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Nigeria

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that Nigeria upholds the values of the Commonwealth.

Asked by

Lord Sheikh (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

7 April 2010

As I said in the House on 30 March in response to the noble Baroness Cox of Queensbury, we condemn the recent violence near Jos (House of Lords, Official Report, 30 March 2010, col. 1287), which resulted in such terrible loss of life. I raised UK concerns with the then Foreign Minister Maduekwe on 20 January, and my honourable friend the Minister of State Ivan Lewis spoke to the Foreign Minister on 15 March. Our High Commission in Abuja remains in regular contact with the Nigerian Government at state and federal level on this issue. The situation on the ground has now stabilised, although a curfew remains in place in Jos between 2100 and 0600 hours. The Department for International Development (DfID)’s representatives in Nigeria began discussions with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on assistance to victims of conflict in Jos in mid-March 2010. Previously, DfID had provided £200,000 to ICRC for its overall work in Nigeria, which has helped to meet immediate needs. Decisions on any additional funding will be made on the basis of a needs assessment currently being carried out by the ICRC. More broadly, our High Commission in Abuja and DfID will continue its programme of outreach and interfaith activity to promote dialogue between different communities to foster reconciliation and tolerance. We will also continue to press the Government of Nigeria on the importance of ensuring security for its citizens and protecting freedom of religion as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We encourage all Commonwealth states to uphold the values of the Commonwealth, as reiterated at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2009, with the issuing of the Trinidad and Tobago Affirmation on Commonwealth Values and Principles. We also maintain a close dialogue with Nigeria through the Commonwealth forum. For example during last year’s CHOGM I had productive discussions with Foreign Minister Maduekwe .

Date

7 April 2010

Reference

3219; 718 c439-40WA

House

House of Lords

Marine Environment: Protection

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are collaborating with other Commonwealth countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat in establishing networks of marine protected areas, and in particular to help local fisheries in developing countries of the Commonwealth.

Asked by

Lord Hunt of Chesterton (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

23 March 2010

Reference

2765; 718 c282WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the government of Rwanda's progress towards achieving the principles in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration, with particular reference to the forthcoming Rwandan presidential election.

Asked by

Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

15 March 2010

Reference

2712; 718 c141-2WA

House

House of Lords

Finance: UK Contributions

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the United Kingdom's gross financial contribution for calendar year 2009 was to (a) the European Union, (b) the Commonwealth, (c) the World Trade Organisation, (d) the United Nations, (e) the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (f) the International Monetary Fund, and (g) the...

Asked by

Lord Willoughby de Broke (UK Independence Party)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

8 March 2010

The United Kingdom's interests are represented through its membership in various international institutions and fora. Information regarding the UK's financial relationship with a particular institution is a matter for the relevant government department. The Government's latest estimate of the UK's gross contribution to the EU in 2009, after taking account of the UK abatement, is £7,770 million. This information is available in Table 3, page 62, of the 2009 European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 7640), which is available in the Library of the House. Quota subscriptions determine the amount a member country can be asked to lend to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The UK’s net contribution under its quota subscription was £1,134 million in 2008/09. The UK also provided £624,000 in grants in 2008/09 to support the IMF’s work in low-income countries. Further information on UK financial contributions to the IMF is available on a net basis for 2008/09 in the Government's latest report to Parliament on the UK and the IMF, published in June 2009. Information for the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are matters for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The most recent Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) annual report shows that for 2009/10 the FCO's budgeted provision the Commonwealth Secretariat was £4.6 million, for the UN regular budget was £75.6 million and for the OECD was £12.5 million. Information on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is a matter for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The WTO subscription for the 2009 calendar year was £6,061,004 (Swiss Francs 9,652,149), and was paid on 26 January 2009. Information on the World Bank is a matter for the Department for International Development (DFID). In 2008/09 the UK contributed £524,806 to the International Development Association and made other contributions to the World Bank of £48,846.2009/2010 figures are not yet available but will be published on DfID’s website at the end of the financial year.

Date

8 March 2010

Reference

2331; 718 c9WA

House

House of Lords

Finance: UK Contributions

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the United Kingdom's gross financial contribution for the calendar year 2009, in sterling, to (a) the European Union, (b) the Commonwealth, (d) the World Trade Organisation, (e) the United Nations, (f) the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (g) the International Monetary Fund,...

Asked by

Lord Willoughby de Broke (UK Independence Party)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

8 March 2010

Date

8 March 2010

Reference

1722; 718 c9WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the admission of Rwanda to the Commonwealth was discussed in the Cabinet.

