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Written Question
Fish: Animal Feed
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has taken recent steps to reduce the tariff on fish feed imported from the Faroe Islands.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK and the Faroe Islands met in February for the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Joint Committee. Officials discussed implementation of the FTA and remain in contact on a number of areas of trade, including the possibility of further liberalisation of fish feed imports from the Faroe Islands.


Written Question
Driving Licences: Reciprocal Arrangements
Tuesday 24th October 2023

Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with which (a) foreign countries and (b) administrative regions of foreign countries that issue their own driving licences his Department has an agreement for mutual recognition of documents; and whether his Department is taking steps to reach such agreement with other countries and regions.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The UK continues to exchange and recognise licences originating from all European Economic Area (EEA) countries. Arrangements are in place with all EEA countries for the recognition and exchange of the vast majority of GB licences.

Outside of the EEA, mutual driving licence exchange agreements are in place with the following designated countries:

Andorra

Gibraltar

South Africa

Australia

Hong Kong

Switzerland

Barbados

Japan

Taiwan

British Virgin Islands

Monaco

Ukraine

Canada

New Zealand

United Arab Emirates

Cayman Islands

Republic of Korea

Zimbabwe

Falkland Islands

Republic of North Macedonia

Faroe Islands

Singapore

Work is currently progressing on arrangements with a further seven countries:

Albania

Moldova

Sri Lanka

Kosovo

San Marino

Malaysia

Serbia

I also recently met with an official delegation from Kenya to discuss existing arrangements with them as well.


Written Question
Cetaceans: Faroe Islands
Monday 17th July 2023

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Faroe Islands on the hunting of whales and dolphins; and whether she plans to take steps through the UK's trade relationship with the Faroe Islands to discourage that practice.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. UK Officials have raised concerns about this through many engagement channels including at the International Whaling Commission and through the Faroese Embassy in London. My Department continues to utilise the opportunities provided by our Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese government on this important matter, including through specifically raising our serious concerns with the practice at the Joint Committee of the agreement that took place in February 2023.

We continue to use our diplomatic relationship to lobby the Faroes to stop this practice altogether.


Written Question
Fish: Animal Feed
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to reduce the tariff on fish feed imported from the Faroe Islands.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK and the Faroe Islands met in February for the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee. Officials discussed implementation of the FTA and remain in contact on a number of areas of trade, including the possibility of further liberalisation of fish feed imports from the Faroe Islands.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount of state pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK is; and if he will provide a breakdown of the average state pension payment in each country in which recipients reside.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

In November 2020, the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK was £70.61 per week.

Table 1. Average Amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, November 2020

Residency

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Outside United Kingdom

£ 70.61

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Below is a table of the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, broken down by country of residence, in November 2020.

Table 2. Average Amount of State Pension by Country of Residence, November 2020

Country of Residence

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Abroad - Not known

£ 112.62

Albania

£ 110.57

Alderney

£ 126.99

Algeria

£ 62.41

Andorra

£ 94.96

Anguilla

£ 64.93

Antigua

£ 74.02

Argentina

£ 65.18

Aruba

£ 60.29

Ascension Island

£ 91.68

Australia

£ 50.09

Austria

£ 49.24

Azerbaijan

£ 166.77

Bahamas

£ 66.64

Bahrain

£ 97.27

Bangladesh

£ 39.49

Barbados

£ 116.97

Belarus

£ 111.17

Belgium

£ 63.62

Belize

£ 85.01

Bermuda

£ 81.36

Bolivia

£ 106.19

Bosnia and Herzegovina

£ 73.12

Botswana

£ 75.98

Brazil

£ 81.20

Brunei

£ 121.78

Bulgaria

£ 122.47

Burkina Faso

£ 54.09

Cambodia

£ 119.76

Cameroon

£ 58.81

Canada

£ 46.34

Cape Verde

£ 52.18

Cayman Islands

£ 89.42

Chile

£ 72.13

China

£ 96.39

Colombia

£ 89.09

Cook Islands

£ 57.92

Costa Rica

£ 81.75

Cyprus

£ 122.54

Denmark

£ 58.40

Dom Commonwealth (Dominica)

