To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Dogs: Imports
Thursday 29th September 2022

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40929 on Dogs: Imports, if he will publish a breakdown of the countries of origin of the dogs commercially imported into the UK from abroad in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Below are tables to show the countries of origin of commercial dog imports. The data for 2020 is for the UK, while the data for 2021 and 2022 (up to 31 August 2022) is for Great Britain only. We do not hold data for Northern Ireland for 2021 and 2022.

This information is drawn from external TRACES and IPAFF systems not directly controlled by the department.

Country Of Origin from EU 2020

Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2020

Austria

Antigua and Barbuda

Belgium

Argentina

Bulgaria

Australia

Croatia

Bahrain

Cyprus

Barbados

Czech Republic

Belarus

Denmark

Bermuda

Estonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Finland

Brazil

France

Canada

Germany

Cayman Islands

Greece

Colombia

Hungary

Costa Rica

Ireland (Rep. of)

Egypt

Italy

Ethiopia

Latvia

French Polynesia

Lithuania

Hong Kong

Malta

India

Netherlands

Indonesia

Poland

Israel

Portugal

Japan

Romania

Jordan

Slovakia

Kenya

Slovenia

Korea (South)

Spain

Kuwait

Sweden

Lebanon

Switzerland

Macao

Malawi

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Namibia

New Zealand

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Oman

Peru

Philippines

Qatar

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Serbia

Singapore

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Tajikistan

Thailand

Turkey

Turks and Caicos

UAE

Uganda

Ukraine

Uruguay

USA

Vietnam

Zimbabwe

Country Of Origin from EU 2021

Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2021

Austria

Argentina

Belgium

Australia

Bulgaria

Bahamas

Croatia

Bahrain

Cyprus

Barbados

Czechia

Belarus

Denmark

Bermuda

Estonia

Brazil

Finland

Canada

France

Cayman Islands

Germany

China

Greece

Colombia

Hungary

Costa Rica

Iceland

Ecuador

Italy

Egypt

Latvia

Ethiopia

Lithuania

Guam

Luxembourg

Hong Kong

Malta

India

Netherlands

Indonesia

Northern Ireland

Israel

Norway

Jamaica

Poland

Japan

Portugal

Jordan

Republic of Ireland

Kenya

Romania

Kuwait

Slovakia

Lebanon

Slovenia

Macao

Spain

Malawi

Sweden

Malaysia

Switzerland

Mauritius

Mexico

Mozambique

Namibia

Nepal

New Zealand

Nigeria

Oman

Panama

Peru

Philippines

Qatar

Russian Federation

Saudi Arabia

Serbia

Singapore

South Africa

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United States of America

Viet Nam

Zimbabwe

Country Of Origin from EU 2022

Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2022

Austria

Albania

Belgium

Algeria

Bulgaria

Australia

Croatia

Bahrain

Cyprus

Barbados

Czech Republic

Bermuda

Denmark

Brazil

Estonia

Brunei

Finland

Canada

France

Cayman Islands

Germany

Chile

Greece

China

Hungary

Colombia

Isle of Man

Costa Rica

Ireland (Rep. of)

Dominican Republic

Italy

Ecuador

Latvia

Egypt

Lithuania

Fiji

Luxembourg

Hong Kong

Netherlands

India

Northern Ireland

Indonesia

Norway

Israel

Poland

Japan

Portugal

Jordan

Romania

Kenya

Slovakia

Korea (South)

Slovenia

Kuwait

Spain

Lebanon

Sweden

Malaysia

Switzerland

Mauritius

Mexico

Namibia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Oman

Panama

Peru

Philippines

Qatar

Russia

Saint Lucia

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

UAE

Uganda

Ukraine

USA

Vietnam

Zimbabwe


Written Question
Deportation
Wednesday 20th July 2022

Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many charter deportation flights took place in 2021; and how many deportees were on each of those flights.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

This Government’s priority is keeping the people of this country safe, and we make no apology for seeking to remove dangerous foreign criminals. Foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.

Charter flight operations are an important means to return disruptive individuals or where they are limited scheduled routes, particularly during the global Coronavirus pandemic. We manage the charter programme flexibly, balancing it with the use of scheduled flights to best respond to operational needs.

In the calendar year 2021 – The Home Office operated 63 flights removing 1365 individuals.

