Tag: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of Government spending on Syria has been spent on (a) military action and (b) the provision of humanitarian aid.

Penny Mordaunt

It is not possible to separately identify the costs of military action in Syria. However, from August 2014, the net additional costs of counter-Daesh activity in Iraq and Syria have been £280 million. Since February 2012, the UK has pledged over £2.3 billion in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 38925, what the planned opening date is for a reading room for hon. Members to scrutinise classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Greg Hands

The UK remains committed to supporting an ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal which cuts regulatory and bureaucratic barriers without lowering standards, removes the remaining tariffs between the EU and US, and opens up opportunities for businesses.

As hon. Members will have read in a letter from my noble Friend the Minister of State (Lord Price CVO) for Trade Policy on 11 October, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership reading room will be open from 19 October. This will allow all hon. Members and Peers to view documents that the European Commission and US have agreed can be shared with national parliamentarians on a confidential basis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) legal costs and (b) compensatory payments resulting from investor state dispute settlement claims relating to acts by the Scottish Government would be paid by the Scottish Government; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

If the UK were to lose a claim brought under the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism of a trade and investment treaty which relates to an act of a devolved administration, the memorandum of understanding between the UK and the devolved administrations would apply. This provides that the devolved administration would be responsible for the payment of legal costs and awards made by the tribunal to the extent that they arise from the failure of the devolved administration to implement or enforce an obligation or fail to meet their share of an international quota. However, the UK has a good record of creating the right environment for investors and treating them fairly – we have over 90 such agreements in place with other countries and there has never been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2016 to Question 41468, when he plans to lay the draft text of the EU-Canada Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement before Parliament.

Greg Hands

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 October to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards), UIN 46479.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) legal costs and (b) compensatory payments resulting from investor state dispute settlement claims relating to acts by the Scottish local authorities would be passed onto those local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Government would typically be responsible for legal costs incurred and compensatory payments awarded by an ISDS tribunal resulting from acts by UK local authorities. There is no specific mechanism in place for the UK Government to pass any such costs or payments to Scottish local authorities. The UK has a good record of creating the right environment for investors and treating them fairly – we have over 90 such agreements in place with other countries and there has never been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) carried out by his Department in the last three years on the reputation of the UK abroad; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any research on the UK’s global reputation.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a network of 268 Posts in 168 countries and territories, including 9 multilateral organisations, who regularly report on the relationship with the UK in their host countries and organisations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Government has conducted an (a) impact and (b) risk assessment of the potential effect of the investor protection clause of the (i) Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and (ii) EU Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement on the services and regulations devolved to the Scottish Government; and if he will place copies of any such assessment in the Library.

Anna Soubry

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills commissioned research into the costs and benefits for the UK of the inclusion of investment protection provisions in the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This was published on 22 November 2013 and copies placed in the House libraries.

The investment protection provisions in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and any such provisions included in TTIP will not prevent Governments from regulating responsibly in the public interest, nor from delivering public services, including such services and regulations that are devolved to the Scottish Government. A claim can only be made under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions where an investor believes it has suffered from discriminatory or unfair treatment. ISDS tribunals can typically only award compensation and cannot force governments to change laws or public service delivery models. The UK currently has over 90 investment protection agreements with other countries. There has been no successful action against the UK in respect of any of these agreements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse has been of legal proceedings against his Department since 2010.

Justin Tomlinson

Providing the requested information can only be done at the disproportionate cost threshold.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle race inequality.

James Wharton

The Prime Minister outlined his 2020 vision last Spring, which set out challenging Government targets across Whitehall to increase BAME opportunities, including take-up of apprenticeships, employment, and recruitment in the police and armed forces.

On 26 October many of the country’s top employers, including the Civil Service, committed to ‘name blind’ recruitment processes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK’s international and diplomatic relations.

Mr Philip Hammond

The decision in the forthcoming referendum is one for the British people alone to make. In the nearly 2 years I have been Foreign Secretary, I have visited over 70 different countries in 6 continents – and in no single one of them have I been told that Britain’s influence would be greater if it were not a member of the EU. On the contrary whether in China, in the USA, in Australia, in Nigeria, Britain is seen as more influential because of its membership of the EU. We get two bites of the cherry: Britain’s is a strong and influential voice in its own right; but it is also the voice of a leading Member State of the world’s largest economic block. Membership of the EU does not diminish Britain’s influence; it enhances it – and I speak from personal experience.