Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times goods were returned to Great Britain from Northern Ireland ports because of failure to comply with requirements under the Northern Ireland Protocol between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
No goods were returned once they had entered Northern Ireland for customs purposes.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Malaysian authorities on the conclusion of the investigation by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission into involvement by the state in the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh in 2017.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. We work with the UN, G7, and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, has written to the Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK about the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, lodging her interest on this issue.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Pakistani authorities on the death sentence passed on Noman Masih in the Punjab province on 30 May.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have not raised this specific case with the Government of Pakistan. We continue to urge Pakistan to ensure due process and adherence to international human rights obligations. We press for speedy and fair trials for those accused and urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of those released.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his US counterpart on protocols for the flying of hosting nation's flags on the motor vehicle of the President of that country when visting the UK; and whether he has made an assessment of whether the UK flag was flown from that President's car when he visited Belfast in April 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to discuss protocols for flying flags on the President's vehicle with the US, including in relation to the President's recent visit to Northern Ireland. The choice of which flags to fly on US official vehicles would be a matter for the US authorities.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 90759 on Trader Support Service, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) Trader Support Services operations and (b) other costs associated with implementing the Northern Ireland protocol, between August 2020 and February 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government took significant steps to make the Protocol work in its current form - committing to over £500 million in support to businesses since January 2021, including; delivering an unprecedented Trader Support Service (TSS) and Movement Assistance Schemes to help traders manage these new requirements (costing £346.2 million cost of running the TSS between August 2020 and February 2023) delivering four major IT systems, including the declaration, transit, safety and security and goods movement systems. The Movement Assistance Scheme, in place until December 2023, has already provided more than £10 million of support to businesses, covering the cost of more than 60,000 certificates and almost 3,000 inspection hours. The Government has pledged a further £150 million for a Digital Assistance Scheme to provide an end-to-end digital solution for agrifood certification.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of German on recent reports that indicate increases in the numbers of people in Germany following social media influencers who are disseminating pro-Russian propaganda on the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The response to disinformation in Germany is a matter for German authorities. The UK and Germany are working closely together in response to Putin's aggression in Ukraine, working with the G7 and NATO to isolate Russia and support Ukraine. We share analysis and insight and co-operate through a range of fora. At the UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue on 5 January 2023, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs confirmed our continued cooperation on Ukraine with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for East Londonderry of 15 November 2022 on a Latvian national.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
A response was sent to the Honourable Member on 19 December 2022.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the European Commission on the comparison made between Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland in the speech by the President of the European Commission to the Irish parliament on 1 December 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government has regular conversations with the European Commission at both official and Ministerial level.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for East Londonderry of 25 February 2022 regarding assistance for a refugee family in Lebanon.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East sent a response to the Honourable Member on 24 March 2022.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to reply to the letter dated 22 December 2021 from the hon. Member for East Londonderry on the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The former Minister for Europe, Chris Heaton-Harris MP responded to the correspondence in question on 28 January. I thank the Hon. Member for East Londonderry for his engagement on this important issue.