Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 12 Dec 2017
Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill [HL]
"The noble Lord bears out my point. The process of challenging anything found to be unsatisfactory is one to which the dependencies are open. That may come from European Union sources or non-governmental organisations, but these are open and democratic societies, in which those challenges can be made. The UK …..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Written Question
Tuesday 11th November 2014
Asked by:
Lord Beith (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what targets have been set for the release of his Department's records to the National Archives; what progress has been made in meeting those targets; and how many staff in his Department are engaged in reviewing records for this purpose.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), like all government departments, is required to comply with the statutory timetable for the review of its files under the Public Records Act (PRA). Currently the FCO has a backlog of annual departmental files awaiting review as a result of the review and release of colonial administration files over the 2011-2013 period. The FCO’s Special Collection files, which consist primarily of older historical records, also form part of our review programme.
The FCO has agreed a review timetable with The National Archives. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), approved the timetable upon the advice of the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives, who reviewed and considered the timetable for transfer. Our review plans as well as the projected release dates for FCO files at The National Archives are published at www.gov.uk/archive-records.
A team of 41 FCO part-time sensitivity reviewers (former senior diplomats) is responsible for the appraisal and selection of FCO files for permanent preservation and the subsequent sensitivity review of those files prior to release.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 13 Oct 2014
Palestine and Israel
"I understand what the right hon. Gentleman is trying to achieve by his amendment, but how does he think the passing of the motion would encourage either Hamas or the Israelis to change their approach to negotiation, which has been so unfruitful so far?..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 01 May 2014
Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
"I hope the hon. Lady is not arguing that it is impossible to have complete religious freedom in states in which a particular religion has a kind of legal status that it has built up historically. That was the case in, for example, Lutheran Scandinavian countries, which are exemplars of …..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 22 Jan 2014
Commission Work Programme 2014
"May I give my right hon. Friend an example of an area in which the work programme includes a commitment that is burdensome to business, which has been scrutinised by the Justice Committee and needs to be changed, and it is the draft data protection directive?..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 12 Sep 2013
Syria
"I welcome the efforts of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary over recent days. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that achieving international control of Syria’s chemical weapons will require not only the effective use by Russia of its influence in Syria, but truce, safe passage and ceasefire arrangements, which …..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jan 2013
Commission Work Programme 2013
"I am grateful to the Minister for recognising that it is extremely important that Select Committees of this House are made aware at an early stage of developing legislative proposals in Europe in time to influence them, and I hope that he will continue attempting to ensure that the invaluable …..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jan 2013
Commission Work Programme 2013
"I say to the Minister that we and the Liaison Committee have had that dialogue and that it is now delivery time...."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jan 2013
Commission Work Programme 2013
"I do not understand why the hon. Lady thinks that Select Committees are incapable of focusing significantly on the issues, obtaining the evidence relating to problems such as those that worry her, and bringing them quickly to the attention of the House. We do it all the time...."Lord Beith - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Jan 2013
Commission Work Programme 2013
"Although I disagree with some of what was said by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Ms Stuart), I think that her analysis of the political processes with which we are dealing was fairly shrewd and helpful. I also agree with her that there is something unsatisfactory about the way …..."Lord Beith - View Speech
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