Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 safety of antiquities and historic sites in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen are parties to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. We have raised our concerns regarding protection of cultural property with the Saudi Arabian government and have received assurances. A political solution is the best way to achieve long-term stability in Yemen, and we remain fully and actively supportive of the UN’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the non-diversion of controlled goods to Nigeria.
Answered by Anna Soubry
All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, including the risk of diversion to undesirable end-users or undesirable end-use. A licence will not be granted unless the tests in the criteria are met. The risk of diversion is an important factor in deciding whether or not to grant an export licence and the assessment takes full account of the conditions prevailing in the destination and region.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK security assistance to the government of Nigeria to tackle Boko Haram is not diverted or misused for corrupt ends.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The UK welcomes the new Nigerian Federal administration's commitment to tackling corruption as a priority. We continue to support Nigeria in this regard and stand ready to do more. We are scaling up our efforts to help address the political and economic incentives of corruption, the Nigerian authorities' capacity and ability to tackle it, and strengthen how the Nigerian public sector is accountable to the Nigerian people. The training and advisory support that the UK provides to the Nigerian armed forces constitutes assistance in kind and cannot be diverted or misused for corrupt ends. As such it is not subject to conditions related to corruption but when providing security and justice assistance to another nation the Ministry of Defence is required under Her Majesty's Government's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Human Rights Guidance to consider the possibility of that assistance directly or significantly contributing to a violation of human rights and to identify measures that mitigate this risk.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conditions are attached to the receipt of security assistance from the UK by the government of Nigeria.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The UK welcomes the new Nigerian Federal administration's commitment to tackling corruption as a priority. We continue to support Nigeria in this regard and stand ready to do more. We are scaling up our efforts to help address the political and economic incentives of corruption, the Nigerian authorities' capacity and ability to tackle it, and strengthen how the Nigerian public sector is accountable to the Nigerian people. The training and advisory support that the UK provides to the Nigerian armed forces constitutes assistance in kind and cannot be diverted or misused for corrupt ends. As such it is not subject to conditions related to corruption but when providing security and justice assistance to another nation the Ministry of Defence is required under Her Majesty's Government's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Human Rights Guidance to consider the possibility of that assistance directly or significantly contributing to a violation of human rights and to identify measures that mitigate this risk.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the conditions attached as part of the arrangement whereby the government of Nigeria receives security assistance from the UK includes a requirement (a) that individuals accused or convicted of corruption will be prevented from participating in military training and (b) for budget transparency.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The UK welcomes the new Nigerian Federal administration's commitment to tackling corruption as a priority. We continue to support Nigeria in this regard and stand ready to do more. We are scaling up our efforts to help address the political and economic incentives of corruption, the Nigerian authorities' capacity and ability to tackle it, and strengthen how the Nigerian public sector is accountable to the Nigerian people. The training and advisory support that the UK provides to the Nigerian armed forces constitutes assistance in kind and cannot be diverted or misused for corrupt ends. As such it is not subject to conditions related to corruption but when providing security and justice assistance to another nation the Ministry of Defence is required under Her Majesty's Government's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Human Rights Guidance to consider the possibility of that assistance directly or significantly contributing to a violation of human rights and to identify measures that mitigate this risk.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the contribution of 14 January 1994 by the then Minister for Public Transport, Official Report, column 432, on Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Compensation), what conclusion the Government drew from its consideration of legal advice commissioned by local authorities.
Answered by Claire Perry
Following the House of Commons Select Committee on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Bill, an interdepartmental working group on blight (IDWGB) was established to review the impact of blight during major infrastructure projects. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions published the final report of the IDWGB in 1997. This report is in the public domain. The report recommended, amongst other things, the creation of a Property Purchase Guarantee and Compensation Scheme, although this was not adopted by the government of the day.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Sewstern Lane wind farm.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have proposed that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our propose closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Nocton Fen wind farm.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have proposed that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our propose closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Fulbeck Airfield wind farm.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have proposed that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our propose closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.
Asked by: Stephen Phillips (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Temple Hill wind farm.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have proposed that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our propose closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.