Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Preference Utilisation Rates are in total for UK trade with (a) Antigua and Barbuda, (b) Bahamas, (c) Barbados, (d) Belize, (e) Dominica, (f) Dominican Republic, (g) Grenada, (h) Guyana, (i) Jamaica, (j) St Kitts and Nevis, (k) Saint Lucia, (l) St Vincent and Grenadines, (m) Suriname, (n) Trinidad and Tobago and (o) for the Cariforum Trade Bloc as a whole in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Data up to the end of January 2020 is publicly available, but no comparable data is available for after this period.
Exports analysis 2017-19: https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/159047.htm
Imports analysis 2017-19: https://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/html/159046.htm
Eurostat preference utilisation data for all periods 2000 to end January 2020: Easy Comext, Adjusted extra-EU imports since 2000 by tariff regime (DS-059281).
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the covid-19 vaccination rate in Jamaica.
Answered by Vicky Ford
As the Prime Minister has announced, vaccinations are a key part of ensuring we defeat this pandemic and return to normal. The UK has donated 300,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Jamaica. All residents of Jamaica aged 12 and over can now get access to vaccines, but the take-up rate remains low. As of 2 January 2021, 1.21 million doses have been administered. The number of fully vaccinated persons is 567,000, and 24% of the island's population has received at least one dose. We continue to work closely with Jamaica and support their vaccination implementation plan.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has discussed the Windrush Compensation Scheme with Prime Minister Holness of Jamaica.
Answered by Wendy Morton
This Government is resolute in our determination to see that members of the Windrush generation receive in full the compensation that they are entitled to.
The Caribbean Heads of Mission Quarterly meeting, which is attended by the High Commissioner for Jamaica, H.E. Seth G. Ramocan, and chaired by the relevant Minister from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, receive updates on the Windrush Compensation Scheme and wider Windrush issues. Windrush Compensation Scheme statistics are also shared with Caribbean officials on a monthly basis to ensure they have the latest information on the Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken following the remarks by the High Commissioner for Jamaica on 4 November: “from a human rights perspective I am deeply concerned about cases in which persons are being removed having lived in the UK since childhood and have no known relations in Jamaica or familiarity with Jamaica”.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We are committed to an immigration policy which welcomes and celebrates people here legally, but which deters illegal immigration, prevents the abuse of benefits and services, removes immigration offenders and foreign national offenders from the UK and disrupts the Organised Crime Groups that prey on the vulnerable.
We worked very closely with the authorities in Jamaica and the Jamaican High Commission in the UK in the planning of this charter flight.
The Government is clear that foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Under the UK Borders Act 2007, the Home Secretary is required by law to make a deportation order in respect of a foreign national convicted in the UK and sentenced to at least 12 months’ imprisonment, unless an exception applies.
A person’s age upon arrival to the UK or length of time they have lived in the UK are not exceptions to automatic deportation but may be relevant factors, as well as the strength of their social, cultural and family ties in the UK, in considering whether a human rights exception applies. All human rights claims and claims to have been a victim of modern slavery are fully considered and determined before deportation including, where applicable, via the Courts.
The Home Office supports two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Jamaica who provide re-integration support to those who are deported. This includes initial reception support and longer-term support including training and skills to enable them to find employment within Jamaica. They can also provide emotional and wellbeing support to those who need it. The UK is one of the few countries in the world who provide this support.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which countries exported dogs commercially into the UK in the first eight months of 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The information the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. APHA cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS and PIMS by traders.
APHA can only provide data for imports entering Great Britain.
Dogs commercially imported into GB - Country of Origin. | |||
Argentina | Egypt | Lithuania | Russian Federation |
Australia | Estonia | Macao | Saudi Arabia |
Austria | Ethiopia | Malaysia | Serbia |
Bahamas | Finland | Malta | Singapore |
Bahrain | France | Mexico | Slovakia |
Barbados | Germany | Namibia | Slovenia |
Belarus | Greece | Nepal | South Africa |
Belgium | Hong Kong | Netherlands | South Korea |
Bermuda | Hungary | New Zealand | Spain |
Brazil | Iceland | Nigeria | Sweden |
Bulgaria | India | Northern Ireland | Switzerland |
Canada | Indonesia | Norway | Taiwan |
Cayman Islands | Israel | Oman | Thailand |
China | Italy | Panama | Turkey |
Colombia | Jamaica | Peru | Ukraine |
Costa Rica | Japan | Philippines | United Arab Emirates |
Croatia | Jordan | Poland | United States of America |
Cyprus | Kenya | Portugal | Zimbabwe |
Czechia | Kuwait | Qatar |
|
Denmark | Latvia | Republic of Ireland |
|
Ecuador | Lebanon | Romania |
|
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2021 to Question 41845 on Deportation: Jamaica and Zimbabwe, whether any of the people deported on the charter flight to (a) Zimbabwe on 21 July 2021 and (b) Jamaica on 11 August 2021 or any of those who were scheduled for deportation on those two flights but were not placed on the planes on the day were under the age of 12 when they came to the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to my response of 8 September 2021 (UIN: 41845).
We do not routinely comment on individual cases. As stated in my previous response, a person’s age upon arrival to the UK or their nationality are not automatic exceptions to deportation under the UK Borders Act 2007. These may be relevant factors when determining whether an exception applies and an Article 8 claim pursuant to the Immigration Rules. Those deported will have been provided with the opportunity to raise claims and all claims are fully considered and decided upon before deportation, including, where applicable, via the Courts. I will continue to remove dangerous criminals and those with no rights to be in the UK from the country.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any of those people deported on the charter flight to (a) Zimbabwe on 21 July 2021 and (b) Jamaica on 11 August 2021 or any of those who were scheduled for deportation on those two flights but were not placed on the planes on the day were under the age of 12 when they came to the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is fully committed to discharging the obligation under the UK Borders Act 2007, which is that a non-British citizen convicted of an offence in the UK and sentenced to 12 months or more imprisonment and to whom an exception does not apply is deported from the UK. A person’s age upon arrival to the UK or their nationality are not exceptions to automatic deportation, but may be relevant factors in considering whether an exception applies.
