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155434

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Direct Marketing: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to tackle the sending of unsolicited SMS messages which seek to advance illegal money-making scams; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	214346
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>Tackling nuisance calls and SMS text messages is a priority for the Department.</p><p>In May 2011, the Government provided the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) with a monetary penalty power of £500,000, under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003 to enforce the PECR more effectively.</p><p>The ICO has issued monetary penalties totaling £315,000 for SMS text messages. Details about enforcement action taken to date by them can be viewed at: <a href="http://ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/texts" target="_blank">http://ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/texts</a>.</p><p>On 15<sup>th</sup> July 2014, we amended Section 393 of the Communications Act 2003, which has enabled Ofcom to disclose information to ICO about organisations sending unsolicited texts.</p><p>On 25 October 2014, the Government published a consultation, which proposes to make it easier for ICO to take enforcement action against organisations, by lowering, or removing the legal threshold.</p><p>Additionally, the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland continue to support the fight against illegal money lenders. As well as arresting and prosecuting loan sharks, the teams work with community partners to provide access to advice and support for victims. Between April 2012 and June 2014, their Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) specialist work has resulted in 43 custodial sentences being handed down. In the same period, support has been provided to over 2800 victims. The IMLT works together with the new consumer credit regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), to police the market, and can prosecute those who are found to be lending illegally.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 18/11/2014 10:29:05 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight

155473

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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 representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on Abdolreza Ali Haghnejad and Silas Rabbani, sentenced to prison because of their religious beliefs.
tabling member constituency	Bootle
tabling member printed	Mr Joe Benton
uin	214357
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text We last raised with the Iranian government our ongoing concerns over the detention of prisoners of conscience and discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups in Iran during our interventions at the Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s Human Rights at the UN on 31 October. We have not raised these individual cases with the Iranian Government. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:24:58 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	479 label Biography information for Mr Joe Benton

155474

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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 representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on Farshid Fathi, Homayoun Shokouhi, Alireza Seyyedian and other Christians imprisoned in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Bootle
tabling member printed	Mr Joe Benton
uin	214387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>We last raised with the Iranian government our ongoing concerns over the detention of prisoners of conscience and discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups in Iran during our interventions at the Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s Human Rights at the UN on 31 October. We have not raised these individual cases with the Iranian Government.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:31:19 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	479 label Biography information for Mr Joe Benton

155475

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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 representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on (a) Vahid Hakkani, (b) Mojtaba Seyyed Alaedin Hossein and (c) other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Bootle
tabling member printed	Mr Joe Benton
uin	214355
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>We last raised with the Iranian government our ongoing concerns over the detention of prisoners of conscience and discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups in Iran during our interventions at the Universal Periodic Review of Iran’s Human Rights at the UN on 31 October. We have not raised these individual cases with the Iranian Government.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:11:54 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	479 label Biography information for Mr Joe Benton

155476

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 1034, on re-opening the British embassy in Tehran, what recent progress he has made on consular and embassy arrangements in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Hackney North and Stoke Newington
tabling member printed	Ms Diane Abbott
uin	214394
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>As I set out in the House on 6 November 2014, the Government remains committed to reopening the British Embassy in Tehran once we have resolved the outstanding steps required to bring the Embassy back to a functional level and concluded arrangements for re-establishing a visa service in Tehran. We are in ongoing discussion with the Iranian government to identify solutions on both issues.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:33:20 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	172 label Biography information for Ms Diane Abbott

155477

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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 assessment he has made of whether Iran's construction of a heavy-water research reactor at its Arak facility places that country in breach of its international obligations.
tabling member constituency	Wellingborough
tabling member printed	Mr Peter Bone
uin	214401
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Under UNSCR 1737 Iran is prohibited from undertaking heavy water-related activities. Under the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) agreed between the E3+3 and Iran, Iran committed to not make any further advances on the Arak reactor for the duration of the JPoA. The IAEA Director General’s 7 November report on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme confirms that Iran continues to abide by its nuclear commitments under the JPoA. The report also confirmed that the reactor remains under IAEA safeguards.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 17/11/2014 15:33:16 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1581 label Biography information for Mr Peter Bone

155478

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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, whether human rights abuses in Iran and that country's support for terror groups have been discussed as part of the nuclear negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran.
tabling member constituency	Wellingborough
tabling member printed	Mr Peter Bone
uin	214400
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text The nuclear negotiations between the E3+3 and Iran have focused entirely on resolving the nuclear issue. We do however remain extremely concerned both by Iran’s poor human rights record, and by its links to militant groups outside its borders. We continue to address these problems in our bilateral contacts with Iran and through multilateral channels such as the UN. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 17/11/2014 16:58:35 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1581 label Biography information for Mr Peter Bone

155479

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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	Visits Abroad
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2014 to Question 213577, when the cultural programme in Berlin for the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs took place; what engagements were part of that programme; what the cost to his Department was of providing support to the Cabinet Secretary on this programme; and if he will place in the Library correspondence relating to this programme.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	Margaret Curran
uin	214211
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs visited Berlin on 16-17 April 2013. Scottish Development International (SDI) Dusseldorf arranged and attended parts of the programme, with local support from British Embassy Berlin. The UK Government costs were met from within existing resources. Ms Hyslop met German State Minister Cornelia Pieper and the Europe Director General in the Germany Foreign Ministry. She hosted a lunch for Bundestag members from three parties. Ms Hyslop met Berlin based Glaswegian artist Douglas Gordon and visited an exhibition of his work as well as visiting the Neues Museum. The Embassy Residence hosted a trade focused dinner for Ms Hyslop. SDI sourced salmon, beef and whisky from Scottish suppliers for guests from the food and drink sector. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold any correspondence on this visit. answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 17/11/2014 17:24:43 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	3982 label Biography information for Margaret Curran

155480

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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, whether the issues of human rights and religious liberty in Iran were raised by Ministers and officials of his Department in their recent discussions with their counterparts in that country.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214233
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK most recently raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, including the rights of religious minorities, with the Iranian Government during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 31 October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:11:09 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

155481

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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	Nigeria
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 discussions he has had with the Nigerian government on reports of homophobic vigilantism in Kebbi State.
tabling member constituency	Hackney North and Stoke Newington
tabling member printed	Ms Diane Abbott
uin	214241
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text We are concerned by the recent reports of homophobic vigilantism in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Our High Commission in Abuja is seeking further information from contacts on the ground. The UK opposes any form of discrimination or persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation and any form of legislation that criminalises people on the basis of their sexuality. answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 18/11/2014 15:50:45 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	172 label Biography information for Ms Diane Abbott