Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in which countries members of the UK defence forces serve as part of a United Nations presence.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK deploys peacekeepers to contingent deployments in the United Nations Force in Cyprus and to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali. We deploy a contingent to the UN Support Office in Somalia, and Military Staff Officers and experts to Cyprus, Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya, South Korea and the UN Headquarters in New York.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Armenia regarding its neutrality towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what pre-departure COVID tests are required by (1) persons travelling from the Republic of Ireland to the UK, and (2) persons travelling from the UK to the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Republic of Ireland is within the common travel area. People travelling to England from the Republic of Ireland who have not been outside the common travel area in the period 10 days before arrival in England are not required to take a pre-departure test.
As of 14 January 2022, the Irish Government’s advice for travellers states that “With effect from Thursday 6 January 2022, passengers to Ireland with: An accepted proof of vaccination, or proof of recovery from COVID-19 in the prior 6 months do not have to show an additional pre-departure COVID-19 test result. Passengers without proof of vaccination, or proof of recovery from COVID-19 in the prior 6 months, must show evidence of a negative ('not detected') RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to arriving in Ireland.”
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the percentage change since (1) the UK withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020, and (2) the application of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, in trade between Northern Ireland and (a) Great Britain and (b) the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is not considered international trade and is, therefore, not captured in our official trade statistics.
As set out in the July 2021 Command Paper, the UK is clear that significant trade diversion is occurring and the thresholds for A16 safeguards have been met.
The percentage change in trade value since the UK withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020 and the current application of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is devised using the Irish Government's Central Statistics Office (CSO) at the following link: https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/externaltrade/goodsexportsandimports/.
According to the CSO, compared to the similar period from 2018 (February 2018 to October 2019), Irish exports and imports with Northern Ireland have increased by 18 per cent and 38 per cent respectively, since the UK withdrawal from the EU (February 2020 to October 2021).
According to the CSO, compared to the similar period from 2018 (January 2018 to October 2018), Irish exports and imports with Northern Ireland have increased by 44 per cent and 89 per cent respectively, since the application of the Protocol.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the outstanding loan principal due by the Republic of Ireland has been fully repaid; and what were the total interest payments received from the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Ireland received a loan of a total of £3,226,960,000 under the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, which has been repaid in full as of 31 March 2021. The total interest paid was £628,677,551.77.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent violence on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, what steps they are taking to secure agreement between the governments of those two countries on (1) the demarcation of their shared border, and (2) a lasting peace agreement.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
UK diplomats continue to engage with partners. This includes in Baku, Yerevan and at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna where the UK continues to reinforce our support for the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their work to facilitate negotiations over all outstanding matters relating to the conflict. The UK Government continues to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in substantive discussions under the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Minister for Europe and Americas reinforced these messages in her recent meetings with the Armenian Ambassador on 4 November and the Azerbaijani Ambassador on 17 November.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as being part of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and whether they are aware of any Armenian Armed Forces located in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Azerbaijan whilst recognising the acceptance of a free expression of will on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as laid out in the Minsk Group's Basic Principles. The UK Government has no independently verified evidence that Armenian Armed Forces are currently located in Nagorno-Karabakh. We continue to support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict through substantive negotiations without preconditions and without the use of military means.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which organisation oversees firms which provide life insurance policies for persons in the UK.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) oversee firms which provide life insurance policies for those in the UK.
The Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA), which is part of the Bank of England, promotes the safety and soundness of insurers, and the protection of policyholders. This includes arrangements for protecting customers in the event of an insurer failing, via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates the conduct of insurers, as well as more broadly the integrity of the UK’s financial markets. The FCA also has an objective to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 2 November (HL3296), what legal obligations apply to the Freeports model in Northern Ireland which did not delay the selection of Freeports in England.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We are continuing to work positively and constructively with the Northern Ireland Executive to agree a suitable Freeport model. This will ensure that the model delivers a compelling offer for ports and businesses and their local communities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill provides for (1) salaries, (2) secretarial expenses, and (3) travelling expenses, to be credited to Members of the Legislative Assembly during the proposed 24 week extension period for filling Ministerial offices.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill does not make any provision in respect of the salaries, secretarial expenses and travelling expenses of Members of the Legislative Assembly during the proposed 24-week extension period for filling Ministerial offices