Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to include specific clauses on human rights in their free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council; if so, what the clauses will consist of and how they will be monitored; and if they will not be included, why not.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. This work takes place separately to negotiations on free trade agreements.
While aspects of trade policy can provide the opportunity to address other issues in a bilateral relationship, free trade agreements are not generally the most effective or targeted tool to advance human rights issues.
Trade deals like the UK-GCC FTA will be aligned with the trade and industrial strategies, to bring prosperity to communities across the country and fulfil our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what emphasis they intended to make on human rights in negotiating a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world. The Department for Business and Trade are currently assessing progress across the programme of Free Trade Agreements currently under negotiation. Economic growth is our first mission in government and Free Trade Agreements have an important part to play in that. The Department's trade deals will be aligned with its industrial strategy, to bring prosperity to communities across the country and fulfil our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many formal complaints from Post Office sub-postmasters about the Horizon software that was updated in 2017 (1) have been made, and (2) still need to be resolved, about discrepancies and cash shortfalls in individual post offices; and in what towns and cities these complaints were made.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
This is an operational matter for Post Office Limited. Post Office however continues to make improvements to the system and will be moving away from Horizon to a new cloud-based IT system. Government recently announced that it is providing £103 million to help with the development of the replacement for the Horizon IT system and to ensure Horizon is maintained while that replacement is rolled out.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Post Office Horizon software system that was updated in 2017 has any issues with discrepancies of cash shortfalls in individual Post Offices; and if so, in how many Post Offices such problems have occurred.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
There have been several versions of Horizon since its introduction in 1999 and the current version of the system, introduced from 2017, was found in the Group Litigation to be robust, relative to comparable systems. Post Office continue to make improvements to the system and will be moving away from Horizon to a new IT system. The Government is providing funding to support this programme.