Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation in the cryptocurrencies in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), published its report in October 2018. It concluded that strong action should be taken to address the risks associated with cryptoassets that fall within existing regulatory frameworks, and that further consultation and international coordination is required for those cryptoassets that pose new challenges to traditional forms of financial regulation, and fall outside the existing regulatory framework.
Since the report, the FCA has consulted and issued final guidance on the regulatory perimeter in relation to cryptoassets, and HMT has consulted on the transposition of the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD), which will bring cryptoasset exchanges and custodian wallet providers within the scope of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulation.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) goods and (b) services he Department has classified as vital for UK national security.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Government has the power to intervene in mergers that raise public interest concerns including national security. The Government looks at each merger on a case by case basis.
Since 2015, the Government has intervened under the Enterprise Act 2002 on the grounds of national security on four occasions: Sepura/Hytera (2017), Northern Aerospace/Gardner Aerospace (2018), Inmarsat/Connect Bidco (2019) and Cobham/AI Convoy Bidco (2019).
Each year, Cabinet Office publishes sector security and resilience plans. The plans set out the thirteen critical national infrastructure sectors and their resilience in relation to the risks identified in the National Risk Assessment. The plans can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sector-resilience-plans.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what screening of overseas companies her Department undertakes in relation to national security in advance of foreign direct investment by those companies.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Government has the power to intervene in mergers that raise public interest concerns including national security. The Government looks at each merger on a case by case basis.
Since 2015, the Government has intervened under the Enterprise Act 2002 on the grounds of national security on four occasions: Sepura/Hytera (2017), Northern Aerospace/Gardner Aerospace (2018), Inmarsat/Connect Bidco (2019) and Cobham/AI Convoy Bidco (2019).
Each year, Cabinet Office publishes sector security and resilience plans. The plans set out the thirteen critical national infrastructure sectors and their resilience in relation to the risks identified in the National Risk Assessment. The plans can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sector-resilience-plans.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in how many business transactions the Government has intervened in the interests of national security since 2015.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Government has the power to intervene in mergers that raise public interest concerns including national security. The Government looks at each merger on a case by case basis.
Since 2015, the Government has intervened under the Enterprise Act 2002 on the grounds of national security on four occasions: Sepura/Hytera (2017), Northern Aerospace/Gardner Aerospace (2018), Inmarsat/Connect Bidco (2019) and Cobham/AI Convoy Bidco (2019).
Each year, Cabinet Office publishes sector security and resilience plans. The plans set out the thirteen critical national infrastructure sectors and their resilience in relation to the risks identified in the National Risk Assessment. The plans can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sector-resilience-plans.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to place the order for the first fleet solid support ships; and how many of those ships he plans to order.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We anticipate that a design and build contract for the Fleet Solid Support ships will be awarded in 2020, for a class of up to three ships.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
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 effectiveness of the sanctions regime on Russia.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Sanctions are having an impact on Russia, exacerbating negative trends in its economy following the oil price collapse of 2014 and rooted in deep seated structural weakness. Financial sector sanctions continue to make it expensive and hard for designated Russian entities to access western finance and have a general chilling effect on foreign investment in Russia. Sanctions were not designed to impose a particular, specific, degree of pain on Russia’s economy or on the Russian people. They were designed to deliver a cost for Russia’s adventurism in Ukraine. Maintaining focus on existing Russia/Ukraine sanctions is more important than ever to continue to pressure Russia to change its Ukraine policy.
Russia has also been affected by the EU Chemical Weapons sanctions regime. Although the regime does not target one country, the designation of the two GRU officials, who are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Salisbury, as well as the Head and Deputy Head of the GRU, sends a powerful and collective message that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his US counterpart on the Open Skies Treaty.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Although the Foreign Secretary has not raised this with his US counterpart, senior officials from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence have raised the topic with their US counterparts, emphasising the United Kingdom's commitment to the Treaty, which forms an important part of the Rules-Based International System.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what arrangements exist to monitor (a) civilian and (b) military nuclear capability in China.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
China is subject to oversight of its civil capability under the Voluntary Offer Agreement it signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency on facility safeguards. As a fellow member of the P5, we work with China on a range of issues including nuclear questions. The P5 process, an informal working group for discussing issues related to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of which China is a signatory, provides a forum for discussions on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Howard League for Penal Reform's review of access to books in prisons; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.
There may be several operational reasons why books posted to a prisoner would be returned to sender, including volumetric control on property or if the item fails security screening (for example if it’s impregnated with psychoactive substances). Governors may also restrict an individual’s access to some specific reading material on a case-by-case basis in accordance with HMPPS’s Public Protection Manual, in light of the prisoner’s offence or offending behaviour work.
In April we launched new education contracts to enable prisons to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF). Family and friends of prisoners are able to send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.
Prisons must provide the opportunity for prisoners to rehabilitate, which will ultimately reduce reoffending – access to books forms an extremely important part of this.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the number of books available in prisons.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Education is key to helping prisoners break a cycle of reoffending, therefore it is essential that prisoners have access to books and libraries. The prison library aims to provide an accessible service which has a focus on supporting learning, improving literacy and to promote reading as a source of pleasure and wider cultural engagement.
Every prison is required to have a library and every prisoner must be allowed to have and exchange library books under the Prison Rules.
The new Education contracts launched in April gave prisons more freedom to shape the way prisoners had access to libraries. Prisons could continue to receive library provision from its Local Authority or opt into new provision through the Prison Education Framework (PEF).
Family and friends of prisoners are able to hand or send books in directly. They may also order books via the approved book retailers scheme (as set out in Prison Service Instruction 30/2013). Prisoners are also able to purchase books with monies earned in prison or where sent in by family and friends.