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165981

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of press freedom in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text <p>Freedom of expression in Iran is severely restricted. Iran has more journalists in prison than almost any other country. New outlets and online media are heavily censored and the majority of newspapers are now government controlled. We continue to urge Iran to guarantee the rights of all its citizens in line with its international obligations. We most recently raised our concerns around freedom of expression during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review during the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 215938 question first answered 28/11/2014 13:42:01 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

165982

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of restriction of access to the internet in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text Iran systematically filters and restricts access to the internet. Millions of websites are blocked, including social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Many Iranian citizens find technical ways around the restrictions but their online activity can put them at risk. In May 2014, eight Iranians were sentenced to a combined 123 years in prison for their Facebook activities. Charges included blasphemy, insulting the Supreme Leader, and spreading propaganda against the system. We urge Iran to allow freedom of expression, and respect the rights of all its citizens in line with its international obligations. We most recently raised our concerns around freedom of expression during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 28/11/2014 13:43:52 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

165983

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of religious freedom in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215937
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text In 2013, President Rouhani made a number of comments in support of greater religious freedom in Iran. Unfortunately, there has been no change in Iran’s approach over the past year. Religious minority groups in Iran continue to face widespread discrimination. The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 28/11/2014 13:54:13 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

165984

registered interest
date	25/11/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the detention of journalists in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215938
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text <p>Freedom of expression in Iran is severely restricted. Iran has more journalists in prison than almost any other country. New outlets and online media are heavily censored and the majority of newspapers are now government controlled. We continue to urge Iran to guarantee the rights of all its citizens in line with its international obligations. We most recently raised our concerns around freedom of expression during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review during the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 215935 question first answered 28/11/2014 13:42:01 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164307

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	NHS: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the NHS of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215642
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>There is no threat to the UK’s National Health Service from TTIP. This was confirmed again by the European Commission’s chief negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero at a meeting organised to the All Party Parliamentary Group on TTIP this week.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The chief negotiator outlined that EU public services are automatically excluded from all EU trade in service market liberalisation agreements. Publicly funded health services are specifically excluded. Member states decide how to deliver their public services and can change the delivery model at any time. TTIP will not change the fact that it is up to UK Government alone to decide how UK public services, including the NHS, are run.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 27/11/2014 17:24:11 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164317

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Housing: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations his Department has received on reducing the rate of VAT charged on the refurbishment of domestic dwellings; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>HM Treasury receives representations on many subjects including this one, and keeps all tax policy under review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South West Hertfordshire answering member printed Mr David Gauke question first answered 27/11/2014 17:50:42 answering member 1529 label Biography information for Mr David Gauke
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164357

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Antisemitism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had (a) with his counterparts from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and (b) in EU fora about the incidence of anti-Semitic attacks in those countries.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215644
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>The British Government is committed to combating anti-Semitism wherever it is found and supports the efforts of EU partners to tackle racism in all its forms.</p><p>As current Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), we will be discussing the recent rise in anti-Semitism across Europe (and particularly Holocaust denial and denigration) with European partners and others at the IHRA's Plenary Meetings in Manchester in December.</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also works very closely with the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, which provides expert advice on tackling anti-Semitism to other EU Member States.</p><p>The British Government was represented by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my Hon Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Ms Mordaunt), at the tenth anniversary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference and Declaration on Anti-Semitism, held in Berlin on 13 November. We hope the OSCE as a whole will take note of, and act upon, recommendations made at that conference.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 27/11/2014 16:03:07 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164404

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Antisemitism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of changes in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215618
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. We deplore all religious and racially-motivated attacks. Between 2012-13 and 2013-14 police-recorded race hate crime increased by 4% (an increase of 1,595 offences) and religious hate crime by 45% (an increase of 700 offences) in England and Wales. The increase in recorded hate crime shows that more victims are coming forward and that the police are improving the way they identify hate crimes, and we welcome this.</p><p>The Community Security Trust monitors levels of antisemitism. Their most recent report, published at the end of July covering the period of January to June 2014, highlighted that there had been a 36% increase in the number of antisemitic incidents recorded compared to the same period in 2013 (307 incidents in 2014, compared to 223 in 2013). Following this, they recorded 314 antisemitic incidents in July, and 229 in August, making the combined total for those two months higher than the total for the whole of 2013.</p><p>When these events occur it is vital that the police take action to engage effectively with communities. Police forces in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have recently been issued with new guidance for dealing with hate crimes, which includes advice on dealing with incidents and how to monitor and deal with community tensions.</p><p>We have also established a working group to tackle antisemitism which brings together community representatives and experts from across government to help explore issues affecting these communities.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 28/11/2014 17:00:27 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164434

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	Wales Office
answering dept id	28
answering dept short name	Wales
answering dept sort name	Wales
hansard heading	Railways: Electrification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the case for electrification on the North Wales coast mainline.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>Electrification of the North Wales main line would be a significant boost to the region’s transport links, maximising the benefits to be gained from the planned high speed line between Crewe and London.</p><p>I met with business leaders in North Wales on 27 November and visited Rhyl station to discuss the importance of rail improvements to North Wales and its connections to the North of England, and my hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State will over the next few weeks be meeting stakeholders in North Wales to discuss the case for investment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Preseli Pembrokeshire answering member printed Stephen Crabb question first answered 27/11/2014 17:15:39 answering member 1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

164436

registered interest
date	24/11/2014
answering body	Wales Office
answering dept id	28
answering dept short name	Wales
answering dept sort name	Wales
hansard heading	Railways: Electrification
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have held (i) orally and (ii) in writing with the Welsh Government about the electrification of the North Wales coast mainline.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	215643
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>The Wales Office has regular discussions with the Welsh Government about transport priorities in Wales, including the electrification of the North Wales main line. I am keen to continue to work with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders in North Wales to ensure that we make the strongest possible case for electrification.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Preseli Pembrokeshire answering member printed Stephen Crabb question first answered 27/11/2014 17:16:23 answering member 1554 label Biography information for Stephen Crabb
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb