Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effects of Israel’s settlement expansion on the welfare Palestinian refugees in the West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I issued a statement on 27 December expressing our disappointment in the latest announcement by the Government of Israel to advance over 2,800 housing units in settlements in the West Bank. Such actions are illegal under international law and call into question Israel’s commitment to any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. We strongly urge Israel to cease such actions. We regularly raise our grave concerns on this issue with the Government of Israel and urge it to reverse its policy of settlement expansion.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the Government of Israel (a) ending forcible transfer in its planning policies and (b) amending planning legislation to ensure planning and construction rights for Palestinian residents in the West Bank and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is gravely concerned by Israeli proposals to relocate Palestinian and Bedouin populations, which the UN has said could constitute forcible transfer. We have been clear about our grave concerns with the Israeli authorities and we regularly raise the matter through our Embassy in Tel Aviv. We recognise that Palestinians face severe difficulty in securing building permissions for homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem and Area C. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Palestinian children subjected to military detention in the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
While we have not made an overall estimate of the number of Palestinian children subjected to military detention in the last five years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy report routinely lists the number of minors held in Israeli military detention. According to the 2017 report, there were approximately 358 minors detained as of the end of 2017.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken return the UK lawyer delegation to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to assess the military detention of Palestinian children in the absence of an offer by the Israeli Government to facilitate that contact.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. We will continue to call upon Israel to improve its practices in line with international law and obligations. We have offered to help the Israeli authorities through expert-to-expert talks with UK officials. The offer still stands and we hope Israel will take us up on it. While we recognise that Israel has made some improvements, it needs to do much more to safeguard vulnerable people in its care.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are being pursued for repayments under the 2019 Loan Charge in (a) St Albans and (b) the UK since it came into force.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Information is not held at constituency level.
Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals of over 650 million pounds. More than 90% of this amount was collected from employers, with less than 10% from individuals.
HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for the tourism industry of a reduction in VAT on hotels and tourist attractions.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The government explored the impact of VAT on the tourism industry in its recent call for evidence, in the context of a focus on Northern Ireland. The government published its response at Budget 2018.
In light of the legal restrictions on VAT devolution and the fiscal implications of reform on a UK wide reform, the government will not be making a change at this time.
This is a complex issue, affecting an important source of revenue for the Exchequer and the government will continue to analyse the evidence and receive representations, in order to keep these issues under close review.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2018 to Question 190838, how much UK funding will be used to fund local observation of the upcoming general election in Bangladesh.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is providing £542,703 through the Department for International Development (DFID) to a coalition of 23 Bangladeshi civil society organisations (Election Working Group) to observe the upcoming general election in Bangladesh. The grant is managed by The Asia Foundation and observers are all drawn from organisations with considerable experience in observing elections in Bangladesh. Combined with complementary support from USAID and the Swiss Development Cooperation, we will cover all constituencies and will deploy both short and long term observers.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Bangladesh Government on ensuring freedom to (a) campaign and (b) assemble in advance of the parliamentary elections in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has been consistently clear that we wish to see a free, fair and pluralistic election in Bangladesh. I have repeatedly encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. Through our High Commission in Dhaka we have been clear that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue its important work, including the registration of voters, without inteference. We have consistently made the case for international oversight of the election and the EU has agreed to send an Election Expert Mission. Through the Department for International Development funding, the UK will also support local observation of the general election.
The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding the next election in Bangladesh with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September. In a call on 1 November with State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, I again made the case for a free, fair and participatory election. Allowing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly is an integral aspect of this, and through our High Commission in Dhaka the UK continues to make its concerns heard regarding freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
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 (a) international oversight by observers and (b) the accuracy of the voter registration database in relation to parliamentary elections in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The British Government has been clear that we want to see a free, fair and pluralistic election in Bangladesh and I have repeatedly encouraged the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to engage in an effective dialogue to this end. Through our High Commission in Dhaka we have been clear that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue its important work, including the registration of voters, without interference. We have consistently made the case for international oversight of the election and the EU has agreed to send an Election Expert Mission. Through the Department for International Development funding, the UK will also support local observation of the general election.
The Foreign Secretary raised his concerns regarding the next election in Bangladesh with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September. In a call on 1 November with State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam, I again made the case for a free, fair and participatory election. Allowing freedom of expression and freedom of assembly is an integral aspect of this, and through our High Commission in Dhaka the UK continues to make its concerns heard regarding freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will create a new regulator to address (a) horse welfare and (b) deaths of race horses.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Horserace Authority (BHA) are responsible for the welfare of racehorses at racetracks. The BHA work in collaboration with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make racetracks as safe as possible. The number of racehorse fatalities at racetracks has been falling steadily since 2012, which is welcome. However, whilst I do not see a need for a new regulator, I consider that improvements can be made to further reduce the number of racehorse fatalities each year. I will explore this issue further when I meet BHA to discuss racehorse safety.