Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have with the government of Portugal regarding the recognition of proof of vaccine status against COVID-19 issued by the NHS in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are working closely with Portuguese partners, including through the British Embassy in Lisbon, to ensure all travel restrictions are communicated to UK nationals, including on the recognition of vaccine status. As of 28 June 2021, travellers from the UK to Portugal who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency do not need to quarantine upon arrival. We are working with the Portuguese to confirm how UK travellers demonstrate vaccine status. The Autonomous Region of Madeira accepts the proofs of vaccination status issued for residents in the UK who were vaccinated under the UK's domestic programme. Full information is available on our FCDO Travel Advice pages, which we update regularly.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incursions into British territorial waters there were from 1 March 2017 to 28 February 2018, broken down by country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Her Majesty's Government does not hold centrally details of incursions into the 12 nautical mile limit of UK Territorial Waters. The protection of UK Territorial waters is a shared responsibility between the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy; Border Force; Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC); and, in relation to fisheries, the Marine Management Organisation in England, Marine Scotland and Northern Irelands Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Entry into UK Territorial Waters by foreign warships without prior diplomatic clearance, or when exercising Innocent Passage, is rare. The Ministry of Defence routinely monitors the activity of foreign military vessels, but does not release these figures for National security reasons.
Border Force, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency regularly intercept suspected maritime smuggling operations. Border Force Statistics are publicly available as part of the Home Office Migration Transparency Data initiative. NCA do not collect data on the legal status of any vessels intercepted.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Democratic Progressive Party's chairwoman, Tsai Ing-Wen, being elected President of Taiwan.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), set out in his Statement of 16 January that the Government congratulates the people of Taiwan on the conduct of their elections, and Dr Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party for having won their support. Our policy on Taiwan has not changed.