Tag: Paul Monaghan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the parliamentary communications of the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes

The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and electronic surveillance and equipment interference when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to establish a central database of horse movement as required by the Equine Identification Regulations by 1 July 2016.

George Eustice

Defra is taking a number of steps to simplify and strengthen existing rules for horses. These include implementation of new tighter EU legislation for equine identification, introduction of a new UK equine database recording horse identification information, and continuing to take an intelligence-led and risk based approach to enforcing the regulatory framework which relates to the domestic and international trade in horses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to provide alternatives to criminalization and incarceration of people with drug-use disorders and to encourage alternatives to imprisonment facilitating the eventual rehabilitation, re-skilling and reintegration of drug users.

Andrew Selous

We are currently trialling ‘Liaison and Diversion’ services. These services place health professionals at police stations and courts to assess suspects for a range of health problems, including drug misuse, and make referrals to treatment and support. Information shared with the criminal justice system can be used to inform decisions, supporting diversion into treatment as part of an alternative to charge or to custody where appropriate.

We are also interested in problem-solving courts, such as drug courts, given evidence of success in other jurisdictions. Officials are now working with members of the judiciary to consider how the problem-solving approach might be developed for England and Wales.

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 the effect of the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia on human rights in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We use the strength of our relationship and engagement with Saudi Arabia to encourage reform. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth human rights priority country and we do not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns when it is appropriate to do so – I raised them most recently when I visited Riyadh last month. The Government of Saudi Arabia is well aware of our position on Human Rights issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of UK relations with Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

As I saw for myself, and as demonstrated my Rt Hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond) the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Islamabad and Lahore last month, the UK and Pakistan are joined by strong bonds of friendship and partnership. Our bilateral relationship is underpinned by extensive trade, investment and cultural cooperation. The UK will continue to stand beside the Government of Pakistan as it builds a more secure, prosperous and democratic future for all its citizens.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish Government plans to deploy armed officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary to support territorial police forces and to use the military to backfill such officers in civil nuclear establishments.

Mr John Hayes

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary and territorial police forces offer mutual support through individual agreements. As the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House of Commons on 23 November [23 Nov 2015: Column 1051], plans are in place to enable military personnel to support the Police in the event of major terrorist incidents in the UK. Military personnel will be able to fill a number of operational tasks. For national security reasons, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on these detailed operational agreements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans the Government has to move the design and manufacture of specialised steel casks used to store nuclear fuels during transport to China.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government has no plans to move to China the design and manufacture of specialised steel casks used in the transport of nuclear fuels in relation to the sites for which it is responsible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what opportunities are available to households in Scotland with dynamically teleswitched meters to switch between electricity suppliers.

David Mundell

Households in Scotland with dynamically teleswitched meters can switch to a single-rate or an Economy 7 tariff offered by their existing supplier or by a rival supplier. At present, some suppliers may require the dynamically teleswitched meter to be replaced at a cost to the customer and they may suffer a loss of functionality. In its final report in June, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) included in its remedies an order on energy suppliers with more than 50,000 domestic customers to make all their single-rate electricity tariffs available to all existing and new domestic electricity customers with restricted meters, without requiring the meter to be replaced. Suppliers will also need to ensure these customers receive regular information on the options to switch supplier or tariff. The Citizens Advice will become a recognised provider of information and support for customers with restricted meters.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the Coastal Communities Fund to reopen for a further round of funding.

Mr Marcus Jones

Details of future funding arrangements for the Coastal Communities Fund are currently being considered as part of the 2015 Spending Review. An announcement about the timing of future funding rounds is expected after the Autumn Statement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2015 to Question 4551, if she will request that Ofgem consider whether, given that SSE’s cost of generating hydro power is comparatively lower than the cost of a gas-fired plant the additional charges being levied by SSE to maintain supply in the Highlands and Islands is appropriate.

Andrea Leadsom

Electricity supplied to consumers in the Highlands and Islands region is produced by a range of generation types traded in a competitive market across GB. The electricity retail price paid by consumers in the Highlands and Islands, or any other given region, is not therefore determined by the predominant generation type in that region.

The particular challenges of electricity supply in the Highlands and Islands – primarily related to the relatively large and sparsely populated terrain – mean that it costs more to distribute electricity here than elsewhere. There are two UK Government schemes which ensure consumers in this region do not bear an unreasonable burden of these costs. The Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme is providing an assistance amount of £57m in 2015/16 to all consumers in the North of Scotland, which is funded through charges on all licensed electricity suppliers across GB. The Common Tariff Obligation ensures electricity suppliers in the North of Scotland are not able to charge comparable domestic consumers different prices solely on the basis of their location within the region and protects consumers in remote rural areas from the relatively high costs of supplying electricity in these areas.