Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals were lodged from July 2012 to July 2014 on Article 8 grounds against deportation decisions for non-EEA nationals.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Esher and Walton on 11 November 2016, UIN 44691.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals lodged between July 2014 and July 2016 on Article 8 grounds against deportation decisions for non-EEA nationals were allowed by the Tribunal under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Esher and Walton on 11 November 2016, UIN 44691.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received reports of restrictions by the Indonesian government on access to West Papua for international non-governmental organisations and media.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We are not aware of any changes in restrictions on access to West Papua. During a visit in 2015, President Joko Widodo announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists and international organisations. Since then, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua. British Embassy staff have visited the province on a number of occasions, most recently in August, and we continue to follow the situation with close interest.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on UK science, plant breeding and food production of changes to the regulatory regime for plant breeding techniques after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
There are two EU regulatory regimes which have a particular bearing on plant breeding in the UK. These are the controls on the marketing of new plant varieties, and the controls on the release of genetically modified organisms. The Government wants to ensure that we have science and evidence-based legislation in place which allows our plant science and breeding sector to thrive in the post-EU environment.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the annual average payment was to the Government from the US Administration for its use of the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The United Kingdom does not lease the Territory to the US, therefore it receives no financial payment.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that BP operations in the Bintuni Bay area in West Papua recently authorised by the Indonesian government are undertaken in accordance with (a) UK and international human rights law and (b) the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We are not aware of any human rights complaints or allegations relating to BP's Bintuni Bay operation. BP is a member of the UN Global Compact and has an extensive Corporate Social Responsibility programme in Papua that supports education, healthcare and economic development in the local community. The British Ambassador to Indonesia has personally visited BP's Tangguh project and a village in Bintuni Bay to discuss the impact of BP operations and their community development programs in the region.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Indonesian government on the reported arrest and detention of protestors this summer in West Papua.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The British Ambassador to Indonesia regularly discusses both human rights and economic development in the Indonesian provinces of West Papua and Papua with the Indonesian government. We will continue to make representations about historical cases and highlight any human rights concerns.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with his counterpart in Indonesia the appointment of General Wiranto as that country's security minister.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Decisions on appointments to the Indonesian President's cabinet are a matter for the Indonesian President.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department makes available to assist with measures to limit noise from rail lines.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Although my department does not have specific funding to assist with measures to limit noise from rail lines, Network Rail identifies and mitigates noise impacts as a standard part of its project planning and delivery processes. This includes requiring suppliers to demonstrate that they are designing to minimise the impact of noise and vibration during both construction and operation.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what policies his Department has (a) in place and (b) proposed to ensure the safety of patients and practitioners when restraint is used in mental health settings.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The coalition government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions.