Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on which occasions Robert Litt, then General Counsel to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, visited the UK for the purpose of meeting ministers or civil servants after June 2014; what business he conducted on those occasions; and with which UK officials.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The former General Counsel to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Robert Litt, visited the UK in November 2014 to meet the FCO's Legal Adviser, and in December 2016 to meet officials from the Cabinet Office, including a Deputy Director of the National Security Secretariat.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information, if any, they have received from HM Embassy in Dublin concerning visits to the Irish Republic since June 2014 of Robert Litt, then General Counsel to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We hold no such information.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what information, if any, they have received from the UK Permanent Representative to the EU concerning visits to Brussels since June 2014 of Robert Litt, then General Counsel to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, with particular regard to visits made in September and October 2015.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We hold no such information.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 July (HL206), whether they have had any discussions with (1) the Commonwealth Secretariat, (2) the governments of other Commonwealth nations, and (3) any other persons or bodies, concerning the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government has had no discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat, the governments of other Commonwealth nations, or any other persons or bodies concerning the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth. This is a matter for the Irish Government to discuss with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Decisions on membership are made by consensus by the Heads of all Commonwealth members.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government what part, if any, they are playing in discussions about the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The British Government has had no discussions with the Irish Government on the Republic of Ireland re-joining the Commonwealth. This would be a matter for the Irish Government to discuss with the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union member state; how many from each of those states are resident in the UK; and in each case how many are of pensionable age.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
There is no legal obligation on a British citizen living overseas to register with the British Embassy, but the UN estimated that in mid-2015 there were more than 1.2 million UK citizens living permanently elsewhere in the EU. These estimates do not include British citizens travelling or residing for part of the year in another Member State.
* Population of UK citizens permanently resident in the European Union; UN estimate, mid-2015
Total (thousands) | |
TOTAL UK IN EU | 1,216.0 |
Austria | 11.0 |
Belgium | 27.3 |
Bulgaria | 5.3 |
Croatia | 0.7 |
Cyprus | 40.5 |
Czech Republic | 4.8 |
Denmark | 18.6 |
Estonia | 0.5 |
Finland | 6.9 |
France | 185.3 |
Germany | 103.4 |
Greece | 17.7 |
Hungary | 7.0 |
Ireland | 254.8 |
Italy | 65.0 |
Latvia | 1.1 |
Lithuania | 3.3 |
Luxembourg | 6.6 |
Malta | 12.0 |
Netherlands | 49.5 |
Poland | 34.5 |
Portugal | 17.8 |
Romania | 3.1 |
Slovakia | 4.9 |
Slovenia | 0.6 |
Spain | 308.8 |
Sweden | 25.0 |
Office for National Statistics data show that, between January and December 2014, there were approximately 2.9 million European Union member state nationals resident in the UK.
* Population resident in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by nationality; ONS statistics August 2015 (2014 data)
Total (thousands) | |
TOTAL EU IN UK | 2,940 |
Austria | 18 |
Belgium | 17 |
Bulgaria | 59 |
Croatia | 4 |
Cyprus | 17 |
Czech Republic | 37 |
Denmark | 26 |
Estonia | 14 |
Finland | 14 |
France | 160 |
Germany | 131 |
Greece | 54 |
Hungary | 85 |
Italy | 170 |
Latvia | 108 |
Lithuania | 155 |
Luxembourg | 0 |
Malta | 8 |
Netherlands | 82 |
Poland | 853 |
Portugal | 175 |
Republic of Ireland | 331 |
Romania | 175 |
Slovakia | 79 |
Slovenia | 5 |
Spain | 131 |
Sweden | 32 |
There are many different ways of defining and calculating migration data so different sources will not necessarily be comparable.
No information is available on the numbers of UK and EU citizens in receipt of a UK State Pension broken down by nationality. This is because the UK State Pension is a contributory based pension, where nationality or citizenship do not form part of the eligibility criteria.
There is no data available on the number of European Union member state nationals resident in the UK who are of pensionable age.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what non-disclosure agreements the FCO made in 2003–04, and on what date each agreement was made.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office no longer retains case files for employment tribunals for 2003 and 2004. However our records indicate we settled two 2 cases in each year. Settlement agreements at that time included a standard confidentiality or non-disclosure clause.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UK citizens’ data have been collected by the government of the United States through the PRISM programme, and whether they have taken steps to prevent such data being collected in the future.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with the government of the United States the collection of UK citizens’ data through the PRISM programme, and if so, with what result.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.
Asked by: Lord Laird (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, or are having, with the government of Libya about compensation for people killed or wounded by explosives and guns supplied to the IRA by that country, in a manner similar to compensation for the victims of the Lockerbie bombing, and when those discussions will be completed.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The last significant discussion with the Libyan government on the resolution of legacy issues was in June 2014, when the then National Security Adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, visited Libya.
The subsequent violence and political instability in Libya, which resulted in the closure of our Embassy in Tripoli in August 2014, effectively stalled further discussions with the authorities. Under the current circumstances we need to be realistic about what the Libyan authorities can deliver, but we remain determined to make progress. Once stability returns, and our Embassy re-opens, we will again encourage the Libyan authorities to engage with UK victims and their legal representatives seeking redress, including those seeking compensation.