The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on UK citizens of the US proposal to tighten its visa waiver programme.
Lord Bates
We have a very close relationship with the USA and are confident the changes the administration is currently proposing will have minimal impact on UK citizens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following his recent visits to France and Italy, whether there are plans for President Rouhani of Iran to visit the UK.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are gradually expanding our bilateral engagement with Iran, and reopened our Embassy in Tehran in August last year. This was a major step towards normalising our relationship with Iran. There are no fixed dates yet for President Rouhani to visit the UK, but we hope that we will be able to welcome him in the future. We welcomed Foreign Minister Zarif’s visit to the UK from 4-5 February, the first bilateral visit of an Iranian Foreign Minister in over ten years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent the rise in cases of scarlet fever in children.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Public Health England (PHE) has endeavoured to keep healthcare professionals, schools and the general public informed of the increased incidence of scarlet fever through timely information, news stories and updates on the PHE website and by using social and other media. These awareness raising measures assist general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals in reaching a correct diagnosis more quickly and encourage patients to seek medical advice early so that suspected cases receive prompt antibiotic treatment to reduce the risk of complications and limit further transmission. Guidelines have been developed by PHE to assist local Health Protection Teams in controlling outbreaks in schools, nurseries and childcare settings. In addition, investigations are underway to explore the possible reasons for the rise in scarlet fever and the impact on patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current political crisis in Brazil on the country’s stability and security ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The ongoing impeachment process in Brazil is a domestic issue for the people of Brazil and their elected representatives. We continue to follow developments closely. Preparations for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games are being led by the State and City of Rio de Janeiro. Experts from the London 2012 team have been working closely with the Rio 2016 authorities and we are confident they will deliver a successful Games.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the target length of time for Border Force to process (1) non-European Economic Area passengers, and (2) European Union passengers, at each terminal in Heathrow; and how often that target has been missed in the past six months.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The service level agreement for passengers arriving at Heathrow for Non-EEA nationals is 95% of queue measures to be less than 45 minutes and for EU/EEA nationals this is 95% of queue measures to be less than 25 minutes.
The data on the Border Force performance against the targets at Heathrow can be found at:
www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of concerns about the increase in antibiotic resistance, what assessment they have made of the recent study by researchers at King’s College London, published in the British Journal of General Practice, reporting a link between patient satisfaction and the prescription of antibiotics, in particular given that patient satisfaction is a contributory factor to GPs’ performance-related pay.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is aware of the research from King’s College, which shows the pressures that general practitioners face to prescribe antibiotics, even when they are not clinically appropriate.
We have already taken steps to address this issue, in particular, through measures to educate the public on the value of antibiotics and when the use of these drugs is inappropriate. For example, the Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking work to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice through low cost and scalable interventions designed by behavioural scientists. In addition, PHE has developed the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to improve prescribing behaviours amongst healthcare professionals and to encourage the public to use antibiotics responsibly. Furthermore, all prescribers are encouraged to support antimicrobial stewardship by following guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence on antimicrobial stewardship, published in August 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take for the protection of air passengers following the recent report of the UK Airprox Board of four near-miss incidents involving drones at UK airports.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The safety of the public is of the uttermost importance to the Government and whilst I recognise the potential significant economic benefits that drones can have to the UK, it is vital that they are operated safely and in a way that does not put members of the public and other aircraft at risk.
There are existing regulations for users of small unmanned aerial vehicles. Article 166 of the UK Air Navigation order 2009 (ANO) requires operators of small unmanned aircraft to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purposes of avoiding collisions. It also states that an operator may only fly the aircraft if they are reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.
In addition, Article 138 of the ANO 2009, which also applies to small unmanned aircraft, states that “a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. This includes persons within another aircraft, and of course the aircraft that those persons are within.
We are talking to both the Civil Aviation Authority and airports to find technical solutions to the problems around airport, these include mandated geo-fencing or frequency jammers.
The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.
The department is leading efforts with international bodies to develop a stringent regulatory framework focusing on safety. We are currently undertaking public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options and a database to increase transparency on the use of drones for the general public.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last raised the importance of the freedom of the press with the government of Turkey, in particular in the context of Turkey’s application for EU membership and other current negotiations.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. The Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when he met Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Şimşek on 12 March. We continue to underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last discussed with the government of Tunisia the security improvements required before the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s current advice against all but essential travel to Tunisia can be lifted.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We discuss progress on improving security with the Tunisian government on a very regular basis, both bilaterally and through the G7, most recently on 25 May. We still consider the threat level to be specific enough to advise against all but essential travel. Our Travel Advice is under constant review and we will change it as soon as the security situation and the threat level permit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are employed by Border Force; whether that number has decreased in the past year; and what assessment they have made of whether Border Force has sufficient immigration officers to operate effectively.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
This Government has always made the integrity of the UK border a priority and we will never compromise on keeping the people of this country safe from terrorism, criminality and illegal immigration.
We have pursued an ambitious programme of reform at the border to keep this country safe. Border Force has transformed its working practises, command and control and leadership. And we have invested in new technology, like e-Gates at airports and heartbeat monitors at freight ports, to improve security and prevent illegal entry to the UK to improve security, benefit passengers and deliver efficiencies.
These reforms are working. Border security has been enhanced. Border Force continues to perform 100 per cent checks on scheduled passengers arriving in the UK.
Deployments are made across a wide range of activities based on levels of demand and intelligence and will take into consideration the requirement for deployment of a flexible seasonal workforce, which is prone to fluctuations depending on seasonal pressures.