Written Evidence May. 28 2024
Inquiry: Daesh InquiryFound: out-time. 25 Rojava Informat ion Centre, ‘Bringing ISIS to Justice: Towards an International Tribunal in North
May. 22 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 11 April 2024 to 15 May 2024Found: is for members of International Armed Forces and for International Civilian Employees of either a North
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to promote cultural relations between the UK and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport promotes cultural relations around the world, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Department for Business & Trade, and the British Council to ensure that culture and the creative industries are embedded in the UK’s diplomatic activities and that the importance of these sectors – which contribute so much to our economy, our way of life, and our international reputation – are properly reflected.
The British Embassy in Skopje has prioritised the promotion of bilateral cultural relations and continues to build links with local cultural institutions and artists, particularly those with connections to the UK.
The British Council promotes exchange between the Western Balkans and the UK’s education sector and creative industries, and supports people and institutions in developing enterprising cultural offerings. In May, for instance, the British Council hosted a conference in North Macedonia for 200 English teachers on the future of English.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to promote trade between the UK and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Bilateral trade between the UK and North Macedonia was worth a total of £2.5 billion in the 4 quarters to end of Q4 2023, comprising of £1.7bn of exports and £787 million of imports. North Macedonia is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans. The UK’s trade relationship is underpinned by the Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement (PTCA), signed in 2020. The inaugural PTCA Joint Committee met in 2022 and we hope to convene the second version later this year. In September 2023, the UK launched the British-Macedonian Business Chamber, as a symbol of the growing trade & investment partnership.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish an itemised table of the primary imports from the Republic of North Macedonia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade publish trade and investment factsheets summarising statistics on trade and investment between the UK and individual overseas partners, including North Macedonia. A table of the top goods imported from North Macedonia are provided on page 6 of the factsheet. More detailed statistics on UK imports from North Macedonia are published by the ONS.
May. 17 2024
Source Page: Decision No 1/2024 of Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU: amending the Decision of the Joint Committee No 1/2023Found: 0204.50.13 0204.50.15 0204.50.19 0204.50.31 0204.50.51 0204.50.53 0204.50.55 0204.50.59 0204.50.71 North
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas his Department has granted to applicants from North Macedonia in each year since 2020.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visas granted, by nationality, are published in table Vis_D02 of the Entry clearance detailed dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate up to the end of 2023.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to introduce a (a) visa exemption, (b) visa on arrival and (c) eVisa scheme for people from North Macedonia.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are no plans to introduce a visa exemption or visa on arrival for North Macedonians. The introduction of eVisas will help travellers prove their status at the UK border in a secure, timely and efficient manner. This introduction will not be country specific.
Correspondence May. 16 2024
Inquiry: Prison PopulationFound: Sweden (8.2), Albania (8.2), Hungary (7.9), Armenia (7.9), Latvia (7.3), Romania (6.5), Poland (6.1), North
May. 15 2024
Source Page: Aviation modelling frameworkFound: Some stakeholders , such as airport operators in the north of England, had raised concerns that this