Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter to the Prime Minister of 12 September 2019 from the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield and other hon. Members and Peers on Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement that he intends to annex the Jordan Valley to Israel.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I have responded to the Hon Member's letter.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason there was a delay in Omar Barghouti being informed of the approval of his visa to travel to the UK from the Occupied Palestinian Territories in September 2019 after that visa was approved.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
We do not routinely comment on individual cases.
Our service standard is to decide straightforward applications within 15 working days, although more complex cases take longer.
We routinely contact customers once it becomes apparent that we may not be able to resolve their application within the service standard.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contingency planning is being undertaken by his Department on the potential relocation of the UK Embassy in Israel; and when the results of that contingency planning will be made available to Ministers.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it. Our position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he is planning to hold the meeting with GKN Aerospace and the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield on the future of GKN Aerospace in Kings Norton.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently working with both parties to find the earliest mutually convenient date and time for the meeting to take place.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum sentence available under the Animal welfare (Service Animals) Act 2006.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I am pleased to say that the legislation needed to implement the increase in the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences - the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill – had its First Reading in this House on 26 June. The Bill will increase the custodial penalty for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, as well as other animal cruelty offences, from 6 months’ imprisonment to 5 years’ imprisonment.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of (a) the threat to air safety posed by Control Line model aircraft and (b) the potential merits of exempting those model aircraft from mandatory registration under the 2019 Drone Registration Scheme.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Department keeps all risks to aviation safety under constant review. With regards to the upcoming Unmanned Aircraft Operator Registration and Education Scheme, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has explored a range of options for model aircraft users. Exemption from the scheme is not a viable option as it would compromise the Government’s overarching objective to increase accountability and safety awareness for all unmanned aircraft users.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the bombings at (a) a Sanaa school on 7 April 2019, (b) a Save the Children-supported hospital on 26 March 2019 and (c) other bombings of civilian infrastructure in Yemen, what discussions he has had with his Saudi counterpart on the timeframe for the conclusion of the Saudi-led Coalition’s investigations into those incidents; and whether the results of those investigations will be made publicly available.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are deeply concerned by reports of an alleged airstrike on a petrol station at a hospital facility on 26 March 2019. Our officials have been in contact with Save the Children, who fund the hospital, about this alleged incident and have raised this matter with the Saudi-led Coalition, who have announced an investigation.
We are also deeply concerned at reports of an explosion at a warehouse near two schools in Sa’wan on 7 April 2019. We have raised the incident with the Coalition who have announced an investigation in line with standard practices. We endorse the statement of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General of 9 April and continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to exercise restraint, comply fully with international humanitarian law and implement the Stockholm Agreement without delay in order to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure that deconflicted (a) hospitals and (b) schools in Yemen are protected from bombing.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have been clear that all parties to the conflict in Yemen must comply with international humanitarian law. We continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint and implement the Stockholm Agreement without delay in order to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the implementation of the Stockholm agreement by all parties to the war in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has played a central role in diplomatic efforts to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary hosted the Yemen Quad in London on 26 April, bringing together representatives from the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where members discussed the next steps in the UN-led peace process and how best to support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. We will continue discussions with partners on how the UN Security Council can support the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on the political process and improving the humanitarian situation, central to which is the full implementation of agreements reached during the Stockholm talks. We welcome reports that Houthis forces have begun their withdrawal from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa and await independent verification of this by the UN.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to establish an independent investigation into the bombing of a de-conflicted hospital in Kitaf, Yemen on 26 March 2019.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are deeply concerned of reports of an alleged airstrike on a petrol station at a hospital facility on 26 March 2019. UK officials have been in contact with Save the Children, who fund the hospital, about this alleged incident and have raised this matter with the Saudi-led Coalition, who have announced an investigation.