Tag: Matthew Offord

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Palestinian Authority on its involvement in direct peace talks without preconditions with the Israeli government.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has made clear, in conversations with the Palestinian Authority, that the best way to achieve a two-state solution is through negotiations. However, in order to achieve this, there must be an environment conducive to peace, and that is why we are urging all parties to de-escalate current tensions across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) emphasised the importance of resolving the current tensions when he spoke to President Abbas on 9 October. On 8 October, our Consul General in Jerusalem raised our concerns with President Abbas’ political adviser, Majdi Khaldi; Palestinian chief negotiator and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Sa’eb Erekat; and the Palestinian Chief of Police, Hazem Attallah; as well as with Amal Jadou, Palestinian Assistant Minister for European Affairs, on 21 October.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to simplify existing environmental, marine and agricultural regulations.

George Eustice

By contributing to Red Tape Challenge, Defra has reviewed over 1200 of its regulations. As a result of these reviews Defra has made commitments to revoke or improve nearly 800 regulations and as well as a number of significant non-regulatory changes that will directly benefit business and the wider public. These include the reform of all regulatory guidance produced by Defra and its agencies by spring 2015, so that users can quickly access clear information on what they need; changes to data reporting obligations, to remove any duplicate and unnecessary requests for information; and plans to explore opportunities to simplify and reduce the number of compliance inspections on farms.

These reforms are being made without reducing existing protection of the environment or animal and plant health and are detailed in a report entitled “Defra better for Business: A Strategic Reform Plan for Defra Regulations” which was published on 9 April 2014[1]. Defra is working to deliver the vast majority of these proposals by April 2015 so that benefits can be felt quickly. Current estimates suggest that business could by then be saving £300million per year as a result of these reforms.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302112/pb14166-defra-better-for-business.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the UK’s performance towards the targets in the Kyoto protocol on emission reduction targets between 2008 and 2012.

Amber Rudd

The UK has a target for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its emissions by an average 12.5 per cent below base year levels over the five-year period 2008-12.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the success of steps taken to meet the 2013 and 2020 EU Landfill Directive.

Dan Rogerson

We are confident that we will have met the 2013 landfill diversion target and will meet the 2020 target set out in the EU Landfill Directive.

In October 2013 we published an analysis of progress against the 2020 target, which can be found on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/forecasting-2020-waste-arisings-and-treatment-capacity-norfolk-county-council-residual-waste-treatment-project . The analysis concludes that there is a high likelihood of meeting or exceeding the 2020 target.

Landfill tax is a key instrument to meeting the landfill diversion targets along with our policies and initiatives such as support of infrastructure to divert waste from landfill through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to restore upland peat sites.

Dan Rogerson

Defra has a range of measures in place to support the restoration of upland peat sites. These include protection through statutory area designations such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). In addition there are specific incentives for peatland restoration in agri-environment schemes. In 2013 we committed £31.2 million through Environmental Stewardship (covering around 98,000ha) to management options for the maintenance and restoration of moorland habitats. A further £4.1million was committed in capital grants for grip blocking. These are the key options in Environmental Stewardship that contribute to the management of upland peat. This support will continue to be provided under the new environmental land management scheme.

The Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area (NIA) in the Peak District, one of the twelve NIAs announced in 2012, is focused on improving upland peatland habitats across an area of 25,000ha.

In September 2013 we launched the pilot UK Peatland Code which provides a basis for business sponsorship of peatland restoration. An initial suite of restoration projects from across the UK have been identified covering over 25,000 ha of mainly blanket bog.

Upland peat restoration is also being addressed through Defra’s Research and Development Programme, with over £1 million committed between 2010 and 2015 to identify restoration techniques with the best environmental outcomes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to implement the commitments contained in the white paper, The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature published in 2011.

Dan Rogerson

We have made good progress on implementing the ambitious programme of policies set out in the White Paper. Of the 92 commitments made in the White Paper, over three quarters are now assessed as “completed” and action is ongoing to deliver the remaining commitments.

We have published a series of implementation updates on the GOV.UK website, setting out the progress that has been made towards the White Paper’s commitments, most recently in February 2014. This information can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-environment-white-paper-implementation-updates.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on the introduction of an Islamic bond.

