Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on national security of the (a) proposed reductions in the (i) staff and (ii) budget of BBC Monitoring and (b) the closure of Caversham Park.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Core Services from BBC Monitoring will be defined and set down in the new Monitoring Agreement that will run from 2017 to 2028. This agreement will be an improvement on the existing [2013-2016] scheme, as it will be better focussed, reflect changes in the nature of open source information and have improved performance monitoring and strategic prioritisation mechanisms to ensure BBCM outputs remain topical, reflective of new media and focused on customer needs. We are confident that the changes to the services which will result from this new agreement will benefit the national security community.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the output of the BBC Monitoring Service of relinquishing the ownership of Caversham Park; what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of Caversham Park; how many BBC Monitoring staff he estimates will leave the organisation on the closure of Caversham Park; what the estimated extra costs, per staff member, will be of (a) London weighting, (b) commuting from Berkshire to Central London and (c) relocation; who the recipients of any funds derived from the sale of Caversham Park will be; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The output which HMG expects from BBC Monitoring is set down in a revised Monitoring Agreement, which is currently under negotiation with the BBC. This agreement will cover the next eleven years of the Charter period from January 2017. I will place copies of the new Monitoring Agreement, when signed, in the Libraries of both Houses. The move from Caversham, and related financial and personnel aspects, are matters for the BBC.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the aggregate extra costs to government (a) departments and (b) agencies from purchasing (i) commercial services and (ii) monitoring relevant foreign broadcasts themselves in consequence of proposed cuts in BBC Monitoring; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The reduction in the budget to BBC Monitoring will not affect the provision of Core Services – including the monitoring of relevant foreign broadcasts – that BBCM is committed to provide under the revised Monitoring Agreement that will run from 2017 to 2028. The government may procure Additional Services, under the scope of the BBC Monitoring Agreement, which are additional to the Core Services. Procurement of commercial open source services by departments or agencies would, similarly, be to complement, not replace, BBCM Core outputs.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) policy his Department follows and (b) advice his Department gives to staff travelling to malarial regions regarding the use of Lariam as an anti-malarial drug; and what records his Department holds on the number of times (i) Lariam and (ii) alternative anti-malarial drugs have been prescribed to staff in his Department in the last three years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) follows guidance from the UK Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention (ACMP). The FCO provides medical advice to staff travelling to malarial regions on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as the age of the officer concerned, location and duration of stay. This might in some instances result in an officer being advised to take mefloquine (larium), but no officer is forced to do so. Any staff with concerns are encouraged to discuss with the FCO Healthline or their Regional Medical Advisor, as well as with their local clinic of healthcare provider. The FCO does not hold records on the numbers of staff prescribed mefloquine (larium) and alternative anti-malarial drugs.Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the US in respect of coalition obligations to exclude from forces preparing to expel Daesh from Mosul any militias which are assessed as lacking respect for (a) human rights and (b) the laws of war; and what assessment he has made in such regards of the Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The coalition goal is to liberate Mosul by expelling Daesh in a way that minimises the humanitarian impact, civilian casualties and human rights abuses and violations. We have spoken to Coalition partners, including the US and the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, and have made clear that forces taking Mosul need to respect human rights and laws of armed conflict. All training provided by the UK includes Law of Armed Conflict training and an awareness of human rights.
Ultimately the forces used will be determined by the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government. The Coalition however will not support units which it has concerns about, including certain Shia militia units.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice his Department gives to staff of HM Diplomatic Service (a) visiting and (b) posted to malaria-prone countries on use of anti-malarial drugs; whether the Lariam form of mefloquine has been included in a list of approved anti-malarial drugs for staff of his Department; if he will publish the (i) guidelines and (ii) other advice given on anti-malarial drugs to his Department's staff since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The choice of anti-malarials for Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service Staff and dependants serving overseas has always been based on a stringent individual risk assessment. Recommended anti-malarials will be based on the UK Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention ( ACMP) guidelines, they will be appropriate for the destination and tailored to the individual, taking into account the possible risks and benefits to the traveller.