FLIGHT DATE

DESTINATION

NUMBER OF PEOPLE REMOVED

13/01/2021

ROMANIA

25

19/01/2021

LITHUANIA

23

26/01/2021

POLAND

Less than 10

04/02/2021

ROMANIA

34

11/02/2021

LITHUANIA

16

18/02/2021

POLAND

16

25/02/2021

HUNGARY & BULGARIA

15

02/03/2021

ROMANIA

20

09/03/2021

LITHUANIA

Less than 10

18/03/2021

POLAND

13

24/03/2021

ROMANIA

12

31/03/2021

LITHUANIA

20

08/04/2021

HUNGARY & BULGARIA

11

13/04/2021

ROMANIA

30

15/04/2021

POLAND

23

19/04/2021

ALBANIA

20

21/04/2021

VIETNAM

27

27/04/2021

ROMANIA

29

29/04/2021

POLAND

15

06/05/2021

HUNGARY & BULGARIA

Less than 10

11/05/2021

LITHUANIA

22

13/05/2021

ALBANIA

30

18/05/2021

POLAND

18

20/05/2021

ALBANIA

29

25/05/2021

ROMANIA

30

27/05/2021

ALBANIA

24

03/06/2021

ALBANIA

31

10/06/2021

ALBANIA

Less than 10

15/06/2021

LITHUANIA

15

17/06/2021

ALBANIA

19

22/06/2021

POLAND

18

24/06/2021

ROMANIA

20

01/07/2021

ALBANIA

37

06/07/2021

SPAIN & PORTUGAL

Less than 10

13/07/2021

ROMANIA & LITHUANIA

30

15/07/2021

ALBANIA

12

21/07/2021

ZIMBABWE

14

28/07/2021

VIETNAM

20

03/08/2021

POLAND

13

05/08/2021

ALBANIA

22

10/08/2021

JAMAICA

Less than 10

17/08/2021

POLAND & ROMANIA

22

19/08/2021

ALBANIA

27

25/08/2021

ZIMBABWE

Less than 10

01/09/2021

NIGERIA & GHANA

Less than 10

14/09/2021

POLAND & ROMANIA

33

16/09/2021

ALBANIA

34

28/09/2021

LITHUANIA

18

30/09/2021

ALBANIA

39

05/10/2021

POLAND & ROMANIA

29

07/10/2021

ALBANIA

22

13/10/2021

ALBANIA

16

21/10/2021

ALBANIA

29

27/10/2021

LITHUANIA

18

02/11/2021

ROMANIA

19

04/11/2021

ALBANIA

35

10/11/2021

JAMAICA

Less than 10

16/11/2021

POLAND

14

18/11/2021

ALBANIA

13

30/11/2021

ROMANIA

30

02/12/2021

LITHUANIA

10

09/12/2021

ALBANIA

28

14/12/2021

POLAND

16

16/12/2021

ALBANIA

21

21/12/2021

LITHUANIA

16

The Home Office has obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation Act 2018 and in law generally to protect personal data. This exempts personal data if disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.


Written Question
Department for International Trade: Visits Abroad
Wednesday 27th April 2022

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, further to the Answer of 18 May 2021 to Question 147, whether she plans to correct her Department’s declaration of ministerial travel published on 7 May 2021 to reflect the cost to the public purse of her predecessor’s accommodation, subsistence and other expenses excluding travel when visiting Singapore and Vietnam in December 2020.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The declaration will be updated in the next 30 days.


Written Question
India and Vietnam: Aspergillosis
Wednesday 6th April 2022

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent studies in India and Vietnam that found that over the last 12 months, over 50 per cent of patients cured of TB, but with new symptoms, had the fungal infection aspergillus; what assessment they have made of estimates of the number of people who will (1) develop, and (2) die from, chronic pulmonary aspergillosi after TB; and what assistance they are providing to countries with a high prevalence of this infection (a) to address misdiagnosis, and (b) to provide treatment.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Recent studies in Vietnam and India have confirmed earlier evidence that patients who recently recovered from TB can develop pulmonary aspergillosis. In the studies, over 50% of patients who had been cured of TB and had ongoing symptoms developed chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. The studies noted that larger sample sizes were required to assess the true prevalence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis. We have not made an assessment of the total numbers of people who will develop, or die from, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis after TB.

Whilst the UK does not directly fund diagnosis and treatment of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, we invest in TB treatment and care through our current £1.4 billion pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and invests in research to develop new diagnostics and treatments for TB. The UK's focus is to support countries to strengthen their health systems to address all causes of ill health.


Written Question
Preferential Tariffs
Thursday 10th March 2022

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Preference Utilisation Rates are in total for UK trade with (a) Switzerland, (b) Tunisia, (c) Turkey, (d) Ukraine and (e) Vietnam for each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Ranil Jayawardena

Data up to the end of January 2020 is publicly available, but no comparable data is available for after this period.

Exports analysis 2017-19: https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/159047.htm

Imports analysis 2017-19: https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/159046.htm

Eurostat preference utilisation data for all periods 2000 to end January 2020: Easy Comext, Adjusted extra-EU imports since 2000 by tariff regime (DS-059281).


