Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to list for each overseas country when resident UK pensioners do not receive yearly increases what the lowest current payment to a pensioner is who was entitled at retirement to a full basic UK state pension, stating the year the pension was frozen.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive post-war governments for over 70 years.
Up-rating is paid to State Pension recipients in the UK, European Union, European Economic Area, Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, Serbia, Switzerland, The Philippines, Turkey, and the United States.
Information on the lowest full basic State Pension in payment, in each country where up-rating is not paid, is not readily available and to provide it would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which countries the UK has (a) bilateral or (b) reciprocal agreements on provision of the State Pension; when each of those agreements was made, whether UK pensioners resident in those countries receive yearly increases; and how many UK pensioners there were in each country as of 9 June 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide and is up-rated annually in countries where there is a legal requirement to do so. This is a longstanding policy which has been supported by successive governments for over 70 years.
As of November 2020, 473,842 State Pension recipients residing in the European Union or countries which are members of the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein) receive annual up-rating under various EU-Exit related agreements, including the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force in 2020 and the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 2021.
Other countries with which the UK has a reciprocal agreement also allowing for State Pension up-rating, the date in which the particular agreement was made, and the number of State Pension recipients residing in these countries (as of November 2020) are:
*Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the UK agreement with former Yugoslavia now covers Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Croatia and Slovenia are EU Member States covered by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The UK also has reciprocal social security agreements with New Zealand (1983) and Canada (1995) covering provisions for State Pension, but these agreements do not provide for annual up-rating. As of November 2020, 63,930 State Pension recipients reside in New Zealand and 126,426 recipients reside in Canada.
Source:
State Pension statistics by country of residence are currently available to November 2020 and these are available on Stat-Xplore here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to (1) the remarks by the Minister for Asia on 20 January (HC Deb, col 563), and (2) the judgment of the International Court of Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro in 2007, when they last reviewed the lawfulness of their policy on genocide.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. Whether or not a determination of genocide is made, the UK is committed to seeking an end to serious violations of international human rights law; preventing the escalation of any such violations; and alleviating the suffering of those who are affected. The UK's position is legally robust and does not prevent us from fulfilling our legal obligations under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the level of potential risk of genocide regarding treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities in the Uyghur region of China, in response to the judgment of the International Court of Justice in Bosnia & Herzegovina v Serbia & Montenegro, 2007.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. This does not prevent us from taking robust action to address serious violations of human rights, as we are doing in the case of Xinjiang.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with what countries the carrier strike group has had (a) engagements and (b) military exercises to date; and what those engagements and military exercises were.
Answered by James Heappey
The table below sets out the countries and/or overseas territories that the UK Carrier Strike Group has interacted with during the 2021 deployment. This also includes activity undertaken by our Integrated Partners, the Netherlands and United States.
Country/ Overseas Territory | Engagement | Military Exercise |
Australia | N/A | Passing Exercise (PASSEX), air interaction, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD. (Five Powers Defence Arrangements Exercise hosted by Malaysia with participants from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK.) Maritime Partnership Exercise (with US and Japan). Press Release |
Bahrain | Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. Press Release | N/A |
Bangladesh | Port Visit to Chattogram. Press Release | PASSEX with the Bangladeshi Navy, training with Bangladesh Special Forces. Press Release |
British Indian Ocean Territory | Port Visit to Diego Garcia. | N/A |
Brunei | Port Visit to Bandar Seri Begawan. | N/A |
Cambodia | Virtual Defence Engagement. | N/A |
Canada | N/A | Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean) South China Sea navigation in company. |
Cyprus | Port Visit to Limassol and Larnaca. | N/A |
Djibouti | Port Visit to Djibouti and support to Allied Appreciation Fly Past. Press Release | N/A |
Egypt | Port Visit to Alexandria, Defence Engagement. | N/A |
France | N/A | Exercises Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic) and Gallic Strike (Mediterranean). Press Release |
Georgia | Port Visit to Batumi. | At sea PASSEX with the Georgian Navy. |
Gibraltar | Port Visit and hosted reception at sea. | N/A |
Greece | Port Visit to Piraeus and Souda. | N/A |
Guam | Port visit to Guam. | N/A |
