Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has discussed AUKUS pillar 2 with his Canadian counterpart.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Yes, the Secretary of State for Defence has discussed AUKUS Pillar 2 with the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, on multiple occasions. The discussions have been wide ranging across the full spectrum of Defence matters.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 20923 on Ministry of Defence: Canada and New Zealand, whether he discussed (a) the entry to and (b) cooperation with AUKUS by (i) Canada and (ii) New Zealand.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Yes, the Secretary of State for Defence spoke with his Canadian and New Zealand counterparts on AUKUS Pillar 2 activity on those occasions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) flags, (b) statues and (c) other national symbols receive specific protections.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Flag-flying in England is subject to standard conditions set by the Government including keeping them in a safe condition and that flags are maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance.
Statues that qualify as a building and are deemed to be of special architectural or historic interest can be protected by the Secretary of State through designation as a Listed Building.
National symbols, such as Royal Names, State Emblems, the Royal Arms and the Government Coat of Arms are already subject to guidelines.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government made plans for the celebration of St. George's Day in England.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My department promotes the importance of celebrating St George’s Day each year through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.
St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating additional bank holidays in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland for their respective saints' days.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We recognise the importance of celebrating the respective saints’ days across the UK. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy of an additional bank holiday remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2bn. The Government fully considers the effects of any additional bank holidays, which is why we rarely create them.
The Government has no plans to change the well-established and accepted arrangements for bank holidays.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding her Department plans to provide to UK Research and Innovation in the next three financial years.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to Question UIN 22712 on Monday 29th April.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he had discussions with his Lebanese counterpart on the efforts of Christian schools in that country to counter Islamic extremism.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending, promoting and strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and partnering with Lebanon in the shared fight against terrorism. Since 2016, the UK has provided over £6 million in funding to the Tripoli and Beirut-based MARCH, which promotes social cohesion and combats violent extremism, supporting vulnerable youth to become positive actors in their communities. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, continue to maintain close relationships with religious leaders across Lebanon.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his Lebanese counterpart on the situation of Christians in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending, promoting and strengthening Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. Lebanon is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Maintaining and strengthening close relationships with religious leaders across Lebanon is a priority for the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, supported by the British Embassy in Beirut. The UK also maintains close relations with civil society organisations in Lebanon that champion FoRB.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department have made an assessment on the current levels of foreign aid funding for schools in Lebanon.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and likeminded donors continue to work closely with the Government of Lebanon to help address pressures facing its education sector - including as a result of Lebanon's economic crisis. In February, the Foreign Secretary announced a £2.6 million contribution to support the education of vulnerable out-of-school children in Lebanon. The UK is also providing £7.35 million to the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, which supports UN agencies and NGOs to provide education, as well as other critical services such as food, water and shelter to vulnerable communities across Lebanon.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government is taking steps to protect the historic county status of (a) Essex and (b) other counties.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government attaches great importance to our country’s history and traditions and encourages recognition of our historic counties, often marked by local celebrations on county days. I write to local leaders to encourage and support these celebrations throughout the year. This year, there are 56 registered historic county flags across Great Britain, which includes the addition of three new flags for Banffshire, Berwickshire and Morayshire. My department proudly flies each registered county flag in Whitehall to mark county days, and this includes flying the flag for Essex.