Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Turkey's accession to the EU.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As and when candidate countries have met the requirements for accession in full, it will be for those countries and European Union members at the time to decide on membership. That point remains some way off.
The UK remains committed to driving reform, embedding stability and addressing shared challenges such as security and migration in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The UK will continue to support countries committed to the accession process in meeting the necessary requirements.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to other EU member states at the Council of the EU on cessation of Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance II funding to Turkey in 2014-20.
Answered by David Lidington
The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance funding is used to promote political reform and human rights, cut corruption and strengthen the rule of law and to bring Turkey - and other EU accession countries - up to EU standards, economically and politically. It has also been used to help Turkey respond to the migration crisis. It promotes cooperation on issues that matter to the UK, such as the rule of law, organised crime and migration. Improving the business environment in Turkey and other EU accession countries will lead to more commercial opportunities for British goods and investment.
As the Prime Minister has made clear, Turkey’s EU accession is not remotely on the cards for many years to come.
Turkey has to negotiate 35 different chapters. Since EU accession negotiations with Turkey started in 2005, only one chapter has been closed. Decisions to open chapters, to agree that conditions have been met and to close chapters all require the unanimous agreement of EU Member States. Once all chapter negotiations have been completed and closed, there must be another unanimous decision on accession. All 28 Member States then have to ratify an accession treaty, and the European Parliament has to approve the accession. Some EU Member States have already committed to undertake a referendum on Turkey’s accession to the EU. In the case of the UK, under the European Union Act 2011, ratification cannot take place without an Act of Parliament to approve the new accession. We can therefore ensure that our requirements are respected in any future EU enlargement.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Turkey's accession to the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK supports Turkey’s EU accession process, which remains the most effective mechanism for continuing reform in Turkey. Turkey’s accession itself is not on the cards for many years to come. Turkey first applied for associate membership of the EEC in 1959, and there remains a very significant amount of detailed work to do before Turkey is ready to join the EU including economic reforms. Every Member State has a veto at every stage. For the UK, the EU Act 2011 requires any Accession Treaty admitting a candidate country to membership to be ratified by Act of Parliament.Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The figures requested are attached and as follows:
| Number of Staff | Cost CEA Home | Cost CEA Overseas | Total |
2012/2013 | 442 | £8,736,957 | £6,189,104 | £14,926,061 |
2013/2014 | 378 | £6,727,304 | £6,435,519 | £13,162,823 |
2014/2015 | 370 | £7,193,211 | £5,749,923 | £12,943,134 |
It is a condition of their employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. Most parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, but in some of the 168 countries where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. It is longstanding practice that the FCO helps staff by providing financial support for their children's education in the UK where staff choose this, or are obliged to do so given local conditions in the country to which they are posted.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Answered by David Lidington
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the EU on ensuring that local authorities are not unduly influenced to publish material supporting a vote to remain a member of the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
Under the terms of the draft Referendum Bill, local authorities will be subject to the same statutory restrictions on what they can publish in the final 28 days of the campaign as other public bodies. Both ministers and officials have discussed the UK referendum with the European Commission. The European Commission has informed us that they view the referendum as a matter for the British people, and do not intend to take part in the campaign.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what planning the Government has undertaken on the steps necessary for the UK to withdraw from the EU in the event that the outcome of the EU referendum is a vote to leave.
Answered by David Lidington
The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) is confident of achieving this but has said that if we do not achieve the necessary reforms, he rules nothing out.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contingency plan he has made for if it is viable to secure agreement with his EU counterparts for the introduction of a four-year qualifying period for EU nationals to access in-work benefits in negotiating the UK's membership of the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said in his speech on 21 May 2015, the Government is concerned that under the current free movement rules, national welfare systems can provide an unintended additional incentive for large migratory movements. Consequently reforming welfare and particularly access to benefits for mobile EU nationals in order to reduce incentives for migration is one of our priorities for the renegotiation. The Prime Minister is working with his European partners to achieve this.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussion his Department has had with the European Commission on campaigns by that institution during the UK referendum campaign.
Answered by David Lidington
Ministers and officials regularly meet with the European Commission to discuss a range of subjects, including the referendum on the UK's EU membership and the reforms which the Government is seeking.Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to revise the terms of the 1966 Exchange of Notes concerning the Availability for Defence Purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by James Duddridge
The British Indian Ocean Territory remains a vital strategic asset for the UK and the US, and a key contributor to our broader bilateral defence relationship. We have consistently said that we want to see the US presence there continue. No decision has yet been made about whether to seek to revise the terms of the Exchange of Notes, but we will have in mind this continuing, shared strategic interest.