Harriett Baldwin

In June last year the UK became the first country outside of the Islamic world to issue sovereign Sukuk, the Islamic equivalent of bonds, cementing Britain’s position as the western hub for Islamic finance.

The £200 million of Sukuk will mature in 2019. They were sold to investors based in the UK and in the major hubs for Islamic finance around the world.

The Sukuk received very strong demand, delivering good value for the taxpayer. Orders for the Sukuk totalled around £2.3 billion.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure remittances flow through secure and accessible channels to Somalia.

Harriett Baldwin

The Treasury has worked closely with industry and regulators to ensure that remittances continue to flow from the UK to Somalia.

The Treasury plays a leading role in the Action Group on Cross-Border Remittances, which brings together participants from industry, Government, regulators and international partners to maintain a continued dialogue on the withdrawal of banking services from the money service business sector, in order to develop a shared understanding of the expectations of all parties and help support remittance flows.

Over the past two years, the Action Group has overseen a number of initiatives to boost compliance in the Money Service Business (MSB) sector, and to give greater confidence to banks offering services to this sector:

• The group has worked closely with the supervisors to develop revised guidance for the MSB sector, and for those offering banking services to the sector, including a statement from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in April 2015 clarifying the FCA’s expectations with regards to Banks’ management of money-laundering risk.

• The National Crime Agency has worked collaboratively with the banking and MSB sectors to improve understanding and manage risk.

• Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the supervisor of MSBs, more than doubled the number of compliance visits to MSBs in 2014, and launched an e-learning product to improve MSBs’ understanding of their obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations.

  Alongside this work in the UK, the Government is also supporting targeted capacity building in Somalia, delivered through the World Bank. This includes a specific focus on improving regulation of the Somali remittance sector and supporting the drafting and introduction of necessary financial crime legislation. This goes hand-in-hand with our longer term programme to support the formalisation of the financial sector in Somalia.

  These actions both in the UK and Somalia are intended to safeguard the vital remittances that flow between the two countries. The Action Group continues to monitor UK-Somalia remittance corridor closely and is reassured that there is currently no evidence to date of an interruption in the flow of remittances between the UK and Somalia, or any significant increase in remittance costs. This is a resilient and responsive market and the Government remains committed to supporting it and the diaspora communities that rely on these services.

  Updates on the work of the Action Group can be found on the gov.uk website:

  https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/action-group-on-cross-border-remittances

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the security situation in Somalia of al Shabaab’s seizure of Buqda.

Grant Shapps

We assess that the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM’s) withdrawal from Buqda, and its consequent re-occupation by Al Shabaab, will have little impact on the security situation in Somalia, given Buqda’s limited strategic importance within the context of the overall AMISOM campaign.

AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) have regained 75% of the territory formerly controlled by Al-Shabaab, forcing it out of many of its traditional strongholds, including major urban centres and its former headquarters in Baraawe. The current AMISOM offensive is designed to remove Al Shabaab from their strong holds in the Gedo, Bakool and Bay regions of Somalia. But Al Shabaab still holds ground in the lower Juba Valley and retains the ability to infiltrate other areas and cause instability.

We continue to support African Union and SNSF efforts to defeat Al Shabaab, including through the provision of stipends, training, equipment and infrastructure enhancements, and capacity-building. We are also supporting stabilisation and countering violent extremism efforts, including working with the Federal Government of Somalia to develop counter-terrorism legislation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports his Department has received of al Shabaab’s activities in the lower Shabelle region of Somalia.

Grant Shapps

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives a wide range of reporting on Somalia from our Embassy in Mogadishu and other actors on the ground, including the United Nations and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the media and other open sources. Reporting shows that Al Shabaab continues vigorously to contest the lower Shabelle region. Recent Al Shabaab activities have included the re-occupation of Janaale and Kurtenwarey (alongside the continuing occupation of Jilib) following tactical AMISOM withdrawals from these smaller, more isolated positions in order to consolidate forces and focus offensive efforts elsewhere. These attacks and Al Shabaab’s ability to conduct asymmetric attacks elsewhere in the country – targeting the Federal Government of Somalia, Somali security forces, AMISOM and members of the international community – highlight the significant threat that it continues to pose to Somalia’s security.