£ 77.73

Dominican Republic

£ 107.52

Dutch Caribbean

£ 67.76

Ecuador

£ 85.95

Egypt

£ 78.64

El Salvador

£ 80.36

Equatorial Guinea

£ 142.11

Ethiopia

£ 88.34

Falkland Islands and Dependencies

£ 85.64

Faroe Islands

£ 33.01

Fiji

£ 73.66

Finland

£ 58.89

France

£ 113.52

French Overseas Departments

£ 84.34

French Polynesia

£ 55.84

Gambia

£ 91.46

Germany

£ 46.48

Ghana

£ 56.69

Gibraltar

£ 100.77

Greece

£ 109.44

Greenland

£ 23.21

Grenada

£ 77.33

Guam

£ 83.49

Guatemala

£ 77.73

Guernsey

£ 84.86

Guyana

£ 60.60

Honduras

£ 79.02

Hong Kong

£ 85.42

Hungary

£ 102.32

Iceland

£ 71.68

India

£ 50.10

Indonesia

£ 106.53

Iran

£ 70.85

Iraq

£ 64.11

Ireland

£ 66.41

Isle of Man

£ 127.85

Israel

£ 101.27

Italy

£ 56.79

Jamaica

£ 116.05

Japan

£ 46.97

Jersey

£ 70.02

Jordan

£ 67.90

Kazakhstan

£ 124.13

Kenya

£ 79.34

Kuwait

£ 103.54

Kyrgyzstan

£ 76.07

Laos

£ 100.66

Lebanon

£ 88.20

Lesotho

£ 59.64

Liechtenstein

£ 28.62

Luxembourg

£ 83.34

Macau

£ 77.52

Madagascar

£ 62.23

Malawi

£ 71.90

Malaysia

£ 77.87

Malta

£ 104.22

Mauritius

£ 108.25

Mexico

£ 74.98

Moldova

£ 124.94

Monaco

£ 111.96

Montserrat

£ 65.67

Morocco

£ 75.51

Mozambique

£ 74.56

Myanmar

£ 84.84

Namibia

£ 70.17

Nepal

£ 63.99

Netherlands

£ 55.81

Nevis, St Kitts-Nevis

£ 75.56

New Caledonia

£ 79.61

New Zealand

£ 46.44

Nicaragua

£ 79.72

Nigeria

£ 27.65

Norfolk Island

£ 55.18

North Macedonia

£ 24.20

Norway

£ 58.24

Oman

£ 89.53

Pakistan

£ 48.74

Panama

£ 96.96

Papua New Guinea

£ 75.49

Paraguay

£ 68.41

Peru

£ 88.02

Philippines

£ 138.86

Poland

£ 59.39

Portugal

£ 119.47

Puerto Rico

£ 77.32

Qatar

£ 113.55

Republic of Croatia

£ 62.10

Republic of Estonia

£ 78.98

Republic of Georgia

£ 129.54

Republic of Latvia

£ 68.34

Republic of Lithuania

£ 42.71

Republic of Slovenia

£ 60.38

Romania

£ 99.40

Russia

£ 85.51

Saint Helena & Dependencies

£ 89.27

San Marino

£ 29.33

Sark

£ 117.68

Saudi Arabia

£ 86.88

Senegal

£ 74.13

Serbia

£ 123.58

Seychelles

£ 79.10

Sierra Leone

£ 52.66

Singapore

£ 89.20

Solomon Islands

£ 79.08

Somalia

£ 44.20

South Africa

£ 56.52

South Korea

£ 41.69

Spain

£ 120.61

Sri Lanka

£ 59.98

St Lucia

£ 76.63

St Vincent & Grenadines

£ 80.10

State Union of Serbia and Montenegro

£ 53.44

Sudan

£ 71.27

Suriname

£ 151.95

Swaziland

£ 79.26

Sweden

£ 57.52

Switzerland

£ 51.98

Syria

£ 63.61

Tahiti

£ 77.00

Taiwan

£ 105.85

Tanzania

£ 87.61

Thailand

£ 119.10

The Czech Republic

£ 92.30

The Slovak Republic

£ 49.82

Togo

£ 50.10

Tonga

£ 73.36

Tours (Individuals on Tour)

