Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on (a) the status of Taiwan as a state and (b) peace in Taiwan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK acknowledges the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of China. The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and underpinned by shared democratic values. The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic privileges will be available to officials from Hong Kong visiting the UK in April 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Visiting officials, including from Hong Kong, who are not members of a mission or consular post in the UK are not covered under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in the context of the Written Ministerial Statement made on 24 November 2022 by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster entitled Security Update on Surveillance Equipment, HCWS386, what assessment he has made of the potential security implications of the decision by the Defence and Security Accelerator to exhibit at the Safer Streets: Protect and Deter 2023 conference which will be partly funded by Hikvision, a company owned by the Chinese state.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Any events the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) attends or exhibits at are carefully planned for and assessed in order to mitigate security risks.
For this particular event, contact has been directly with the organisers of the event (the CCTV User Group) and limited solely to attendance at the event and administration for the stand. DASA has not shared any official documents or technology contacts with the organisers. DASA has robust plans in place to ensure that, at events such as these, no material or information is made available that is not already in the public domain.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 158772 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green on 06 March 2023 on Hikvision Cameras.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 March 2023 to Question 158772.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Hikvision products are in use in his Department; and whether he plans to remove the Hikvision cameras.
Answered by Will Quince
As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not Government policy to comment on the security arrangements of Government buildings. Specific details regarding the make and model of security systems are withheld on national security grounds. The Department is reviewing its CCTV systems following the written statement by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has provided funding for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank with 106 approved and prospective members globally. It invests in infrastructure and other productive sectors to foster sustainable economic development, create wealth, and improve infrastructure connectivity in Asia.
Alongside other members, the UK provided an initial financial contribution in return for AIIB shares. More details can be found in the AIIB Capital Order 2015.
In addition, the UK contributed to the AIIB’s Project Preparation Special Fund, which provides grant support for the preparation of high-quality projects for AIIB Members, especially less developed Members.
The Government works closely with the AIIB and other shareholders to ensure its investments are in line with international standards and best practice.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps (a) 10 Downing Street and (b) other Government departments have taken to ensure government cars do not contain preinstalled electronic devices that may threaten the security of both the occupants and HM Government.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As has been the case under successive administrations, it is government policy not to comment on security procedures.
Government cars are subject to regular security checks and have robust protections in place.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information she holds on whether the London Police College which is funded by UK aid money previously had links to the People's Public Security University of China.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has robust processes in place to ensure that all projects funded by UK aid meet our human rights obligations and values. This includes publicly available HMG guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583304/OSJA_Guidance_2017.pdf) that sets out the human rights risks that must be considered prior to providing any justice or security sector assistance.
We are aware of concerns raised by a recent report from Freedom from Torture regarding a British Council partnership with London Policing College (LPC). This project was part of a regional programme that included efforts to reduce human rights violations and other malpractice through better policing. Neither the Xinjiang Policing College, nor the People's Public Security University of China participated in the project, and no funds were distributed to any overseas institutions. The LPC have now ceased all programme partnerships in China.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) Global Human Rights Sanctions and (b) Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regimes for imposing Magnitsky sanctions in the context of the Government making no designations under either regime since January 2022.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has continued to impose sanctions on human rights violators and abusers to maximum effect, as well as corrupt actors. We will continue to use our Magnitsky sanctions regimes to pursue designations in response to human rights violations, abuses and serious corruption, and are currently investigating targets for further sanctions this autumn. Since the UK Magnitsky regimes were put in place in 2020 and 2021, we have sanctioned 81 persons under Global Human Rights and 27 under our Global Anti-Corruption regime.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons HMRC did not enforce the agency rules under (a) section 134 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and (b) section 44 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Under section 44 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, and previously section 134 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, most agency workers must be treated as employees for Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) purposes by the agencies that pay them. These agencies are required to make deductions of Income Tax and employee NICs, where these are due, from the workers’ pay in the same way and at the same level as with direct employees. The agencies will also be liable to pay employer NICs, where these are due, in respect of payments to the workers.
HMRC has a risk-based approach towards compliance activities and will investigate evidence of non-compliance or avoidance. Where HMRC finds that an agency has failed to account for tax and NICs, it will seek to recover unpaid amounts due.