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Written Question
Financial Services: UK Trade with EU
Tuesday 11th February 2020

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have undertaken with (1) central clearing parties, (2) asset managers, (3) investment banks, and (4) insurance firms, about regulations for future market access to the EU; whether they intend to undertake a public consultation on future EU market access for financial services; and if so, when.

Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Government is in regular contact with the financial services industry on a range of EU issues, including the future relationship. This has included ministerial and official meetings with a wide range of central clearing parties, asset managers, investment banks, and insurance firms, among others, in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.

HM Treasury will continue to engage with the financial services sector as negotiations with the EU progress.


Written Question
Commonwealth: Poliomyelitis
Monday 16th April 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to eradicate polio within Commonwealth countries, including Pakistan and Nigeria; and whether this is a priority for the discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals during the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Answered by Lord Bates

Remarkable progress has been made towards polio eradication in the last 30 years, with over 99% reduction in the number of polio cases. The UK has played a leading role in this process and UK support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) will mean up to 45 million children can be vaccinated against polio each year until 2020. Only two Commonwealth countries, Nigeria and Pakistan, have not yet been declared polio-free. In February the UK’s support enabled GPEI to conduct a campaign to vaccinate almost 39 million children in Pakistan, and in April large-scale immunisation campaigns are planned in Nigeria. Nigeria has not seen a case of polio since 2016 and there has only been one case in Pakistan this year, meaning that these two countries are on track to eradicating polio. Health and communicable diseases will be a key focus of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a forum which acknowledges polio as a global health priority.


Written Question
Sanctions: Russia
Thursday 29th March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of whether those Russians listed by the United States Treasury Department on 30 January as potentially subject to United States sanctions for illegal activity, including those identified by the Anti-Corruption Foundation for wrongdoing under the UK Bribery Act 2010, are persons connected to companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Answered by Lord Bates

The Government is aware of the recent report issued by the United States Treasury Department. This report is not a sanctions list and does not impose sanctions on individuals and entities listed in it.

The UK implements sanctions agreed at the UN, EU or those the Government put in place autonomously. Only a relevant prohibition contained in these sanctions will prevent a person from being connected to companies listed on the London Stock Exchange .

Allegations of illegal activity under the UK Bribery Act 2010 are a matter for the operationally independent Serious Fraud Office to investigate.


Written Question
Shareholders: Russia
Thursday 29th March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any action by the Serious Fraud Office against major Russian shareholders of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

As and when criminal allegations are brought to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) they are assessed in the context of the SFO's statutory remit to investigate, and where appropriate, prosecute the top tier of serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption cases, particularly where such offending is capable of impacting on the UK's and City of London's reputation as a safe place to do business. If appropriate, any relevant matters would be considered for criminal or civil investigation/recovery. However, in line with its normal policy, which is designed to safeguard the investigative process, the SFO can neither confirm nor deny whether or not it is taking some type of action against any Russian shareholders.

Whenever it is possible to release information without prejudice to an investigation the SFO will publish details on its website of cases formally adopted for criminal investigation.


Written Question
Higher Education: Equality
Wednesday 21st March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) direction, and (2) guidance, they have given to the Office for Students on improving gender and ethnic diversity in the leadership of Russell Group higher education institutions.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Autonomous higher education providers, including Russell Group members, are responsible for their own decisions about leadership appointments. Institutional autonomy is explicitly recognised in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and is specifically defined to include the freedom of providers to determine the criteria for selecting, appointing or dismissing academic staff. The Act is clear that both the Office for Students (OfS) (when carrying out its functions) and the Secretary of State (when issuing statutory guidance to the OfS) must have regard to the need to protect this institutional autonomy.

The government and the OfS both remain interested in areas related to equality and diversity in higher education. We consulted on behalf of the OfS on making arrangements for the publication of data on senior staff remuneration, including in relation to gender and ethnicity. The OfS retains the power to require the disclosure of such information through its accounts direction.

The government asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the predecessor of OfS, to remind HEFCE-funded providers of their obligations under the gender pay gap reporting requirements. HEFCE wrote to these providers on 10 January 2018. HEFCE have also jointly commissioned a project that aims to equalise the gender balance and ethnic diversity of higher education governing bodies. This work will include establishing an online exchange to recruit board members.

In addition, we note initiatives across the sector, including at Russell Group institutions, to support women and those from black and minority ethnic groups who aspire to leadership positions in higher education.


Written Question
Higher Education: Equality
Monday 19th March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have compiled any statistics on the gender and ethnicity of holders of leadership roles in Russell Group higher education institutions; and if so, whether they will publish those statistics.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for the collection and publication of data for UK higher education instutions, including for members of the Russell Group.

Information on the higher education workforce is collected as part of HESA’s Staff Record, including ethnicity and gender. However, HESA does not publish this data specifically relating to those within leadership roles.

Further information on the data collected and published by HESA can be found on the HESA website at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/publications/staff-2016-17.


Written Question
Aviation: Ukraine
Friday 9th March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current investigation into the downing of MH17 and the establishment of a tribunal in the Netherlands.

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

The Metropolitan Police Service’s approach to overseas acts of terror where there are UK victims is that the crimes are usually best prosecuted by the national authorities where the attack occurred. However, while the UK is not part of the MH17 JIT, the Metropolitan Police Service has provided operational support to the JIT including direct liaison officer support and extensive victim identification support.

The Government cannot comment on the current investigation into the downing of MH17 and the establishment of a tribunal in the Netherlands, as we are unable to comment on ongoing investigations.


Written Question
Aviation: Ukraine
Friday 9th March 2018

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the UK is not a party to the Joint Investigation Team considering the downing of MH17 given the number of victims who were UK citizens.

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

The Metropolitan Police Service’s approach to overseas acts of terror where there are UK victims is that the crimes are usually best prosecuted by the national authorities where the attack occurred. However, while the UK is not part of the MH17 JIT, the Metropolitan Police Service has provided operational support to the JIT including direct liaison officer support and extensive victim identification support.

The Government cannot comment on the current investigation into the downing of MH17 and the establishment of a tribunal in the Netherlands, as we are unable to comment on ongoing investigations.


Written Question
Russia: Yukos
Monday 11th December 2017

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make at the next meeting of the Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe during consideration of the non-payments by the Russian Federation to the former majority shareholders of Yukos of the 1.9 billion euros awarded by the European Court of Human Rights.

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

​Meetings of Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe are confidential. We consider that the Russian Government should implement the European Court of Human Rights' ruling of July 2014. The UK has made this point on many occasions previously and will continue to press Russia to fulfil its international obligation to comply with the Court's judgement.


Written Question
Russia: Council of Europe
Monday 11th December 2017

Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suspension of Russia's annual payment to the Council of Europe, what discussions they have had with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General, regarding the possibility of Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe.

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

The UK Ambassador to the Council of Europe has had regular discussions with the Secretary General to the Council of Europe over Russia's refusal to pay the second instalment of their budgetary payment for 2017. In addition, my right honourable friends in the other place, the Member for Rutland and Melton, Sir Alan Duncan, and the Member for Aylesbury, David Lidington, separately met the Secretary General on 28 November 2017 . We are considering all possible scenarios and are working with the Secretary General and other Member States on this matter. Russia has an obligation to pay its subscription as a member and should start paying again without delay.