The length of time a person has lived in the UK, as well as the strength of their social, cultural and family ties to the UK, are factors considered when determining any Article 8 claim and whether there are very compelling circumstances which satisfy the requirements of the Immigration Rules. A foreign criminal is given the opportunity to make submissions as to why they should not be deported and all claims raised are fully considered and decided upon before deportation, including, where applicable, via the Courts.
We only return those with no legal right to remain in the UK, including foreign national offenders. Individuals are only returned to their country of origin when the Home Office and, where applicable, the Courts deem it is safe to do so.
Our priority will always be to keep our communities safe and since January 2019 we have removed 8,441 foreign criminals.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, UK Minister of State for the Caribbean, speak to Ministerial colleagues in Jamaica regularly with the most recent such call on 29 June 2021. The UK High Commissioner to Jamaica is also in close contact with the Government of Jamaica including Prime Minister Andrew Holness. They last met on 14 August 2021.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time UK armed forces personnel are currently deployed overseas, by country of deployment.
Answered by James Heappey
In addition to the 7,025 at sea in Ships and Submarines around the globe, figures for those deployed overseas on 22 Jul 2021, including in Defence Sections of Embassies, International Headquarters, permanent deployments, on UN Duties, on Operations, participating in international exercises, or in support of other Defence activity, are listed in the table below. This represents a snapshot as numbers are continuously changing. Some of these details have been withheld due to operational sensitivity, including our current presence in Afghanistan.
COUNTRY | Personnel |
ALBANIA | 1 |
ALGERIA | 2 |
ARGENTINA | 2 |
AUSTRALIA | 200 |
AUSTRIA | 2 |
BAHRAIN | 193 |
BANGLADESH | 1 |
BARBADOS | 3 |
BELGIUM | 280 |
BELIZE | 67 |
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA | 3 |
BRAZIL | 2 |
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM | 734 |
BULGARIA | 1 |
CAMEROON | 17 |
CANADA | 295 |
CHAD | 1 |
CHILE | 2 |
CHINA | 5 |
COLOMBIA | 3 |
CROATIA | 5 |
CURACAO | 2 |
CYPRUS | 3,272 |
CZECH REPUBLIC | 18 |
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO | 4 |
DENMARK | 4 |
DIEGO GARCIA | 43 |
DJIBOUTI | 4 |
EGYPT | 4 |
ESTONIA | 716 |
ETHIOPIA | 2 |
FALKLAND ISLANDS | 843 |
FIJI | 1 |
FINLAND | 1 |
FRANCE | 83 |
GEORGIA | 34 |
GERMANY | 585 |
GHANA | 3 |
GIBRALTAR | 516 |
GREECE | 53 |
INDIA | 8 |
INDONESIA | 2 |
IRAQ | 152 |
IRELAND | 1 |
ISRAEL | 4 |
ITALY | 196 |
JAMAICA | 2 |
JAPAN | 5 |
JORDAN | 215 |
KAZAKHSTAN | 2 |
KENYA | 617 |
KOSOVO | 36 |
KUWAIT | 84 |
LATVIA | 19 |
LEBANON | 4 |
LITHUANIA | 2 |
MALAYSIA | 7 |
MALI | 442 |
MEXICO | 2 |
MOLDOVA | 1 |
MOROCCO | 2 |
NEPAL | 69 |
NETHERLANDS | 116 |
NEW ZEALAND | 6 |
NIGERIA | 53 |
NORTH MACEDONIA | 3 |
NORWAY | 49 |
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES | 6 |
OMAN | 235 |
PAKISTAN | 13 |
POLAND | 164 |
PORTUGAL | 27 |
QATAR | 134 |
ROMANIA | 175 |
RUSSIAN FEDERATION | 1 |
SAINT HELENA, ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA | 23 |
SAUDI ARABIA | 142 |
SENEGAL | 6 |
SERBIA | 1 |
SEYCHELLES | 1 |
SIERRA LEONE | 2 |
SINGAPORE | 9 |
SLOVAKIA | 1 |
SLOVENIA | 11 |
SOMALIA | 63 |
SOUTH AFRICA | 2 |
SOUTH KOREA | 7 |
SOUTH SUDAN | 5 |
SPAIN | 37 |
SRI LANKA | 1 |
SWEDEN | 3 |
THAILAND | 2 |
TUNISIA | 4 |
TURKEY | 46 |
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS | 15 |
UGANDA | 2 |
UKRAINE | 436 |
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | 141 |
UNITED STATES | 1,053 |
UZBEKISTAN | 1 |
VIETNAM | 2 |
ZAMBIA | 6 |
ZIMBABWE | 1 |
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2021 to Question 19597 on Caribbean: Overseas Aid, of the £456 million of Official Development Assistance in the priority ODA-eligible Caribbean countries, how much was spent on advancing global LGBT rights in (a) Antigua & Barbuda, (b) Belize, (c) Dominica, (d) Grenada, (e) Guyana, (f) Jamaica, (g) St Lucia and (h) St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of LGBT+ people around the world, including in the Caribbean. We have several global programmes that have had specific Caribbean components, not least those supporting the work of The Commonwealth Equality Network. Due to the classifications set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the regional nature of some of this project work, we do not hold information on country by country spend on LGBT+ rights.