Asked by

Lord Tebbit (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

8 March 2010

Reference

2102; 718 c24WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2 February (WA 30–1) stating that Rwanda's bid to join the Commonwealth had been discussed publicly, whether any of those discussions took place in either House of Parliament.

Asked by

Lord Tebbit (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

4 March 2010

Reference

2101; 717 c387-8WA

House

House of Lords

Deportation: Commonwealth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from each Commonwealth country have been deported in (a) each of the last three years and (b) 2010 to date.

Asked by

Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

24 February 2010

For answer on

26 February 2010

Answered on

4 March 2010

The following table shows the number of nationals of each Commonwealth country removed or departed voluntarily, 2007 to 2009. Figures for 2010 are not currently available. Statistics for the first quarter of 2010 will be published on the 27 May 2010.The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:"http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html"

Removals and voluntary departures of Commonwealth nationals from the United Kingdom¹,², by country of nationality³, 2007 to 20094,7
Number of departures
Country of nationality	2007	20087	20097
Antigua and Barbuda	65	35	40
Australia	655	680	670
Bahamas	10	10	10
Bangladesh	1,310	1,850	1,200
Barbados	75	95	80
Belize	15	15	10
Botswana	80	55	70
Brunei	5	10	10
Cameroon	365	235	235
Canada	795	845	785
Cyprus	10	5	*
Dominica	60	50	50
Fiji5	20	20	20
Gambia	230	185	150
Ghana	1,040	1,350	980
Grenada	90	85	85
Guyana	60	55	50
India	3,965	5,320	5,740
Jamaica	1,570	1,625	1,105
Kenya	330	360	365
Kiribati	—	—	5
Lesotho	15	25	15
Malawi	300	375	495
Malaysia	2,065	2,040	1,410
Maldives	10	10	15
Malta	*	*	*
Mauritius	660	760	665
Mozambique	10	15	15
Namibia	250	170	150
Nauru	5	—	*
New Zealand	225	260	260
Nigeria	3,500	3,660	2,890
Pakistan	3,895	3,160	2,990
Papua New Guinea	5	*	5
Rwanda6	35	30	30
Samoa	*	*	5
Seychelles	75	40	40
Sierra Leone	255	190	120
Singapore	115	120	100
Solomon Islands	5	—	—
South Africa	1,900	1,645	1,290
Sri Lanka	775	705	695
St. Kitts and Nevis	30	20	20
St. Lucia	165	160	115
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	90	80	75
Swaziland	40	45	30
Tanzania	155	165	170
Tonga	10	10	10
Trinidad and Tobago	350	310	270
Tuvalu	—	—	*
Uganda	425	455	390
Vanuatu	5	—	—
Zambia	120	140	140
Commonwealth total	26,230	27,480	24,080
¹ Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities and non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed.
² Figures include dependants.
³ Includes Commonwealth member states as at 25 February 2010. the full list is available from the Commonwealth Secretariat website at:
www.thecommonwealth.org
4 Figures rounded to the nearest five (— = 0, * = one or two) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.
5 Following the decisions taken by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on 31 July 2009, Fiji Islands was suspended from membership of the Commonwealth on 1 September 2009.
6 Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in November 2009.
7 Provisional figures. Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken.

Date

4 March 2010

Reference

506 c1375-6W; 319580

House

House of Commons

Commonwealth: Diplomatic Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) Canadians, (b) Australians, (c) New Zealanders and (d) Indians used UK consular facilities in absence of representation of their country in (a) each of the last three years and (b) 2010 to date.

Asked by

Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party)

Answering body

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

1 March 2010

Reference

506 c839W; 319583

House

House of Commons

Elections: Registration

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks are made by electoral registration offices on whether Commonwealth citizens applying to register have the right to remain in the United Kingdom; whether electoral registration offices are required to check Commonwealth citizens already registered each time they change address; and what advice the...

