The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the welfare budget was spent on child benefit in 2014-15.
Damian Hinds
The latest available estimates of Child Benefit expenditure in 2014-15 can be found in Table 4.19 of the publication ‘Economic and fiscal outlook – July 2015’ available here: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-july-2015/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has had discussions with the London Legacy Development Corporation about EU state aid rules and West Ham United Football Club’s occupancy of the Olympic Stadium.
Anna Soubry
My Department has had discussions with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) about papers, prepared by the LLDC, for the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission. These papers explained the contractual arrangements relating to West Ham United Football Club’s use of the Olympic Stadium.
I can confirm that the Commission considered these papers and reached a preliminary assessment that the contractual arrangements did not involve state aid and decided not to pursue their investigation any further.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the conditions in which Kamal Foroughi is being held in Evin Prison, Iran.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have not been able to obtain access to Mr Foroughi since his detention in May 2011. The Iranian Government does not recognise dual nationality for Iranian citizens. Our requests for consular access to detainees have been rejected on these grounds. We regularly express our concerns about all of our consular cases at high level with the Iranian Government.
Prime Minister David Cameron raised these issues in a letter to President Rouhani on 19 October and again in a telephone call on 19 January. Most recently this was raised by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) during Foreign Minister Zarif’s visit to London on 5 February. I am also keeping a close interest in Mr Foroughi’s case, having recently met with his son in London on 1 December and 14 January.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) conducted on the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on (a) relationships between his Department and its counterparts in other EU member states and (b) the effectiveness of pan-European justice mechanisms; and what assessment his Department has made of the results of that research.
Dominic Raab
On 19 February, the Prime Minister set out the Government position on remaining in the European Union.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the response of the government of Saudi Arabia was to his recent representations on (a) the attacks in Yemen on the Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals and mobile clinic, (b) the airstrike on the Oxfam warehouse, (c) the reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of attacks on civilians and civilian facilities including schools and (d) investigations into the use of cluster munitions.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Saudia Arabia have their own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail of how they investigate such incidents on 31 January. This includes a new investigation team outside of Coalition Command to review all existing procedures and suggest improvements.
Regarding allegations of cluster munition use, we have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30642, what representations the Government made to military leaders in the Democratic Unity Party on patterns of behaviour suggesting that Kurdish forces are coordinating with the Assad regime and Russia.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has stated his concerns publicly regarding the actions of Kurdish forces in North West Syria. We continue to work with our international partners and to use our contacts with Kurdish groups to influence their policy, including to express concerns over links with the Asad regime and attacks on the moderate Syrian opposition. We are working through the International Syria Support Group to ensure robust implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and to focus the peace negotiations currently underway in Geneva on political transition away from Asad, to a government in Damascus that can represent the interests of all Syrians.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the East of England that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.
Anna Soubry
HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.
HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in Scotland that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.
Anna Soubry
HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.
HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which projects were funded by his Department’s technical assistance budget for Bahrain in each of the last five years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK has been providing a range of technical, practical assistance to the Government of Bahrain since 2012, in support of its reform programme. This technical assistance supports the building of effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and police and justice reform. It has included work with the National Institution of Human Rights, the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, and the Prisoners’ and Detainees’ Rights Commission.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of expenditure earned from UK arms exports comes from exporting arms to countries in the Middle East.
Anna Soubry
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold data on earnings from UK arms exports. However, we publish official statistics on the value of defence exports, which includes data for the Middle East. Further details can be found on the GOV.UK website.