Tag: Viscount Waverley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the budget apportioned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is sufficient for the development of the knowledge, understanding and policy sophistication required in respect of the Islamic world.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is devoting considerable resource to strengthening the organisation’s expertise and skills, including geographical, language and other relevant expertise, such as understanding the Islamic world. The opening of the FCO’s Diplomatic Academy last year has given new impetus and structure to this work. There is a growing range of formal and informal learning in London and throughout the FCO network, including better sharing of knowledge internally and increased access to external expertise. We put time and effort into understanding political trends globally including the “Islamic” element of political Islam. Our online Foundation Level course includes a basic religious literacy module. Our diplomatic missions report regularly on trends in political Islam and our research analyst cadre provide in-depth expertise, analysis and links to academics and think tanks. The FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Department run training courses on religion and foreign policy which serve as a practitioner level religion/foreign policy module for the Diplomatic Academy. We also offer training on contemporary Islam and its role within politics and society in various regional contexts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-07-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, what plans they have to make up any shortfall in funding for scientific and medical research.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government intends to maintain and enhance the strength of our research and innovation base This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament.

While the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU funding arrangements continue unchanged, including those that apply to students, researchers, and businesses. We remain fully open to scientists and researchers from across the EU. We hugely value the contribution of EU and international staff and there are no immediate changes to their rights to live and work in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Heads of Mission in Arabic-speaking countries speak Arabic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

In the Middle East and North Africa region approximately 95 per cent of our Heads of Mission speak Arabic or other local languages (e.g. French or Hebrew).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits to the police and intelligence agencies in combatting terrorism and crime of making it mandatory for purchasers of pay-as-you-go SIM cards to produce appropriate forms of identification.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

This issue was considered in detail by an expert group comprising representatives of law enforcement, the security and intelligence agencies and communication service providers following the terrorist attacks in London in July 2005. The experts’ findings remain valid. They concluded that the registration of ownership of mobile telephones would not deliver any significant new benefits to the investigatory process.

Mobile phones are not the only devices capable of making calls or sending messages. Many laptops, computers, popular MP3 players and games consoles also support the sending of messages and phone calls. These devices are increasingly being used for communications. It would be necessary to include these other devices in any mandatory registration scheme.

Separately, the person who buys the device is not necessarily the person who will use it. Mobile phones are often sold or given to family members or friends which would mean that such information would quickly become out of date.

Furthermore, those who were keen to avoid providing details would still find ways to circumvent the scheme, such as purchasing or registering phones under false identities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of the UK leaving the EU, UK citizens living in EU member states will retain all of their UK pension rights and will continue to be treated the same as if they were resident in the UK.

Baroness Altmann

The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU.

As set out in the Government’s White Paper: ‘The process for withdrawing from the European Union’, published on 29 February, the withdrawal process is unprecedented. No country has ever used Article 50 – it is untested. There is a great deal of uncertainty about how it would work. UK citizens living in the EU currently enjoy a range of specific rights to live, to work and access to pensions, health care and public services that are only guaranteed because of EU law. There would be no requirement under EU law for these rights to be maintained if the UK left the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency preparations they are making across departments for managing the transition of policy in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they are proposing to give Parliament in scrutinising the outcome of the negotiations relating to the UK leaving the EU, prior to the final conclusion of those negotiations.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Government will comply with all the constitutional and legal obligations that apply to the deal that we will negotiate with the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of the UK leaving the EU, UK citizens living in EU member states will retain all of their rights to medical treatment in the EU under the existing terms and conditions based on their contributions to the UK NHS social security system.

Lord Prior of Brampton

As set out in the Government’s White Paper: ‘The process for withdrawing from the European Union’, published on 29 February and attached, the withdrawal process is unprecedented. No country has ever used Article 50 – it is untested. There is a great deal of uncertainty about how it would work. United Kingdom citizens currently enjoy a range of specific rights to live, to work and access to pensions, health care and public services that are only guaranteed because of European Union law. If the UK voted to leave the EU, the Government would do all it could to secure a positive outcome for the country, but there would be no requirement under EU law for these rights to be maintained. Should an agreement be reached to maintain these rights, the expectation must be that this would have to be reciprocated for EU citizens in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with other EU member states about whether, in the event of the UK leaving the EU, British citizens settled in EU member states would have an automatic right to remain in the countries where they have settled.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

No such discussions have been held. As I said in my previous response of 25 April (HL7678), the Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU. Should the UK choose to stay in the EU, British citizens will be able to work, live and retire abroad as they do now. UK citizens get a range of rights from our membership of the EU. If the UK were to leave the EU, all of these rights would have to be covered in a successor arrangement. If we left the EU without agreeing what would happen to these rights, it would at the least bring them into serious question, creating difficulty for UK citizens who relied on them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Waverley on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many European Court of Justice rulings against the UK government have not yet been implemented; and whether they will give details of those rulings.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Six European Court of Justice rulings have not yet been implemented. These are listed below:

1.Case number C-161/14 – Commission v UK

An infraction judgment made by the Court of Justice of the European Union, where the court ruled that the UK has failed to apply the VAT reduced rate to supplies of energy saving materials correctly. This is currently under review.

2. Case 301/10 (October 2012) – Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive – Commission v UK

The infraction judgment concerned the appropriate collection of urban waste water of agglomerations in Whitburn and London, and the appropriate treatment of urban waste water of agglomerations in London. Works on collection facilities at Whitburn are due to be completed by the end of 2017. Works to collection and treatment facilities, including the Thames Tideway Tunnel, are due to be completed by 2023.

3. Case 304/15 (September 2016) – Large Combustion Plants Directive – Commission v UK

The infraction judgment concerned permitted NOx emissions from a coal-fired power station in Aberthaw. The regulator, Natural Resources Wales, will review the environmental permit to amend the emission limits early in 2017, with modifications at the plant due to take place in summer 2017. There has also been a recalculation of the power station’s contribution to the UK’s Transitional National Plan for combustion plants.

4. C-530/11 European Commission v UK

The Court of Justice of the European Union handed down an infraction judgment concluding that the UK had breached EU law by failing to ensure procedures for certain environmental challenges were not prohibitively expensive.

5. Case number C-304/14 – Secretary of State for the Home Department v CS

A judgement on the interpretation of Article 20 TFEU, regarding the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.

6. Case number C-115/15 – Secretary of State for the Home Department v NA

A judgement on the interpretation of Articles 20 and 21 TFEU regarding freedom of movement for workers within the Community.