Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to trials, pilots and full-scale projects underway in countries including France, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy on using hydrogen to produce primary steel, what steps she is taking to ensure steel production in the UK keeps pace with international competitors on developing and using clean steel production technology.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The UK is monitoring international progress on low carbon steel making trials, using hydrogen and other technologies, and is actively engaged in international initiatives to support industrial decarbonisation innovation, including the Mission Innovation platform and the Leadership Group for Industry Transition.
Decarbonising UK industry is a core part of the Government’s ambitious plan for the green industrial revolution. The Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published on 17 March, commits government to work with the Steel Council to consider the implications of the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee to ‘set targets for ore-based steelmaking to reach near-zero emissions by 2035’. The Steel Council is a forum for Government, industry and trade unions to work together on the shared objective of creating a competitive, sustainable and low carbon future for the sector. Hydrogen-based steelmaking is one of the technological approaches being examined as part of this process.
The UK steel sector will be given the opportunity to bid into industrial fuel switching innovation programmes under the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which is intended to promote switching away from more carbon-intensive fuel sources. The Government has also announced a £250 million Clean Steel Fund to support the UK steel sector to transition to lower carbon iron and steel production, through investment in new technologies and processes.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2021 to Question 186125 on Musicians: EU Countries and with reference to his evidence to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 13 May 2021, which EU member states have Ministers from his Department had meetings with on touring rights for UK and EU musicians.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
I have met with Heads of Mission to enlist their support, and Embassies have now had discussions with every Member State.
We have established some touring activities are possible without needing visas or work permits in at least 17 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. And we are now working closely with individual Member States to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. As part of this, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and I, are speaking to our ministerial counterparts in a number of key Member States about the importance of touring.
We have already raised the importance of touring during bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts in Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands as well as the Belgian and Slovenian ambassadors to the UK. We are also arranging conversations with counterparts in other key member states such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
As conversations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to share details of these discussions at this time.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2021 to Question 186125 on Musicians: EU Countries, whether (a) his Department has concluded its work on an engagement strategy with EU member states and (b) he plans to publish that strategy.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
I have met with Heads of Mission to enlist their support, and Embassies have now had discussions with every Member State.
We have established some touring activities are possible without needing visas or work permits in at least 17 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. And we are now working closely with individual Member States to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. As part of this, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and I, are speaking to our ministerial counterparts in a number of key Member States about the importance of touring.
We have already raised the importance of touring during bilateral meetings with ministerial counterparts in Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands as well as the Belgian and Slovenian ambassadors to the UK. We are also arranging conversations with counterparts in other key member states such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
As conversations are ongoing, it would not be appropriate to share details of these discussions at this time.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are planning to hold, if any, with the EU on mobility issues affecting UK industries undertaking activities in the EU; whether these discussions will incorporate (1) the service sector, and (2) the creative industries; and, if so, what is the timetable for any such discussions.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK and EU are committed to supporting all industries on mobility issues, including services sectors and the creative industries.
With respect to the creative industries in particular, the Government has established that some touring activities are possible without needing visas or work permits in at least 17 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are speaking to their ministerial counterparts in a number of key Member States. They have already spoken to Portugal and Austria, and will shortly speak to other Member States including Spain and Italy. These conversations are covering the reopening of our respective cultural and creative industries post Covid, and the importance of touring.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government with which EU Member States they have (1) reached, and (2) signed, reciprocal agreements on driving licences.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Transport has successfully agreed arrangements with all EU/EEA Member States for the mutual recognition of photocard licences. As such, visitors with UK photocard licences will not need to carry an additional International Driving Permit (IDP) when driving in any EU/EEA Member State.
The UK has secured permanent or long-term reciprocal arrangements for the exchange of licences with: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia Switzerland, Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Latvia and Belgium. The UK is working to conclude the formal agreements where required.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Enhanced Pallet Load System trucks the British Army has; and where those vehicles were manufactured.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The British Army's UK fleet consists of 559 Enhanced Pallet Load System (EPLS) vehicles, all originally manufactured in Austria with the majority acquired between 2008 and 2013.
In November 2018 work began to upgrade 382 of the EPLS 15-tonne Support Vehicle platforms. The conversions took place in Manchester, with all upgraded vehicles now in service.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 December 2020 (HL10439), what lessons they have learned from the anti-terrorism measures introduced by the governments of (1) France, and (2) Austria; and what new anti-terrorism measures they plan to introduce as a result.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 December 2020, HMG already has robust counter-terrorism measures in place, which are outlined in the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST).
Our overseas approach to countering terrorism is global but completely integrated with our domestic approach. We continuously review policies in light of new developments. We closely monitor France and Austria’s responses to the attacks.
We will continue to look to learn from these examples where they are applicable to the UK context. We continue to share best practices, and discuss evolving threats and responses, such as preventing terrorist use of the internet, with the governments of both France and Austria.
