Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has made an assessment of the level of potential risk of cyber interference by foreign governments in elections in the UK.
Answered by Ben Gummer
We treat Cyber Security extremely seriously. Our 2015 National Security Strategy confirmed that cyber remains a top threat to the UK’s economic and national security. The threat posed by cyber-attacks continues to grow in both scale and complexity. Cyber security is crucial for keeping the UK safe.
To meet the challenges of cyber security threats, the government launched its new National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 on the 1 November. Supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment, the strategy sets out ambitious policies and capabilities to protect the UK in cyber space.
The strategy is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cyber- security-strategy- 2016-to-2021.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an (a) assessment of the extent of the avoidance of duties on Chinese steel via its importation into the EU through (i) Russia, (ii) Vietnam and (iii) other countries and (b) estimate of the potential cost of such avoidance to the UK steel industry.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Whilst the UK is part of the European Union, trade defence is an EU competence. My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade would encourage industry to present any prima facie evidence of circumvention of anti-dumping or anti-subsidy measures to the European Commission. Where evidence is sufficient to justify an investigation the Commission will do so and present any proposals for imposing or extending duties to Member States.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has had discussions with the EU Anti-Fraud Office on alleged attempts by Chinese companies to avoid duties on Chinese-made steel by importing such steel through non-EU countries.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has not had any discussions with the EU Anti-Fraud Office on this issue and the Department has not been made aware of allegations or presented with any evidence of this activity in its regular contact with the steel industry.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits to customers, workers and the public purse of a UK company purchasing Shell's North Sea assets.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No such assessment has been made. Any potential sale of Shell’s North Sea assets is a commercial matter for the company rather than Her Majesty’s Government.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2016 to Question 50888, what tariff rates on electricity which reaches the UK through interconnectors from the continent will remain similarly unaffected by the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The bound EU tariff rate on imports of electricity is zero. As with imports of other forms of energy, the decision on whether electricity imported into the UK should be subject to tariffs once the UK has left the EU will be for the UK alone to make. And as with other energy imports, reasons of economic competitiveness, energy security and the UK’s support for an open trade regime make it unlikely that the Government would wish to impose tariffs on electricity reaching the UK from other parts of Europe.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Ukraine on assistance for internally displaced people in that country.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID officials and staff of the British Embassy in Kyiv are in regular contact with the Government of Ukraine and international partners regarding assistance for internally displaced people in Ukraine. My predecessor, Sir Desmond Swayne, met the current Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People during his visit to Ukraine in November 2015.
Since 2014, the UK has played a key role in supporting the humanitarian response in eastern Ukraine. For internally displaced people, this has included support to meet basic living requirements, providing training in business skills and help for those who have survived sexual and gender-based violence to access medical and legal services.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on funding for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to 2023 of the Northern Ireland Executive's plan to remove all peace walls in Northern Ireland by that date.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is funded by the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland. Allocation of the PSNI’s budget is a matter for the Chief Constable.
As the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election set out, we will always give our fullest possible backing to the men and women of the PSNI who do such a superb job. That is partly why this Government has provided specific Additional Security Funding totalling £230 million in the last parliament and £160 million in the current parliament.
The UK Government has also provided specific funding to the NI Executive to contribute to conditions that will allow the removal of peace walls.
In addition, I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave to question UIN 52739 today.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on its plans to remove all peace walls in Northern Ireland by 2023.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Northern Ireland Executive’s plan to remove peace walls in Northern Ireland by 2023 formed part of its wider ‘Together: Building a United Community’ Strategy which set out proposals for tackling the entrenched sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland and for building a shared society.
In 2013, the UK Government announced an economic pact ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’ which specifically provided for a £100m extension of Executive borrowing powers to help rebalance the economy and to assist in the delivery of their plans to build a shared future. Subsequent to this, as part of the Fresh Start Agreement, the UK Government provided additional funding of £60m over five years to ensure the Executive expedited its commitments under the ‘Together: Building a United Community’ Strategy, including those relating to peace walls.
I have had a number of discussions with members of the Northern Ireland Executive in relation to the implementation of both the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements, and I will continue to do so.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the proposal for a British Bill of Rights and its potential implications for the Good Friday Agreement.
Answered by James Brokenshire
I am aware of the importance of human rights in the Belfast Agreement and the Government remains committed to that Agreement.
My officials continue to work closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Justice on these issues and we will engage fully with the devolved administrations in advance of any reforms.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings of the EU Exit and Trade Cabinet Committee have been (a) held and (b) attended by the Secretary of State for (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including how often they have met and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.