Written Question
Universities: Gifts and Endowments
Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the acceptance of large donations by University colleges from foreign billionaires closely linked with regimes with poor human rights records; how that policy would apply to the proposed acceptance by Linacre College, Oxford of £155 million from a billionaire based in Vietnam, with close links to the Vietnamese government; and what recommendation his Department will make to the Privy Council on whether Linacre College should be permitted to rename itself after the Chairwoman of the company making the donation as a condition of receiving the money.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The security guidelines, commissioned at my request and published by Universities UK in October 2020, entitled ‘Managing risks in internationalisation: security-related issues’, advise universities on engaging in secure international collaborations. This includes a recommendation that due diligence should be conducted on all international partnerships, including donations. Universities due diligence processes should consider reputational, ethical and security risks. As autonomous institutions, universities will have their own fundraising and gift acceptance policies in place.

In line with the offer that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office extends to all organisations and businesses looking to work with Vietnamese entities, Linacre College and the University of Oxford have received background information, at their request, on working with Vietnamese entities.

If the Privy Council asks the department for advice, we will consider the case based on the facts before us.

As my right hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has recently stated, we intend to further explore the issues raised in the proposed Report Stage amendment to the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, seeking to introduce transparency and public reporting of foreign donations to universities.


Written Question
Sovico Group: Linacre College
Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what advice her Department has given to representatives of (a) Linacre College and (b) Oxford University on the (i) proposed acceptance of £155 million from a billionaire (A) based in Vietnam and (B) close to the Vietnamese Communist Government and (ii) planned renaming of Linacre College after the chairwoman of the company offering the donation; and what consideration was given, in formulating that advice, to the adverse findings by Human Rights Watch regarding restrictions on freedom of speech, opinion, association, religion and the press.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Universities are autonomous and will have their own fundraising and gift acceptance policies in place. University due diligence processes should consider reputational, ethical and security risks when deciding whether to accept any donation.

FCDO Officials have given background information to Linacre College and the University of Oxford, at the request of these institutions, in line with the advice we offer UK organisations and businesses looking to work with Vietnamese entities.


Written Question
Human Trafficking
Tuesday 15th February 2022

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent girls being groomed in (a) Romania and (b) elsewhere and trafficked to the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Tackling Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery remains a top priority for this government and we are committed to stamping out this abhorrent crime. Since its introduction, the Modern Slavery Act 2015, has given law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims.

We work with a range of partners, including law enforcement agencies to raise awareness of modern slavery, this includes training interventions for frontline services that might encounter victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, ensuring operational colleagues such as Border Force can recognise the signs of modern slavery and are equipped to step in.

Romania remains a crucial partner in our ambitions to tackle modern slavery globally and to reduce the number of victims, including girls trafficked to the UK for sexual exploitation. We have invested over £200,000 this financial year in a range of projects to strengthen Romanian law enforcement approaches, victim support organisations, and national strategies on trafficking.

Through the Home Office Modern Slavery Fund, we are also working with Nigeria, Albania and Vietnam to prevent people falling into slavery, including girls who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Our work in Albania has provided essential reintegration support to 330 victims of trafficking and worked with over 5,000 vulnerable people to prevent exploitation from occurring. A dashboard showcasing the results achieved can be accessed at: http://endhumantrafficking.al/ and can be disaggregated by gender and age.

The Government recognises there is yet more we can do to tackle this crime and bring offenders to justice. We are currently reviewing the 2014 Modern Slavery Strategy – a revised strategy will allow us to build on the progress we have made to date, adapt our approach to the evolving nature of these crimes, and continue our leadership in tackling modern slavery.


Written Question
Coal
Friday 11th February 2022

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of (a) the reduction in global coal use since 2010 to date and (b) progress made in meeting the target of 80 per cent reduction by 2030.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The International Energy Agency estimates that coal use remains modestly above 2010 levels, with continued very low growth to 2024. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from global coal use remains a key Government priority. For example, the UK’s COP26 Energy Transition Campaign helped secure a 190-strong coalition of countries and organisations at COP26, including coal power phase out commitments from Poland, Vietnam, Egypt, Chile and Morocco, building on the Government’s co-leadership of the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The Government has committed to phasing out unabated coal generation in Great Britain by October 2024. Coal power generation in this country has declined from almost 40% of our electricity supply in 2012 to less than 2% in 2020.


Written Question
Vietnam: Visits Abroad
Thursday 10th February 2022

Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he visited the historic battlefield of Dien Bien Phu during his visit to Vietnam from 21-23 July 2021.

Answered by Ben Wallace

I did not visit the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, or any other battlefield in Vietnam.