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1222512

registered interest
date	09/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her Department's policy is on the use of the Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	71670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom has already negotiated investment agreements with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions with over 90 trading partners. The precise details of any future Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) are a matter for formal negotiations, and we would not seek to pre-empt these discussions.</p><p>HM Government recognises the important role that investment protections with ISDS can play in protecting British investors abroad – including pensioners across the country through their pension funds, and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Where ISDS is included in future agreements, we will seek to ensure fair outcomes of claims and high ethical standards for arbitrators, with increased transparency and efficiency of proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>The conduct of ISDS cases is a matter for the parties involved in the dispute and the arbitral tribunal responsible for the proceedings under the relevant international investment agreement. HM Government is not a party to any such proceedings.</p> answering member constituency North East Hampshire answering member printed Mr Ranil Jayawardena grouped question UIN 71671 question first answered 17/07/2020 10:10:19 answering member 4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1222513

registered interest
date	09/07/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to help suspend Investor-State dispute settlement cases against Governments in countries that are affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	71671
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2020 answer text <p>The United Kingdom has already negotiated investment agreements with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions with over 90 trading partners. The precise details of any future Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) are a matter for formal negotiations, and we would not seek to pre-empt these discussions.</p><p>HM Government recognises the important role that investment protections with ISDS can play in protecting British investors abroad – including pensioners across the country through their pension funds, and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Where ISDS is included in future agreements, we will seek to ensure fair outcomes of claims and high ethical standards for arbitrators, with increased transparency and efficiency of proceedings.</p><p> </p><p>The conduct of ISDS cases is a matter for the parties involved in the dispute and the arbitral tribunal responsible for the proceedings under the relevant international investment agreement. HM Government is not a party to any such proceedings.</p> answering member constituency North East Hampshire answering member printed Mr Ranil Jayawardena grouped question UIN 71670 question first answered 17/07/2020 10:10:19 answering member 4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1222520

registered interest
date	09/07/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Ports: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment the Government has made of the preparedness of the ports of (a) Holyhead, (b) Milford Haven, (c) Cardiff, (d) Newport, (e) Port Talbot, (f) Fishguard and (g) Swansea to adapt to changes to customs rules and physical checks requirements following the end of the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	71672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2020 answer text <p>Further to the <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-07-13/debates/0D7B7068-3104-49E8-BF0A-A094729AB9C6/EUExitEndOfTransitionPeriod#contribution-8BF8002B-6520-4548-814A-520B785A823E" target="_blank">answer by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster</a>, the Cabinet Office's Border and Protocol Delivery Group is working with Government departments and with Welsh Government officials and with ports in Wales on their requirements for the end of the Transition Period.</p> answering member constituency Portsmouth North answering member printed Penny Mordaunt question first answered 16/07/2020 15:39:01 answering member 4017 label Biography information for Penny Mordaunt
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1222523

registered interest
date	09/07/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Ports: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential risk of smuggling through Welsh ports after the end of the transition period; and what steps the Government it taking to mitigate that risk.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	71673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2020 answer text <p>The UK has now left the EU, providing a once in a generation opportunity to take back control and strengthen the security of the UK border as a whole.</p><p> </p><p>In December, the Government announced a plan to strengthen our border security. This included introducing the collection of pre-arrival goods data to stop smuggling and enable us to more effectively target illicit commodities travelling from the EU to the UK, the power to stop EU criminals at the border once we have ended free movement, the phasing out the use of European ID cards that are regularly used fraudulently given their insecurity compared to passports as well as introducing Electronic Travel Authorisation to provide an enhanced ability to screen arrivals and block threats from entering the UK.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 14/07/2020 16:20:34 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1222085

