Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications of fighting between Hamas and Fatah for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK views the Palestinian Authority (PA) as the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people. We are supportive of Fatah-Hamas reconciliation attempts, and of the PA returning to resume government functions in Gaza. The UK will continue to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution and to take the necessary practical steps towards a two-state solution.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What progress is being made on the delivery to the UK of the Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A) aircraft.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Initial build of the first UK aircraft is complete. Painted in RAF livery, its first flight is scheduled for later this week. Delivery, as the RAF’s first P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, is expected in October. Manufacture of the second aircraft, for delivery in January 2020, is under way.
The first two aircrew courses have graduated and engineering training is ongoing. Construction of support infrastructure at RAF Lossiemouth is also continuing apace, so significant progress is being made.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions the winter fuel payment has been incorrectly paid; and what steps he has taken to recover those payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The DWP makes around 12 million Winter Fuel payments each year.
The DWP is working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring in the first place. However, these do sometimes occur due to a claimant failing to inform DWP of a change of household composition, or that they have moved abroad. Winter Fuel staff annually undertake an extensive Data Matching exercise to identify if any overpayments have occurred, and reduce the possibility of incorrect payments.
The table below shows the volume of Winter Fuel payments that were overpaid in the last 3 financial years rounded to the nearest 100. This represents less than 0.05% of the total Winter Fuel payments made.
Year | Volume Of Winter Fuel Payments Overpaid |
2016-17 | 3,600 |
2017-18 | 5,000 |
2018-19 | 5,200 |
*The data in this response has been sourced from internal management information. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the Department.
The DWP has an obligation to ensure that public money is administered responsibly. Therefore, where permitted under Social Security legislation, the DWP seeks to recover any overpaid benefit. Where possible, the DWP will recover through on-going deductions from a claimant’s benefit.
The DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. There are maximum rates of deduction that are set out in legislation, and if a claimant is struggling they can contact the DWP’s Debt Management Team to discuss lowering their repayment rate.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
When he last met with Ministers from the Scottish Government; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.
Answered by David Lidington
I spoke with the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, Michael Russell MSP, on 11 April to update him on the European Council meeting on 10 April and next steps. In addition, the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations meets regularly to discuss matters relating to our withdrawal and future relationship with the European Union.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many workers received an increase in wages as a result of the rise in the national living wage on 1 April 2019 in Moray constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Through the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW), the Government ensures that the lowest paid in our society are fairly rewarded for their work. April 2019’s increase to the NLW will see nearly 1.8 million workers in the UK receive a 4.9% pay rise. In Scotland, 128,000 workers will directly benefit from this increase in the NLW. A full-time worker on the NLW will now be more than £2,750 better off over the year compared to when it was first announced in 2015.
The most recent available data relates to 2018, when there were an estimated 2,400 workers in Moray who were on the NLW or NMW.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2019 to Question 206022 on European Aircraft: safety measures, how the mandatory requirement, based on industrial standards and internationally agreed definitions, for the Typhoon aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) is satisfied.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2019 to Question 206022 and to the answer I gave him on 9 November 2018 to question 189831.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the mandatory requirement, based on industrial standards and internationally agreed definitions, for the F35 Lightening aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System) is satisfied.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of the F-35 air system is a primary requirement for the UK programme. At the time the F-35 undertook initial certification with the Military Aviation Authority, Def Stan 00-970 Part 13, sub-para 1.1.9.1 was not applicable. The UK is, however, working with the US to develop an automated Air Collision Avoidance System for the F-35. Prior to this integration, we remain fully confident that the F-35's advanced situational awareness enables it to operate safely.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Malaysian Government on the Malaysian Prime Minister's (a) comments on the State of Israel of the Jewish people and (b) decision to ban Israeli swimmers from participating in sporting events in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
We are aware of comments made by the Malaysian Prime Minister on the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The UK fully supports the modern State of Israel as a Jewish homeland and remains committed to the objective of a sovereign and prosperous Palestinian state.
We do not agree with the Malaysian Government's position on the banning of Israeli athletes. We believe it is fundamentally wrong. Israeli athletes should not be banned from competing. The UK government strongly supports the principle of inclusiveness of the Olympic movement.
We consider it right that the recent International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided to strip Malaysia of the right to host the tournament. The Championships must be open to all eligible athletes and nations to compete safely and free from discrimination. The Committee is now seeking to find a new venue for the event.
I raised our concerns with the Malaysian Minister for Education, Dr Maszlee bin Malik on the 22 January. The British High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur has done likewise with the Malaysian Foreign Minister. We will continue to raise our strong objection with the Malaysian authorities.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 189831 on European Aircraft: safety measures, what the timeframe is for the Typhoon aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System).
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) will enter service with the United Kingdom's Typhoon fleet later this year. Typhoon ECAS is a collision awareness system. As such, it is not required to comply with Def Stan 00-970 Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 and there are no current plans for it to do so.
Asked by: Douglas Ross (Conservative - Moray)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the tAIRPROX report No. 2018061, whether the Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System will provide situation awareness of all aircraft that may be in the vicinity.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) will exploit all aircraft sensors, including the aircraft radar, to provide the best possible situational awareness of aircraft that may be in the vicinity. In the case of AIRPROX report No. 2018061, the existing Typhoon aircraft radar indicated the presence of traffic and one of the Hawks was visually identified by the crew. Consequently, the overall risk of collision was assessed to be low. However, it is assessed that ECAS would have provided the crew with additional situational awareness of the Hawks in the vicinity of the two Typhoons.