£ 133.34

Trinidad & Tobago

£ 55.37

Tunisia

£ 88.16

Turkey

£ 132.24

Turks and Caicos Islands

£ 118.32

Uganda

£ 88.33

Ukraine

£ 115.86

United Arab Emirates

£ 107.46

United States

£ 74.19

United States Minor Outlying Islands

£ 75.89

Uruguay

£ 77.74

Vanuatu

£ 85.86

Venezuela

£ 67.62

Vietnam

£ 125.09

Virgin Islands (British)

£ 91.77

Virgin Islands (USA)

£ 72.74

Western Samoa

£ 34.12

Yemen

£ 42.90

Zambia

£ 75.67

Zimbabwe

£ 48.98

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)


Written Question
Faroe Islands: Whales
Wednesday 19th April 2023

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to push for the abolition of whale hunting in the Faroe Islands.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

The UK is strongly opposed to the hunting of any cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined purposes. We believe that the hunting of cetaceans is unacceptably cruel and that well-managed, responsible tourism is the only truly sustainable interaction with these animals.

While we recognise there is a long tradition in the Faroe Islands of killing pilot whales and dolphins for meat and other products, we have long expressed our concern over the welfare and sustainability aspects of the Faroese cetacean hunts and the levels of domestic regulation currently in place. We have urged the Faroe Islands to look at alternatives to the hunting of cetaceans, encouraging them to consider the many economic and social benefits that responsible cetacean watching can bring to coastal communities. Most recently, during the Joint Committee on Trade with the Faroe Islands earlier this year, we raised the UK’s opposition to the continued hunting of cetaceans in the Faroe Islands on both animal welfare and conservation grounds.

We also work through multilateral agreements to condemn these hunts. This includes leading the drafting of a letter from the ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North-East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas) Advisory Committee to the Faroese Government. In addition, at the recent IWC meeting in October 2022, the UK Commissioner made clear the UK’s ongoing concerns about small cetacean hunts in the Faroe Islands.

The Government will continue advocating at every appropriate opportunity for the end of cetacean hunts in the Faroe Islands.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
Thursday 23rd March 2023

Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of a UK pension live in countries without a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK by (a) the country they live in and (b) their gender.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

This information is published on Stat-Xplore https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk and currently extends to November 2020.

The number of people in receipt of a UK State Pension living in countries without a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK is 298,294.

The breakdown by country and gender are shown in the tables below:

Country of State Pension receipt

Male

Female

Antigua

141

166

Albania

8

7

Algeria

13

5

Andorra

91

74

Anguilla

33

48

Antilles (Netherlands)

20

19

Argentina

128

132

Aruba

..

6

Ascension Island

7

..

Australia

100,047

122,289

Bahamas

116

139

Bahrain

79

48

Bangladesh

175

795

Belize

57

38

Bolivia

17

12

Botswana

89

55

Brazil

485

284

Brunei

16

8

Burkina Faso

..

..

Burma (Myanmar)

..

..

Cameroon

6

5

Cape Verde Islands

..

6

Cayman Islands

111

78

Chile

168

141

China People's Republic

249

74

Colombia

128

127

Cook Islands

9

..

Costa Rica

65

38

Dom Commonwealth (Dominica)

217

244

Dominican Republic

26

17

Country of State Pension receipt

Male

Female

Ecuador

54

33

Egypt

189

116

El Salvador

8

5

Equatorial Guinea

..

..

Ethiopia

22

7

Falkland Islands & Dep

47

26

Faroe Islands

5

7

Fiji

63

28

French Polynesia

..

..

Gambia

44

23

Ghana

451

388

Greenland

..

..

Grenada

402

500

Guatemala

7

5

Guyana

110

101

Honduras

6

8

Hong Kong

1,510

904

India

2,145

2,113

Indonesia

314

42

Iran

21

11

Iraq

5

..

Japan

4,644

2,158

Jordan

72

46

Kampuchea

40

..

Kenya

345

305

Kuwait

10

5

Laos

19

..

Lebanon

73

49

Lesotho

6

7

Macau

7

..

Country of State Pension receipt

Male

Female

Malagasy Republic

6

5

Malawi

39

31

Malaysia

1,072

1,159

Mexico

241

228

Monaco

246

143

Montserrat

29

40

Morocco

112

70

Mozambique

9

..

