Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to grant frontier worker status to people (a) presently working in the UK, (b) who can prove a previous employment history at a UK employer and (c) who will be working on strategically important projects in the UK defence and infrastructure sectors.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Citizens’ Rights Agreements protect those EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who were frontier workers in the UK by the end of the transition period at 11pm on 31 December 2020 and who continue to be so.
The UK’s frontier worker permit scheme, which has been open to applications since 10 December 2020, allows those protected frontier workers to obtain a permit, free of charge, as evidence of their right to continue entering the UK as a frontier worker after 30 June 2021.
There is no deadline by which protected frontier workers must apply for a permit, though it has been mandatory for non-Irish frontier workers to hold a frontier worker permit to enter the UK for work from 1 July 2021.
Where an overseas worker is not protected by the Citizens’ Rights Agreements, the new points-based immigration system provides routes for skilled workers and specialist services suppliers. Such work visas are typically issued within three weeks, making the UK system one of the fastest visa services in the world.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the pensions of Gurkha veterans are equivalent to those offered to other armed service personnel.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Gurkha Pension Scheme closed to new applicants in 2007 and those serving from that date, or those who chose to transfer to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, receive the same pension rates as all other armed forces service personnel.
For veterans who chose to remain on the Gurkha Pension Scheme it represents a very fair scheme ensuring that Gurkha veterans are provided with a good standard of living. For most Gurkha veterans the Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme members with identical periods of service.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to accelerate the verification process to enable eligible personnel to receive a Veterans' ID card.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
A veteran does not require a recognition or ID card to prove their status and access veteran related services or discounts. There are a number of ways that Service can be verified, and the lack of a recognition or ID card should not act as a barrier.
The Government remains committed to developing an online digital verification tool, which will make it as easy as possible for veterans to verify their Service. We are working with colleagues across Government to find a solution that is secure and easy to use. A delivery date will be confirmed in due course, along with details of the next phase of the Veterans’ ID card roll-out. Closer to the launch date, information will be released at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-veterans-id-cards-rolled-out-to-service-leavers
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution to environmental sustainability of the aerospace industry in the South West of England.
Answered by Paul Scully
The South West of England is home to a large cluster of the UK’s leading aerospace businesses. Its contribution to environmental sustainability of the aerospace industry is therefore significant. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently launched a new Airbus wing technology centre (AIRTeC) as part of its Wing of Tomorrow programme. This centre and research undertaken by companies such as GKN and Rolls-Royce will keep the South West at the forefront of the global move towards cleaner aviation.
As part of my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the Government is investing in future green aviation across the whole of the UK. in order to accelerate this work, we have created a Jet Zero Council which brings together stakeholders spanning airlines, airports, aerospace manufacturers, fuel suppliers, academia, and environmental groups.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Iran's ballistic missile programme is destabilising for the region and poses a threat to European security. UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was unanimously adopted in the Security Council and underpins the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), calls on Iran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. These UN ballistic missile restrictions remain in place until 2023. Alongside France and Germany (as E3), we have written repeatedly to the UN Secretary-General, most recently on 18 February, to bring attention to Iranian missile activity inconsistent with UNSCR 2231. We urge Iran to fully abide by UNSCR 2231 and all other relevant resolutions.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to reinstate face to face interviews for asylum and refugee applications.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We recommenced face to face substantive interviews on 21 September 2020.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are assigned to training appointments in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army and (c) Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Heappey
The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the International Criminal Court’s determination that it has jurisdiction over East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza; and what assessment he has made of the potential legal implications of that determination for UK armed forces.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
As the Prime Minister said in his letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel, the UK is a strong supporter of the ICC and we respect the independence of the Court. In this instance we do not consider that the ICC has jurisdiction. We continue to closely follow the ICC's work and are looking at the implications of this decision.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if his Department will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Health Minister on ensuring that veterans in Northern Ireland receive urgent medical care, including accessing medical care in Great Britain, to reduce the time they have to wait for surgery.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Armed Forces Covenant makes clear that veterans should not be disadvantaged as a result of their service, including in the provision of healthcare.
Health is a devolved matter, within the competence of the Northern Ireland Executive. The NI Health Minister, Robin Swann, is therefore responsible for issues relating to the health of all citizens in Northern Ireland, including veterans.
The New Decade, New Approach deal committed to the establishment of a Veteran’s Commissioner in Northern Ireland and I recently met with the new Commissioner, Danny Kinahan. We are keen to support him in his important work.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I will continue to engage with veterans’ support networks in Northern Ireland, the Office of Veterans’ Affairs and the NI Department of Health on matters pertaining to veterans’ welfare.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the validity of reports that an Iranian-affiliated group detonated an explosive device outside Israel’s embassy in New Delhi in January 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government works closely with international counterparts on security issues. This particular incident has not been raised by partners - but we work closely with both India and Israel on security issues.