Tag: Paul Monaghan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in the British Virgin Islands will include access for the public with legitimate reason, in line with the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive.

Mr Hugo Swire

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), gave on 16 October 2015 (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448), which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which government agency has overall responsibility for the control and monitoring of the movement of horses and their importation and exportation.

George Eustice

The Tri-Partite Agreement (TPA) implements a derogation from the animal health conditions that normally apply when horses are moved between EU member states. In recognition of an increased, but still low risk of disease being spread through such movements, a new TPA with France and Ireland came into effect on 18 May 2014. The TPA does not apply to horses moving directly for slaughter, these are subject to harmonised EU certification. It also does not affect the requirement to comply with welfare legislation.

For movements between the United Kingdom and France, only horses with a higher health status can benefit from the derogation. All such movements must be pre-notified on the European Commission’s TRACES system and be accompanied by a commercial document (DOCOM) produced by an approved TPA body as well as an official identification document. The TPA is generally restricted to thoroughbreds and non-thoroughbreds involved in racing, training and breeding plus horses participating in events regulated by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI).

As part of the conditions of their approval, TPA bodies have had to demonstrate to Defra that they can deliver good traceability and that they comply with the relevant welfare legislation as part of their normal governance arrangements.

The Chief Veterinary Officer has met several times with his French and Irish counterparts and with representatives of the equine sector to review the operation of the new TPA. This has included discussions on the arrangements for auditing the agreement to ensure that there is a consistent approach between the three countries. The TPA will be audited by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain.

Local authorities are designated as enforcement bodies under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011, the Horse Passport Regulations 2009 and the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 and corresponding legislation in Wales and Scotland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Daesh are committing genocide in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against Christians, Mandeans, Yezidis, and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Syria and Iraq who continue to bear the brunt of Daesh’s brutality.

It is a long-standing Government policy that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred are a matter for the international judicial system rather than governments or other non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations of International Humanitarian Law and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. That’s why the UK is playing a leading role in a Global Coalition of more than 65 countries and international organisations to respond to Daesh’s inhumanity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for consent have been determined by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has given consent for five Oil Transfer Licences since 2010 and all remain extant.

The MCA has made determination on 800 formal applications for Ship-to-Ship Transfers in the Southwold area since 1 January 2010. Of these, the MCA gave consent on 686 occasions, some of which were caveated; the MCA has refused 16 and the applicant or their clients have cancelled 98.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-04-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to facilitate the establishment of community banks that are willing to service rural communities and small local economies.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is committed to creating the right regulatory environment that allows banks to enter and expand within the market, and serve customers and communities effectively. This is why the Government has substantially lowered barriers to entry by introducing more proportionate requirements for new banks and establishing the New Bank Start-up Unit run by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and creating the Payment Systems Regulator to ensure all banks can access payment systems on fair and equal terms.

In addition, this Government has committed to support the credit union movement to make financial services more accessible. Credit unions are community-based financial institutions which already provide services to under-served and financially excluded communities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will suspend the procurement exercise for the recovery of the FV Louisa pending investigation of the tendering process for that recovery.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The fishing vessel Louisa sank off the Scottish coast on 9 April 2016. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is seeking to raise the vessel as part of its investigation to establish the causes and circumstances of the accident.

The Department’s procurement experts have independently reviewed the processes undertaken by the MAIB in awarding the contract to recover the Louisa. It is clear from that review that the MAIB’s evaluation team followed the process as set out in the tender document and in a fair and transparent manner. I am therefore satisfied that there are no grounds for the procurement process to be suspended.

This sinking resulted in the deaths of three fishermen and the vessel should be recovered as soon as possible to give the investigation team the strongest possibility of understanding the reasons why this tragic accident occurred.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with people from other EU countries living in the UK since the EU referendum on their right to live in the UK after the UK’s exit from the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Government Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders.

The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals here. The only circumstances in which that would not be possible are if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answers of 6 July 2015 to Question 4511 and 12 October 2015 to Question 10567, if she will (a) request that OFGEM assess whether the use of conventional hydro-power in the north of Scotland offsets the extra cost per unit of supply and (b) instruct OFGEM to cancel the 2p per kW hour excess charge in that region.

Andrea Leadsom

Electricity supplied to consumers in the North of Scotland region is produced by a range of generation types traded in a competitive market across GB. The electricity price paid by consumers in any given region is not therefore determined by the predominant generation type in that region.

Ofgem does not regulate energy prices – these are set by energy suppliers in competition with each other and so matters relating to the pricing of tariffs are a matter for each individual company.

Ofgem addressed the differences in electricity charges between regions at paragraph 2.5 of their recent report on ‘Regional Differences in Network Charges’. This stated that the differences observed are not a ‘surcharge’, but reflect the different network costs in the region when shared out between customers consuming energy in that area. They also saw “no compelling case” to change these arrangements, from a regulatory perspective.

The report also noted that electricity distribution charges in the north of Scotland are already cross-subsidised to an extent through the Government’s Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme. It is currently worth around £41 per annum per household in the north of Scotland, and means that consumers face lower network charges than they otherwise would.

This report can be obtained at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/ofgem-report-regional-differences-network-charges.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence the Government has had with the Bank of Scotland on implementation of the Access to Banking Protocol and the (a) closure of branches and (b) reduction of banking services in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. From the first of May this year, each participating bank has committed to carry out a number of steps if it is closing a branch. This includes establishing the impact of a branch closure before it takes place; finding suitable alternative provision; and putting in place suitable alternative measures before a branch is closed.

There is a commitment to review the operation of the protocol after one year. In August, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise and I wrote to the Chief Executive of the British Bankers’ Association and requested an update on progress towards the appointment of an independent reviewer. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Chief Executives of the banks that are signatories to the Access to Banking protocol.

Banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy.

Decisions on the opening and closing of individual bank branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he supports the aims of the Arms Trade Treaty.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Yes. The UK was a prime-mover for the creation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and continues to be an active advocate of a robust Treaty. The UK was amongst the first to sign the ATT in 2013 and ratified on 2 April 2014. We believe that the ATT will be stronger for every State which accedes to or ratifies it.

Universalisation will remain a key priority. The UK played an important role in the preparatory discussions leading to the First Conference of States Parties, and was a Vice-President of that Conference, brokering agreement on key decisions to establish sustainable mechanisms for the future viability of the ATT.