India | Port Visit to Goa and Mumbai. Defence Engagement | Maritime Participation Exercise in the Indian Ocean. Press Release Exercise Konkan Shakti. Press Release |
Indonesia | Port visit to Jakarta and Virtual Defence Engagement. | At sea PASSEX with the Indonesian Navy. |
Iraq | Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | N/A |
Israel | Port Visit to Haifa. | Exercise Falcon Strike and Exercise Tri-Lightning (both in the Mediterranean). |
Italy | Port Visit to Augusta, Messina and Taranto. Defence Engagement, including a trilateral meeting between the UK, Italy and Turkey which was hosted by the Secretary of State for Defence. Press Release Co Host – North Atlantic Council Defence Engagement. | Exercise Falcon Strike, transit in western Mediterranean. Press Release Cross Deck of F35 between ITS CAVOUR and HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH. Press Release |
Japan | Port visits to Sasebo, Yokosuka, Funakoshi. Reception and capability demonstration. | Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean), quad carrier exercise (with two carriers from the USA, one from Japan and HMS Queen Elizabeth), South China Sea navigation in company. Maritime Partnership Exercise (with US and Australia). Passing Exercise in Indian Ocean. Press Release Press Release |
Jordan | Port Visit to Aqaba and participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | 16 Air Assault Brigade Joint Theatre Entry Exercise. Press Release |
Kenya | Port Visit to Mombasa. Defence Engagement supported by the Minister for the Armed Forces. | Exercise with Kenyan Armed Forces. Press Release |
Kuwait | Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | N/A |
Malaysia | N/A | PASSEX, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD. |
Malta | Port Visit to Valletta. | N/A |
Montenegro | Port visit to Bar, Reception and Capability Demonstration. Defence Engagement, including an event led by Minister of State (Lords). Press Release Press Release | N/A |
Netherlands | Integrated Partner. | Integrated Partner. |
New Zealand | Not Applicable. | South China Sea Transit in company, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD. |
Oman | Port Visit to Duqm and Muscat which included Defence Engagement led by the Secretary of State for Defence. Press Release Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | Exercise KHANJAR OMAN and Maritime exercises with the Omani military. Press Release |
Pakistan | Port Visit to Karachi. | Bilateral training exercise with the Pakistani Navy. |
Portugal | Port Visit to Lisbon. | N/A |
Qatar | Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | N/A |
Republic of Korea | Defence Engagement - at sea reception and capability demonstration. | Search and rescue exercise. Press Release |
Romania | Port Visit to Constanta. | N/A |
Saudi Arabia | Port Visit to Jeddah and Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | At sea PASSEX with the Royal Saudi Navy. |
Singapore | Port visit to Sembawang. Reception and capability demonstration. | PASSEX including some limited air exercising, participation in Exercise BERSAMA GOLD. Press Release Press Release |
Spain | Port Visit to Alicante, Cartagena, Palma, Barcelona, La Coruna, and Rota. | F-35B Participation in Tactical Leadership programme (TLP). |
Sri Lanka | Port Visit to Colombo. | Search and Rescue Exercise with the Sri Lankan Navy. |
Thailand | Virtual Defence Engagement. | Co-ordinated maritime manoeuvres. Press Release |
Turkey | Port Visit to Istanbul, with Defence Engagement, including a trilateral meeting between the UK, Italy and Turkey which was hosted by the Secretary of State for Defence. Press Release Press Release | N/A |
United Arab Emirates | Participation in the CDS-led Dragon Group. | Air support to Advanced Training and Leadership Course (ATLC). |
Ukraine | Port Visit to Odessa, with Defence Engagement led by the Minister for Defence Procurement. Press Release | At sea PASSEX with the Ukrainian Navy. |
United States of America | Integrated Partner. | Further to being an Integrated Partner, the Carrier Strike Group interacted with additional US assets in dual, tri and quad carrier exercises. Press Release Press Release |
Vietnam | Port Visit to Da Nang and virtual Defence Engagement. | At sea PASSEX with the Vietnamese Navy. |
NATO* | At-sea NATO Ambassadorial visit, hosted by the Minister for Defence Procurement, and capability demonstrations. Press Release | Exercise Steadfast Defender (North Atlantic), Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 - Operation Sea Guardian (Mediterranean). Press Release Press Release |
*Whilst not a country, assets from the UK Carrier Strike Group also participated in NATO-led military exercises and engagements.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Russian counterparts on Russian interference in religious institutions in Montenegro.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Foreign Secretary has not discussed Montenegrin religious institutions bilaterally with her Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Lavrov. In the context of tensions in September surrounding the inauguration of the new Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, alongside likeminded partners, we strongly condemned all forms of violence. We called for all involved to de-escalate tensions and establish a democratic, inclusive and constructive dialogue, while respecting religious freedoms, freedom of expression, and freedom to peaceful assembly, as well as the need for individuals to be held to account for their actions.Asked by: Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government with what countries to date the carrier strike group has had (1) engagements, or (2) military exercises; and what were these engagements and military exercises.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The table below sets out the countries and/or overseas territories that the UK Carrier Strike Group has interacted with during this deployment.
