Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with the government of Kenya about the requirement for United Kingdom citizens to have a visa to enter Kenya; and what steps they take within (1) the European Union, and (2) the Commonwealth, to encourage consistency in visa requirements for citizens of countries within those organisations.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government has not recently discussed visa requirements for UK citizens visiting Kenya with the Kenyan government. British nationals require a visa to enter Kenya, which can be purchased on arrival. Within the EU, the European Commission only seeks coherence in visa requirements for Member States party to the Schengen Visa Code. The UK is not party to this code. Within the Commonwealth the UK is taking part in discussions which seek to facilitate the movement of Commonwealth citizens between member states.Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union on the People's Democratic Republic of Korea issued on 24 November.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We welcome the statement by the International Democrat Union (IDU) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee has sent an important signal that systematic and widespread human rights violations will no longer be ignored by the international community. We join the IDU in urging all members of the UN to vote for the final adoption of this resolution, which strikes an appropriate balance between pursuing accountability for human rights violations and encouraging the DPRK to address international concerns through engagement and concrete actions.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union on Trade issued on 24 November.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government is not aware of a statement by the International Democrat Union on Trade issued on 24 November.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union on Slovenia issued on 24 November.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of the statement adopted by the International Democrat Union on 21 November 2014, concerning the imprisonment of former Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Janša. Our Embassy in Ljubljana understands that Mr Janša is continuing to appeal the conviction that lead to his imprisonment on 20 June, and will continue to monitor the ongoing judicial proceedings of this case.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 27 September (HL2847), whether students from Nepal must have their applications to study in the United Kingdom vetted in Delhi; and if so, whether in assessing students from Nepal consideration is given as to whether Nepal needs students with the degrees the students wish to pursue.
Answered by Lord Bates
Since March 2008, all Entry Clearance applications made in Nepal have been considered by UK Entry Clearance Officers based at the visa section in New Delhi. This includes applications to study in the UK. Entry Clearance Officers consider student applications in accordance with the Immigration Rules. These rules do not include any consideration of whether Nepal needs students with the degrees that the students wish to pursue.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will revisit the circumstances in which the late Corporal McLaughlin was recommended for a gallantry award during the Falklands conflict which was subsequently withdrawn; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
The noble lord will be aware of the hon. Member for Wallasey’s (Ms Eagle) Westminster Hall debate on 18 November about posthumous recognition for Corporal McLaughlin. Following the debate, the Minister of State for Defence, Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Anna Soubry) and I have agreed that while a formal investigation is not an option, I will re-examine the facts surrounding recognition in this case. However, to be clear, no citation for an award was received for consideration by the Ministry of Defence and therefore it would be incorrect to say that Cpl McLaughlin had a recommendation withdrawn. The issue is that no citation was actually submitted for consideration by the Operational Awards Committee; a fact that is acknowledged by all parties.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether students attending United Kingdom universities are included in the immigration statistics; and if so, why.
Answered by Lord Bates
Published Home Office immigration statistics record data on all people coming to the UK or remaining here who are subject to immigration control. This includes all non-EU students.
International students are also included in net migration statistics that are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). In line with the internationally agreed UN definition, these statistics define a migrant as someone changing their normal place of residence for more than a year. Students are therefore included in the same way as other migrants. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also include students in their net migration figures.
The ONS has recently improved its methodology so that it is possible to better identify students in the emigration flows to give a more accurate measure of the contribution of students to overall net migration. In the last year, 121,000 non-EU students came to Britain to stay for more than 12 months, and the ONS estimates that only 51,000 left the country.
All migrants who are in the UK for 12 months or more have an impact on our communities, infrastructure and public services. Changing the way we measure migration would not make any difference to our student migration policy. There is no cap on the number who can come to the UK. Those who are sponsored by a reputable institution, have the right qualifications and sufficient funds to support themselves and can speak adequate English can study here. Britain remains the second most popular destination for international higher education students. The latest figures show visa applications from university students increased by 2%, and visa applications for the Russell Group universities are up 4% for the year ending September 2014.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 28 July (HL1063) whether Mr Belhaj was the subject of the discussion with the government of the United States referred to in the answer.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I refer the noble Lord to my response of 26 September, Official Report, Column WA427.
The United States is our most important bilateral ally and we have regular discussions on a range of sensitive issues. It is our longstanding position not to comment on discussions of that nature.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 11 August (HL1352), what steps are in place to prevent citizens of countries from which a visa is required to visit the United Kingdom but not the Republic of Ireland from entering the UK through the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK and Republic of Ireland share data in order to inform immigration decisions taken by both countries, and continue to pursue the alignment of their visa policies. Immigration Enforcement and Border Force conduct intelligence-led operations to identify and take action against individuals who are seeking to or have entered the UK from the Republic of Ireland without the necessary leave.
Asked by: Lord Ashcroft (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to encourage foreign students to enrol in United Kingdom universities.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The International Education Strategy recognised the huge contribution that overseas students make to the UK and all genuine overseas students are welcome to study in the UK.
The Government and the higher education sector are taking every opportunity to promote the UK’s offer and the warm welcome the UK extends to international students, including through using the ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign. For example, the High Commission in Delhi began work last year (with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Trade and Investment and the British Council) to promote UK education at outreach events, exhibitions and road shows in some of India’s biggest cities. The ‘Britain is GREAT’ campaign is also promoting UK education across a range of other countries.