Tag: Paul Monaghan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for UK foreign policy of the President of the European Commission’s State of the Union Address of 14 September 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan

​The UK will continue to share foreign and security interests and common challenges with EU Member States and other partners. We will continue to be an influential international actor, remaining a leading member of NATO, the G7 and G20, and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. We do not assess President Juncker’s speech as fundamentally altering this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the steps taken by the British Virgin Islands to meet the Prime Minister’s ambition for a public register of beneficial ownership since June 2013.

James Duddridge

In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premier of the British Virgin Islands asking him to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of a central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system, ahead of the Joint Ministerial Council. The letter included three criteria we expect BVI to meet.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) close the trade and sale of ivory and (b) end the importation of ivory from countries such as (i) Tanzania, (ii) Zimbabwe and (iii) other African countries.

Rory Stewart

The Government is deeply concerned by the continued poaching of elephants for their ivory, which is why we are committed to maintaining the current global ban on any international trade in new ivory.

The UK does not permit trade in raw ivory tusks of any age, from Tanzania, Zimbabwe or any other country. We are pressing for this approach to be taken across the whole of the European Union. In implementing our manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales, we will work with our international partners and interested parties at home to take into account their views about how we best achieve this and over what timeframe.

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

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he has had discussions with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on the sale of Czech war planes to Iraq.

Mr David Cameron

I met the Czech Prime Minister in Prague on 22 January. We discussed reforming the UK’s relationship with the EU, the migration crisis, the international Syria donors conference, Syria and our shared fight against Daesh, and the sale of second-hand Czech Airforce aircraft to Iraq. I confirmed the UK was content for the sale of the Czech aircraft to proceed and welcomed the contribution this, and the Czechs, are making to the Coalition effort against Daesh.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to end arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country, including Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria.

The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

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 review the application for indefinite leave submitted by Mrs Marleen Baldwin and the notice of subsequent curtailment issued by her Department.

James Brokenshire

We do not comment publicly on individual cases. UK Visas and Immigration will write to the Honourable Member to provide an update on this case.

There are no plans for a specific review of the administrative handling of immigration applications from Canadian nationals for indefinite leave to remain. UK Visas and Immigration is, however, committed to the principles of continuous improvement and to applying these to ensure processes are efficient and effective.

The administrative requirements, and service standards, to which applicants for indefinite leave to remain are subject, are set out at www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/settle-in-the-uk. This information is reviewed regularly, with a view to ensuring it is as clear as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to incorporate animal welfare into the national curriculum for primary school children in England.

Nick Gibb

The National Curriculum, taught from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils.

The programmes of study for science include the opportunity to teach children about different animals, their needs for survival and their environment. Beyond the prescribed curriculum, schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics, such as animal welfare, to ensure that children receive a rounded education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to address the humanitarian crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Her Majesty’s Government is committed to addressing humanitarian crises in Africa through a number of means, including working bilaterally with African countries and through supporting multilateral bodies such as the European Union, United Nations, the International Financial Institutions and the African Union. The UK is also a leading donor in responding to crisis in the region; last year the Department for International Development spent £522m on humanitarian assistance across Africa, including South Sudan, Nigeria and in response to El Nino effects in Ethiopia and Southern Africa.

We also remain an active partner of the African Union, supporting the organisation to deliver its responsibility for peace and security on the continent, and in its role as the first responder to crisis. In addition,

Ministerial colleagues and I undertake regular visits to the region where prevention and responses to humanitarian crises are frequently discussed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what specific changes are needed to her Department’s policies to ensure that the UK meets the EU target of 15 per cent of energy to be sourced from renewable sources before 2020; and what the timetable is for implementing each of those changes.

Andrea Leadsom

We continue to make progress towards our renewable energy target of 15% final energy consumption by 2020. Provisional figures show 6.3% of final energy consumption came from renewable sources for 2013 and 2014, against a target of 5.4%.

Progress on renewable electricity generation has been particularly strong with over a quarter of electricity generated, between April and June this year, coming from renewable sources.

The Spending Review will be announced on 25^th November, and a Department for Transport consultation will be running next year on increasing the amount of renewable transport fuel. We will carefully consider the impacts of both on the UK’s progress towards the renewables target of 15%, including whether there will be a role for trading.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on badger culling to date; and what estimate she has made of spending on badger culling in the financial years (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

George Eustice

Bovine TB is the greatest animal health threat to the UK. Based on current expenditure it will cost the taxpayer £1 billion over the next decade if we do not take rigorous action now. The Government is delivering a comprehensive strategy to eradicate the disease and protect the future of our dairy and beef industries. This includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, improving biosecurity, and badger control in areas where TB is rife.

To date, Defra has spent the following on badger control for the purposes of eradicating bovine TB:

2012/2013 – £2.5m

2013/2014 – £6.3m plus an additional £3.5m on policing costs

2014/2015 – £3.1m plus an additional £1.4m on policing costs

Costs for 2015/2016 are currently being finalised and will be published in due course.

Planning is underway for future years, but we expect the costs to government per area to decrease in line with the estimates contained in Table 4 of the Badger Control Policy: Value For Money Analysis published in December 2015:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-badger-control-policy-value-for-money-analysis.

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