Country / Overseas Territory | Activity |
Australia | Passage Exercise , air interaction, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD[1] |
Bangladesh | Port visit to Chittogram |
British Indian Ocean Territory | Port visit to Diego Garcia |
Brunei | Port visit to Bandar Seri Begawan |
Cambodia | Virtual defence engagement |
Canada | Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean) South China Sea navigation in company |
Cyprus | Port visit to Limassol and Larnaca |
Djibouti | Port visit to Djibouti |
Egypt | Port visit to Alexandria |
France | Exercises Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic) and Gallic Strike (Mediterranean) Press Release |
Georgia | Port visit to Batumi |
Gibraltar | Hosted reception at sea |
Greece | Port visits to Piraeus and Souda. |
Guam | Port visits to Guam |
India | Maritime Participation Exercise in the Indian Ocean Press Release |
Indonesia | Port visit to Jakarta |
Israel | Exercise Falcon Strike and Exercise Tri-Lightning (both in the Mediterranean). Port visit to Haifa |
Italy | Exercise Falcon Strike, transit in western Mediterranean, Port visits to Augusta, Messina and Taranto Press Release |
Japan | Port visits to Sasebo, Yokosuka, Funakoshi, Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean), quad carrier exercise (with two carriers from the USA, one from Japan and HMS Queen Elizabeth), Reception and capability demonstration, South China Sea navigation in company Press Release |
Malaysia | Passage Exercise, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD |
Montenegro | Port visit to Bar, Reception and Capability Demonstration, Press Release |
New Zealand | South China Sea Transit in company, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD |
Oman | Port visit to Duqm |
Republic of Korea | Search and rescue exercise, at sea reception and capability demonstration Press Release |
Saudi Arabia | Port visit to Jeddah. Passage Exercise |
Singapore | Passage Exercise including some limited air exercising. Port visit to Sembawang. Reception and capability demonstration, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD Press Release |
Spain | Port visits to Alicante and Cartagena |
Thailand | Co-ordinated maritime manoeuvres Press Release |
Turkey | Port visit Istanbul Press Release |
Ukraine | Port visit to Odessa Press Release |
United States | Dual, tri and quad carrier exercises. Exercise Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic), Exercise Gallic Strike (Mediterranean), Exercise Falcon Strike, Exercise Tri-Lightning Press Release Press Release |
Vietnam | Port visit to Da Nang and Passage Exercise |
NATO* | Exercise Steadfast Defender (North Atlantic), Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 - Operation Sea Guardian (Mediterranean), At-sea reception and capability demonstration Press Release Press Release |
*Whilst not a country, assets from the UK Carrier Strike Group also participated in NATO-led military exercises and engagements.
[1] Five Powers Defence Arrangements Exercise hosted by Malaysia with participants from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of recent tensions toward the Serbian Orthodox church in Montenegro.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Our Embassy in Podgorica closely monitored the events surrounding the inauguration of the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Montenegro, and the Littoral in Cetinje, Montenegro. Alongside likeminded partners, we issued a statement on 5 September strongly condemning all forms of violence, and calling for all involved to de-escalate tensions and establish a democratic, inclusive. and constructive dialogue, while respecting religious freedoms, freedom of expression, and freedom to peaceful assembly, as well as the need for individuals to be held to account for their actions.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK still participates in the EU's return and readmission agreements with (1) Albania, (2) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (3) Republic of Northern Macedonia, (4) Georgia, (5) Hong Kong, (6) Macau, (7) Moldova, (8) Montenegro, (9) Pakistan, (10) Russia, (11) Serbia, (12) Sri Lanka, (13) Turkey, and (14) Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Since 1 January 2021 the UK has not participated in EU Readmission Agreements with third countries. We are no longer party to these agreements. Where appropriate we are looking to transition to new bilateral agreements with third countries.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many return and readmission agreements, or Memoranda of Understanding for the return of migrants found illegally in the UK, they have participated in either (1) bilaterally, and (2) as a member state of the EU, in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Bilaterally outside of the EU, the UK has a range of returns arrangements with receiving countries including bilateral MoU, formal readmission agreements and informal operational arrangements which provide the basis for administrative removal and deportation of own country nationals.
Formal immigration returns arrangements are in place with following countries:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, China, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Korea, South Sudan, Switzerland, Vietnam.
As an EU Member State, the UK participated in 14 of the 18 EU Readmission Agreements. These were with: Pakistan, Georgia, Serbia, Albania, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Macao and Hong Kong.