Namibia

49

42

Nepal

29

13

Nevis, St Kitts-Nevis

131

148

New Caledonia

8

10

Nicaragua

15

6

Nigeria

1,090

804

Norfolk Island

..

..

Oman

71

29

Pakistan

1,103

1,579

Panama

23

14

Papua New Guinea

8

5

Paraguay

14

8

Peru

66

64

Qatar

41

15

Republic of Azerbaijan

11

..

Republic of Belarus

13

12

Republic of Georgia

19

..

Republic of Kazakhstan

12

..

Republic of Kyrgyzstan

5

..

Republic of Moldova

5

..

Republic of Yemen

172

501

Russian Federation

95

41

San Marino

..

..

Saudi Arabia

75

20

Senegal

..

8

Seychelles

73

78

Sierra Leone

18

27

Singapore

514

359

Country of State Pension receipt

Male

Female

Solomon Islands

..

..

Somalia

9

13

South Africa

12,932

17,411

South Korea

288

91

Sri Lanka

557

572

St Helena & Deps

56

48

St Lucia

376

454

St Vincents & Grenadines

221

229

Sudan

5

..

Surinam

5

..

Swaziland

42

37

Syria

5

..

Tahiti

7

..

Taiwan

88

20

Tanzania

54

23

Thailand

4,777

586

Togo

..

..

Tonga

8

6

Trinidad & Tobago

456

843

Tunisia

62

53

Turks & Caicos Islands

17

6

Uganda

47

26

Ukraine

59

33

United Arab Emirates

431

180

United States Minor Outlying Islands

..

5

Uruguay

35

27

Vanuatu

24

13

Venezuela

24

16

Vietnam

105

14

Virgin Islands (British)

28

19

Western Samoa

..

..

Zambia

79

86

Zimbabwe

311

546

Please note:

1. The ".." denotes a nil or negligible number of claimants or award amount based on a nil or negligible number of claimants.


Written Question
Visas: British Nationals Abroad
Thursday 9th February 2023

Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government which countries the UK has visa free travel arrangements with for British citizens.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

FCDO, who have responsibility for this information, have said that the information this question is requesting can be found in public domain https://visaguide.world/visa-free-countries/uk-passport/

We have included the list for ease:

Albania

American Samoa

Andorra

Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Aruba

Australia

Austria

Bahamas

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Bermuda

Bolivia

Caribbean Netherlands

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Bulgaria

Canada

Cabo Verde

Cayman Islands

Chile

Colombia

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Croatia

Curaçao

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Estonia

Falkland Islands

Faroe Islands

Fiji

Finland

France

French Guiana

French Polynesia

French West Indies

Georgia

Germany

Gibraltar

Greece

Greenland

Grenada

Guam

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

Indonesia

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Kazakhstan

Kiribati

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Latvia

Lesotho

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macau

Malaysia

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Mayotte

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Montserrat

Morocco

Namibia

Netherlands

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niue

North Macedonia

Northern Mariana Islands

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palestine

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Réunion

Romania

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Senegal

Serbia

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Martin

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Gambia

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turks and Caicos Islands

Türkiye

United States Virgin Islands

Ukraine

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vatican City

Venezuela

Vietnam

Zambia

Eswatin


Written Question
Fisheries: Russia
Monday 23rd January 2023

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to prevent Russian-owned vessels from fishing in the UK-Faroe Islands special area waters.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We were deeply concerned about Russian fishing activity under Faroese licences in the shared UK-Faroes Special Area last year and made this point very clear to the Faroese Government. We have formally requested urgent discussions with them on the issue, which we anticipate will take place in the coming weeks.


Written Question
Cetaceans: Faroe Islands
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has taken steps to use Britain’s trade relationship with the Faroe Islands to help stop the hunting of whales, dolphins and other cetaceans on the islands.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. UK Officials have raised its concerns at many fora including at the International Whaling Commission and through Faroese representation in London. The Department for International Trade will continue to utilise the opportunities provided by our Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese authorities on this important matter, including through the Joint Committee of the agreement.

Strong diplomatic and economic relationships with partners, enables us to have frank discussions on such issues.