Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the criteria are for exclusion on medical grounds for recruits to GCHQ.
Answered by Alan Duncan
No applicant who passed the selection tests to work at GCHQ would be barred from entry on the basis of health grounds, mental or physical, unless their condition made it impossible for the member of staff to work safely and securely even after reasonable adjustments.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) budget of Press TV and (b) level of investment it receives from the Iranian State; and what assessment he has made of Press TV's level of editorial independence.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We assess that Press TV is part of state-controlled Iranian media, and as such it is not independent. We cannot currently assess Press TV’s budget or the level of investment it receives from the Iranian state. Press TV’s license to broadcast in the UK was revoked by Ofcom in 2012.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is acting as UK Ambassador to the UN prior to Karen Pierce taking up that post.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Ambassador Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, is Charge d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative until the arrival of Karen Pierce in Spring 2018.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is acting as UK Ambassador to the UN prior to Karen Pierce taking up that post.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Ambassador Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, is Charge d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative until the arrival of Karen Pierce in Spring 2018.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what instructions his Department has issued to ambassadors and diplomats in relation to the forthcoming referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is in regular contact with diplomatic posts overseas to ensure they are informed of HM Government's position, including on the referendum, and are able to promote the United Kingdom's interests overseas, supporting our citizens and businesses around the globe.
Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with their foreign counterparts on the EU referendum.
Answered by David Lidington
Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials regularly engage with their foreign counterparts to communicate HM Government’s position on the EU referendum.Asked by: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Conservative - Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK's relations with Argentina of the presidential election in that country in November 2015.
Answered by Lord Swire
It is no secret that we have long hoped for a more mature bilateral relationship with whomever succeeded the Kirchner administration.
There are undoubted economic benefits for both of our countries, if President Macri can help Argentina to overcome years of mismanagement.
But let me assure this House that our position on the Falklands will not change.