Asked by

Lord Laird (Ulster Unionist Party)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

23 February 2010

For the purposes of registering to vote, a "qualifying Commonwealth citizen" is an individual who either does not need leave to enter and remain in the United Kingdom, or who does need such leave and has it (Section 4(1) and (6) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 ("the 1983 Act")). Regulations made under the 1983 Act (the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001), provide that a person’s application for registration must, among other things, state their nationality and include a declaration that the details given in the application are true. The Electoral Registration Officer has the power to require any person to provide information relating to the eligibility of that applicant, namely regarding their age, nationality, residence and whether or not they are disqualified (Regulation 23). Where an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has doubts about a person’s nationality or immigration status, the ERO may require the person to provide evidence including a statutory declaration that he or she is a qualifying Commonwealth citizen (Regulation 24). Provision of false information to a registration officer for any purpose connected with the registration of electors is an offence. Where any elector changes address they must make an application for registration at their new address providing details of the address where they were previously registered. The procedure is the same as for other registration, and the Electoral Registration Officer may require the same information to be produced in relation to nationality. In addition, the details of all electors, whether resident in the UK or overseas (except service voters), are verified each year by way of the annual canvass. If the Electoral Registration Officer is not satisfied that a person is eligible to be registered at an address or does not otherwise fulfil conditions for registration, including nationality, then the Electoral Registration Officer may remove that elector from the register. The UK Border Agency has not issued specific advice on this issue. Electoral Commission guidance states that: ""If the Electoral Registration Officer has any doubts about the eligibility of any applicant, they have the power to require any person to provide information relating to the eligibility of that applicant, namely regarding their age, nationality, residence and whether or not they are disqualified.""Additionally, if the Electoral Registration Officer has doubts about the age or nationality of any applicant, they may also require that person to provide evidence demonstrating that they meet either or both of these requirements.""The items which should be accepted by the Electoral Registration Officer as evidence of a person's age or nationality include:""a birth certificate or a statutory declaration stating the applicant's date of birth; and""a certificate of naturalisation a document showing they have become a Commonwealth citizen""a statutory declaration that they are a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a European Union citizen.""

Date

23 February 2010

Reference

2057; 717 c279-80WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their decision to support the admission of Rwanda to the Commonwealth was debated in either House of Parliament.

Asked by

Lord Tebbit (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 February 2010

Reference

1868; 717 c122WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Brett on 12 January (WA 152), stating that it is not the practice to ratify decisions to admit new members to the Commonwealth, when the decision of Her Majesty's Government to support the admission of Rwanda to the...

Asked by

Lord Tebbit (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

2 February 2010

Reference

1540; 717 c30-1WA

House

House of Lords

Business of the House

I am sure the Leader of the House and all colleagues in the House will pay tribute to our armed forces in Afghanistan, whom I had the pleasure of visiting last week. What was very sad and very annoying was that when we went through Brize Norton, Commonwealth soldiers who...

Member

Mike Penning (Conservative)

Type

Business questions

Date

28 January 2010

Reference

504 c960

House

House of Commons

Business of the House

I will ask the Secretary of State for Defence to write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of his letter in the House of Commons Library.

Member

Baroness Harman (Labour)

Type

Proceeding contributions

Date

28 January 2010

Reference

504 c960

House

House of Commons

Armed Forces: A400M

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any enquiries from any other members of the Commonwealth as to the possibility of buying the A400M aircraft.

Asked by

Lord Gilbert (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

25 January 2010

Reference

1245; 716 c287WA

House

House of Lords

Uganda

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Trinidad in November 2009 about the Commonwealth's human rights agenda in the light of the Ugandan anti-homosexuality Bill.

Asked by

Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

20 January 2010

Reference

1231; 716 c272-3WA

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they and the Commonwealth are taking to ensure that the government of Rwanda extradite Laurent Nkunda to stand trial at The Hague for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kiwanja and Rutshuru.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

12 January 2010

Reference

716 c151WA; 972

House

House of Lords

Rwanda

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 14 December 2009 (WA 175), when the admission of Rwanda to the Commonwealth was debated or approved by either House of Parliament.

Asked by

Lord Tebbit (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

12 January 2010

Reference

1026; 716 c152WA

House

House of Lords

Constitution: Succession

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the law on succession to the Crown or proposals for changing that law have been discussed with other Commonwealth countries; and, if so, what was the outcome of such discussions.

Asked by

Baroness Quin (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

11 January 2010

Reference

645; 716 c125WA

House

House of Lords

Commonwealth: Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 November 2009, Official Report, columns 113-14WS, on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting; if he will publish the Commonwealth Health Compact agreement; whether under the agreement Commonwealth citizens who are visitors and lawfully...

Asked by

Andrew Mackinlay (Labour)

Answering body

Department for International Development

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 January 2010

Reference

503 c604-5W; 309548

House

House of Commons

Number
2006-07
Total assistance cases	34,874
of which:
unrepresented Commonwealth nationals	200
2007-08
Total assistance cases	25,092
of which:
unrepresented Commonwealth Nationals	155

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