The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian casualties have been recorded in Iraq as a result of RAF military intervention since 2 December 2015.
Penny Mordaunt
There have been no recorded civilian casualties in Iraq or Syria as a result of RAF military intervention since 2 December 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Indonesian government on the situation of Ahmadis in Bangka, Indonesia.
Mr Hugo Swire
We take freedom of religion or belief extremely seriously. We regularly urge Governments to protect the right of all individuals to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination. In this regard, we are concerned with the plight of the Ahmadiyah community in Bangka regency. Our Ambassador in Jakarta has discussed these issues, including the plight of the Ahamdiyah community, with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. He urged them to ensure the rights of all individuals to practise their religion or belief freely were fully respected and protected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of school support staff who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.
Nick Gibb
The requested information is not available. The Department does not collect data on the nationality or the immigration status of the school workforce.
This is a local matter for schools and all schools must employ members of the school workforce in accordance with employment law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of air drops of food supplies and aid into besieged areas during the current ceasefire in Syria.
Penny Mordaunt
The International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich in February set out a clear way ahead for the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid in Syria and for a cessation of hostilities. The UK continues to keep the humanitarian situation in Syria under review and has been playing a full role, as part of the Humanitarian Aid Task Force, supporting the UN and its partners in successfully stepping-up deliveries of food, water and medicine. Road delivery is the preferred method of delivering aid wherever possible since air drops require clear drop zones, safe access for the intended recipients, and need to be co-ordinated with authorities on the ground. While the UK has been seeking to support World Food Programme efforts to air-drop supplies to Deir ez-Zour, our assessment is that these conditions are not being met in Syria.
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 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, on Yemen: military intervention, whether his Department has made an assessment of the independence and integrity of Saudi Arabia’s internal procedures for investigations as referred to in that Question.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
As the Saudi Arabian Government has publicly announced, British and other foreign advisors will provide advice to the independent committee that will assess Saudi Arabian military activity in Yemen. We are standing by to assist this activity as required.
The UK has been using diplomatic and military channels to engage with Saudi Arabia on compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). I have spoken to the Saudi Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has engaged with his counterpart on the importance of compliance with IHL.
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 Midlands 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 Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to encourage voter registration amongst students before the EU referendum.
John Penrose
The Government has made it easier and more flexible for students to register to vote than ever before with the introduction of online registration. Students are now able to register at both term time and home addresses in just three minutes. Since June 2014, 3.8 million people aged 16-24 have applied to register to vote with 2.8 million of these applications made online. The Government is also working with Higher Education and Further Education bodies including the Association of Colleges and Universities UK to explore voter registration among students further.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Egyptian authorities ahead of the planned asset freeze trial in Egypt which could affect the activities of non-governmental organisations working in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are deeply concerned by growing restrictions on civil society in Egypt, including a proposed asset freeze against investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat and human rights defender Gamal Eid. After issuing a statement on 22 March, I raised this with the Egyptian Ambassador on 23 March and on 11 April. I encourage the Government of Egypt to work with civil society organisations to implement the rights guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution and allow non-government organisations to operate freely.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Ministers: quarterly return October to December 2015, published on 24 March 2016, whom he met during the visit to Kuwait that began on 26 November 2015; and what the agenda was at those meetings.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I travelled to Kuwait on 26 November 2015 to co-chair the seventh UK-Kuwait Joint Steering Group meeting with my Kuwaiti counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al Jarallah. This six-monthly discussion covers a range of bilateral issues, including migration, healthcare, defence, security, education, energy and trade. In addition to the Steering Group, I also had bilateral meetings with the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, which focussed on Gulf Strategy, Typhoon, COP21 and regional and humanitarian issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential consequences for native Tibetans of the planned railway expansion from China into Tibet.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made an assessment of the expansion of China’s railway network in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. We collect information about developments in Tibet from a wide range of reports, such as those made by the Chinese authorities and by Non-Governmental Organisations.