Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Global Britain

Tuesday 6 September 2022 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial policy on uprating UK state pensions overseas is assessed for its alignment with the global Britain agenda.
  • The UK government emphasizes prioritizing Euro-Atlantic security and the Indo-Pacific tilt in its global Britain strategy.
  • UK pensioners living in Canada faced interruptions in pension payments over the summer due to proof of life form issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Dowd Lab Bootle
Ukraine Foreign Affairs Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises from concerns about the compatibility between the UK's pension policies and its diplomatic strategy. Specifically, it questions how the policy affects relationships with traditional allies.

Question

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government's policy on uprating UK state pensions overseas on delivering the Government's global Britain agenda. Does this policy align with maintaining strong ties with European and North American allies?

Answer from Rehman Chishti

The integrated review of foreign policy, defence and security sets out the Government's vision for global Britain. We are delivering this though our diplomatic, economic, development and security partnerships, prioritising Euro-Atlantic security and the Indo-Pacific tilt. We have become an Association of Southeast Asian Nations dialogue partner, and we have provided £2.3 billion-worth of military support to Ukraine.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific impact of pension uprating on global Britain was not addressed directly; the answer focused on broader foreign policy initiatives without addressing the pension issue specifically.

How: Changed Subject

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Q2 Barry Sheerman Lab
Ukraine
Context

The question arises from concerns about the UK's international standing and whether recent political statements have harmed relationships with traditional allies.

Question

Do these Ministers actually understand? Do they read the world's media? Do they not understand that we are alienated and isolated from all our traditional allies in Europe and from the United States?

Answer from Rehman Chishti

On what the hon. Member says about alienating the world, we should look at what really happened in practice. The United Kingdom led the world on stepping up and supporting the people of Ukraine. Whether militarily, economically, diplomatically or on a humanitarian basis, we have stepped up to the plate at every level in that regard.

Not addressed: The question was about perceptions and isolation but the answer focused on actions taken by the UK regarding Ukraine.

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Peter Dowd Lab Bootle
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Thousands of UK pensioners in Canada had their pensions stopped over the summer due to issues with proof of life forms, leading many into debt and requiring extended phone calls to reinstate pensions.

Question

Over the summer thousands of UK pensioners living in Canada had their pensions stopped as a result of proof of life forms not being sent. What does it say about global Britain if we cannot pay our pensioners abroad? What support can be given by the Department and British high commission to ensure reinstatement, and has this issue been sorted out with DWP?

Answer from Rehman Chishti

I thank the hon. Member for that question. I know he has had a written response from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who leads on this matter, and had a conversation with a Minister at the DWP. Let me answer specifically about pensions in Canada...

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific issue of pension reinstatement support was not fully addressed; instead, there is reference to ongoing work by DWP.

How: Referenced Previous Correspondence

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Q4 Fiona Bruce Con
Context

An independent review confirmed that there is still much to do to fully implement the Truro review. The MP seeks a meeting to discuss taking this forward.

Question

The recent independent review on progress has confirmed that there is still much to do to implement Truro in full; will the Minister meet me to discuss taking this forward?

Answer from Rehman Chishti

I will be delighted to do that—and, as a previous envoy, I appreciate my hon. Friend's brilliant work.

Not addressed: No specific commitments or timelines were given; the answer was vague and lacking in concrete details.

How: Vague Response

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