Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure adequate availability at petrol stations of E5 ethanol fuel once E10 becomes the standard grade of fuel sold.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On the 4 March the Government published the consultation paper
“Introducing E10 petrol”. As set out in that consultation we are proposing that, should E10 be mandated as the standard grade of petrol in the UK, we will also introduce legislation that would keep E5 petrol available.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the election in Taiwan; and in particular, of its impact on Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary’s statement on 11 January noted that the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan were testament to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy. He congratulated the people of Taiwan on the smooth conduct of those elections and to Dr Tsai Ing-wen and her party on her re-election. The Foreign Secretary expressed his hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would renew dialogue to resolve differences and build constructive relations across the Strait.
We have not yet made an assessment of the impact of the elections in Taiwan on Hong Kong. It is clear, however, that many people in Hong Kong followed the elections with interest.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to including provisions in the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill for a separate short-stay visa category.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The forthcoming Immigration Bill will lay the foundation for a new immigration system which welcomes the people the country needs.
The Government is considering the design of the future immigration system and will outline plans shortly.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the budget preparing for a no-deal Brexit has been spent on advertisements (1) in newspapers, (2) on radio and television, and (3) on social media.
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 Treasury allocated £100m to Cabinet Office to deliver the No-Deal Brexit Public Information Campaign in August 2019. The costs of the campaign will be published monthly on gov.uk, as part of routine government transparency. This will be broken down by supplier. The Treasury does not hold a detailed breakdown of how departments have allocated funding for no-deal preparations, therefore it is difficult to determine the exact amount spent on any other advertising delivered by individual departments.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report by the APPG for Africa, the APPG for Diaspora, Development and Migration and the APPG for Malawi Visa problems for African visitors to the UK, published on 16 July, in particular its findings in regard to the level of refusals of short-term visitor visa applications from Africa.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Officials will review the findings of the report and the Immigration Minister will respond on it in due course.
Information on total entry clearance visas (the majority of which are visitor visas) broken down by nationality and outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_02_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019-data-tables
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make it mandatory for emergency vehicles and motorcycles to use auditory warnings as well as flashing lights when travelling on the wrong side of any road.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Emergency service drivers are empowered to use certain road traffic exemption in the course of their duties. Decisions on when to exercise these exemptions is an operational matter.
In the Government’s response to “The Law Guidance and Training Governing Police Pursuits” consultation we committed to undertaking a review of existing emergency service exemptions to traffic law to ensure that they are appropriate. Part of the review will consider how emergency services use exemptions safely.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring the law on abortion in Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK while there is no functioning Assembly in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Government recognises the sensitivities of this issue and the strongly held views on all sides of the debate in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK.
As abortion is devolved, the best way forward is for locally accountable politicians in Northern Ireland to make decisions. We want to see devolved government restored at the earliest opportunity through the current political talks process.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the general election result in Israel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the election that took place in Israel on 9 April, Israeli political parties are now engaged in coalition formation discussions. The UK looks forward to continuing its excellent relationship with the Israeli Government and to working closely together on shared areas of interest.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recognition by the President of the United States of Israel's sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights; and what discussions they have had, or intend to have, with the government of the United States about that recognition.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 26 March officials from our Embassy in Washington raised our concerns with US counterparts about the US Presidential Proclamation recognising that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel. We are clear that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law, including the UN Charter. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position. On 26 March we reiterated our firm position on this matter at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Asked by: Lord Steel of Aikwood (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with BMW about the future of the MINI manufacturing plant in Oxford in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Henley
Leaving the EU with a deal that supports the future of British industry remains the government’s top priority. The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive and other advanced manufacturing.
With 4,000 staff in their Oxford plant alone, BMW is a hugely important company for the UK. BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet with the company, to understand and support them in their planning. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW Board Member with responsibility for the UK spoke on 13 March.