult to secure payment for infrastructure projects carried out on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Congo. In June this year, my officials raised this case with the Congolese authorities, and highlighted the importance to all involved of resolving this case in accordance with the court decisions made in the Republic of Congo and elsewhere.

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 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.