registered interest
date	08/07/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to undertake an independent quality assurance review of RBS Global Restructuring Group's treatment of SMEs.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	70993
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>The fact that there were areas of widespread inappropriate treatment of firms by RBS GRG is clearly unacceptable. RBS rightly apologised for these mistakes, and set up a scheme to compensate victims. This scheme has, to date, paid out [£150] million to complainants.</p><p> </p><p>This complaints process, overseen by Sir William Blackburne, adds a robust, transparent and independent step to the complaints process, should SME customers who were in GRG wish to complain about their treatment or challenge the bank’s decision on a previous complaint.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore the Government will not establish an independent quality assurance review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 13/07/2020 10:46:14 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1221569

registered interest
date	07/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage: Humanism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress has been made on granting legal recognition to humanist marriages; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling Senedd Cymru to legalise humanist marriages in Wales.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	70334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission will conduct a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government looks forward to publication of the Law Commission’s consultation paper in September and, following the final report, will decide on provision on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.</p><p>Marriage law remains a reserved matter.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 13/07/2020 16:32:09 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1221064

registered interest
date	06/07/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Military Aircraft: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the RAF’s Texan T1 trainer aircraft has been cleared to operate over water.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	69464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2020 answer text <p>The operation of Texan T1 trainers over water is currently minimised on a temporary basis. This is because as part of the aircraft certification process, the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) deemed that the harness on this particular aircraft could not currently be fitted with a water-activated quick-release mechanism which would be required if a pilot became incapacitated in a sea survival situation. Also, in extreme cold weather survival situations, the life raft would not provide extended thermal protection period for the pilot. The RAF is working as a priority exploring options for a new combination of life raft, harness and life jacket on Texan aircraft, that would enable the review of this restriction.</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 09/07/2020 09:44:28 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1219240

registered interest
date	30/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts: Developing Countries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the upcoming G20 meeting of Finance Ministers, what steps he has taken to facilitate debt relief for developing countries.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	66815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2020 answer text <p>HM Government is concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the debt vulnerabilities low-income developing countries, which were already at worrying levels before the crisis.</p><p> </p><p>While the UK cancelled most of our low-income developing country debt under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, the Chancellor joined his G20 counterparts to commit to a temporary suspension on debt service repayments from the 77 poorest countries under the debt service suspension initiative (DSSI). Through the DSSI, official creditors will provide up to US$12bn of cash flow relief to help countries respond to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor and his counterparts will be meeting with his G20 counterparts later this month, in part to discuss DSSI implementation. The DSSI provides the breathing room for countries to respond to the crisis and for the international community to determine what further support may be needed for countries on a case-by-case basis. If debts do require restructuring, the UK will work with the Paris Club of official creditors, IMF, and WBG to support equitable debt reductions and long-term sustainable growth.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 06/07/2020 07:55:30 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1218853

registered interest
date	29/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	RAF Valley: Noise
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce noise nuisance from Texan T1 aircraft operating from RAF Y Fali over north west Wales.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	65945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence recognises that while aircraft bases bring significant benefits to their local area, the noise generated by aircraft can have an impact on local communities. Unfortunately, a level of disturbance is unavoidable.</p><p> </p><p>RAF Valley takes its responsibilities to the public very seriously and seeks to minimise the impact of noise on local residents as far as possible. Restrictions are placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of all military aircraft, including the Texan T1, and the amount of training conducted is limited to the operational requirement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 02/07/2020 08:10:06 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams

1218058

registered interest
date	25/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business Rates: Wales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the valuation of properties under the Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Domestic Property) (Wales) Order 2010, what guidance his Department has issued to the Valuation Office Agency on non-domestic properties that have been let out to key workers during the covid-19 pandemic; and what discussions he has had with representatives from the Welsh Government on that matter.
tabling member constituency	Arfon
tabling member printed	Hywel Williams
uin	64856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>Business rates and ratings are devolved in Wales, and are therefore a matter for the Welsh Government.</p><p> </p><p>In England, to be classed as non-domestic property the owner must have made the property available for commercial short-term letting for at least 140 days in the last year; to have actually let it for a total of at least 70 days; and have arranged for it to be available on the same basis over the next 12 months.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 64857 question first answered 30/06/2020 15:24:29 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1397 label Biography information for Hywel Williams