Asked by: Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what countries the British Armed Forces provided training to on UK territory in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Personnel from the countries listed in the table below have attended defence education or training in the UK in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Year | Countries |
2019/20 | AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ALGERIA ANGOLA ANTIGUA & BARBUDA ARGENTINA ARMENIA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS BAHRAIN BANGLADESH BARBADOS BELARUS BELGIUM BELIZE BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA BRAZIL BRUNEI CAMEROON CANADA CHILE CHINA COLOMBIA CROATIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK EGYPT ESTONIA ETHIOPIA FIJI FINLAND FRANCE GAMBIA GEORGIA GERMANY GHANA GREECE GRENADA GUYANA HUNGARY INDIA INDONESIA IRAQ IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY JAMAICA JAPAN JORDAN KAZAKHSTAN KENYA KOSOVO KUWAIT KYRGYZSTAN LATVIA LEBANON LESOTHO LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MALAWI MALAYSIA MALDIVES MALI MALTA MAURITIUS MEXICO MOLDOVA MONGOLIA MONTENEGRO MOROCCO MOZAMBIQUE NEPAL NETHERLANDS NEW ZEALAND NIGER NIGERIA NORTH MACEDONIA NORWAY OMAN PAKISTAN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES PAPUA NEW GUINEA PARAGUAY PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL QATAR ROMANIA RWANDA SAUDI ARABIA SENEGAL SERBIA SIERRA LEONE SINGAPORE SLOVENIA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN SRI LANKA SWEDEN SWITZERLAND THAILAND TONGA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO TURKEY UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES URUGUAY USA UZBEKISTAN VIETNAM |
2020/21 | AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ARMENIA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS BAHRAIN BANGLADESH BELGIUM BELIZE BHUTAN BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA BOTSWANA BRAZIL BRUNEI CAMEROON CANADA CHILE COLOMBIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK EGYPT ESTONIA ETHIOPIA FIJI FINLAND FRANCE GEORGIA GERMANY GHANA GREECE HUNGARY INDIA INDONESIA IRAQ IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY JAMAICA JAPAN JORDAN KENYA KOSOVO KUWAIT LEBANON LITHUANIA MALAWI MALAYSIA MALDIVES MALI MALTA MOLDOVA MONGOLIA MONTENEGRO MOROCCO NEPAL NETHERLANDS NEW ZEALAND NIGER NIGERIA NORTH MACEDONIA NORWAY OMAN PAKISTAN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES PARAGUAY POLAND PORTUGAL QATAR ROMANIA SAUDI ARABIA SIERRA LEONE SINGAPORE SLOVAKIA SOUTH KOREA SPAIN SRI LANKA SWITZERLAND THAILAND TONGA TUNISIA UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES URUGUAY USA |
Note: MOD records information on International Defence Training (IDT) by financial year, rather than by calendar year. Information is taken from a central IDT database. Some activity may not be captured on that database.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will list the countries and territories (a) invited by UK Defence and Security Exports to attend Security and Policing 2021 and (b) that attended Security and Policing 2020.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The countries, territories and organisations invited to attend Security and Policing 2021 are listed below. Those annotated with a * are the countries, territories and organisations that attended.
Algeria *
Argentina
Australia *
Austria *
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium *
Brazil
Bulgaria *
Canada *
Croatia *
Czech Republic *
Denmark *
Egypt *
Finland *
France
Germany
Ghana *
Greece *
Hungary *
India *
Indonesia
Iraq
Italy *
Japan *
Kenya *
Latvia *
Lithuania
Luxembourg *
Malaysia *
Mexico
Morocco *
NATO
Netherlands *
New Zealand *
Nigeria *
Norway *
Oman *
Pakistan *
Peru *
Poland *
Portugal *
Qatar
Romania *
Saudi Arabia *
Singapore *
South Africa *
South Korea *
Sweden *
Switzerland *
Taiwan *
Thailand
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
Ukraine *
UN *
USA *
Vietnam *
The list of countries, territories and organisations that attended Security and Policing 2020 were:
Australia
Belgium
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Colombia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Luxembourg
Morocco
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Slovakia
South Africa
Spain
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
UAE
Ukraine
United Nations (UN)
United States
Uzbekistan
The full list of countries, territories and organisations invited and those that attended Security and Policing 2020 can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/security-and-policing-2020
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Worcester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries are observers to the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are three categories of participation in the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (Alliance): Members, Observers, and Friends. Members are states which have joined the Alliance and are invited to participate at Ministerial level during the annual Ministers' Forum; Observers are organisations, institutions, or entities which actively advance freedom of religion or belief globally: and, Friends are states or organisations that are considering joining or becoming observers.
The current Members are Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Estonia, The Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Togo, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the current Friends are Canada, Japan, Norway, South Korea, and Sweden; the current Observers are the Sovereign Order of Malta and the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief.