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  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to seek to remain a member of Europol following the UK’s departure from the EU.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Prime Minister has made clear that law enforcement cooperation with our European partners will continue after the UK leaves the EU we will do what is necessary to keep our people safe.

    We value the role of Europol in helping law enforcement agencies coordinate investigations in cross border organised crime. We are exploring options for our relationship with Europol once the UK has left the EU but it is too early to speculate at this stage what future arrangments may look like.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reported criticisms that official school textbooks used in Pakistan contain references capable of provoking religious prejudice and hatred, whether they plan to discuss with the government of Pakistan the content of those textbooks, in particular those used in Punjab and Sindh provinces.

    Lord Bates

    The majority of the Department of International Development’s (DFID) education programmes in Pakistan support the work of the Governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Both governments are aiming to improve the quality of education, including through reviewing and replacing text books, implementing Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum, and improving teaching standards through regular and better quality teacher training.

    Independent evaluations of the reformed curriculum have confirmed it to be based on values of democracy, pluralism, and peace. UK development programmes are assisting these provincial government efforts. In Sindh, we do not work with Government but rather we partner with the low cost private sector to get more poor children into school. So far 121,343 previously out of school children in the poorest areas of Sindh are now being educated.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the recent attacks in Silwan and the fatal shooting of Ali Alef Shyoukhi.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ use of live fire. We remain concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents. We regularly raise these concerns with the Israeli Government, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability.

  • Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Green of Deddington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Green of Deddington on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what preparations the international community has made for the protection of the human rights of women and minorities in Syria in a post-Assad regime.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK is clear that Syria needs a political transition leading to a more accountable, inclusive, representative form of governance than the Asad regime. A fundamental element of transition needs to be a commitment to protect Syria’s minorities and to promote the role of women in the political process and beyond.

    Within the International Syria Support Group and in our close work with the moderate opposition, we promote the inclusion and safeguarding of minorities and women as the political process progresses.

    The international community is working with the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee. At a launch hosted by the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) in September, they set out a progressive and compelling vision for political transition in Syria, emphasising among other things their commitment to the protection of all components of Syrian society and to promoting women’s rights.

    The Government has provided £7 million in direct support to gender related projects in Syria since the start of the crisis. For financial year 2016/17, we are due to spend a further £1.9m. Across the 2016 programme, all projects are gender sensitive, with action being taken to raise awareness of gender equality issues, promote the empowerment of women, and gather evidence and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence.

  • Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress made by the African Union pilot project to respond to the needs of victims of sexual violence in the Central African Republic.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    An early assessment suggested that progress on the pilot of the project to respond to the needs on victims of sexual violence was not as swift as we had hoped but that lessons were being learned. We are discussing with the African Union (AU) on how we can better coordinate efforts to address sexual violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

    The UK Government will continue to work with the AU and UN to support their efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in CAR. We plan to use the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Rules Based International System Strategy Fund to support this work, particularly in regions outside of the Capital, Bangui.

  • Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will offer support to the government of Liberia, in the context of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Mission in Liberia report Addressing Impunity for Rape in Liberia; and what diplomatic action they plan to take to encourage other nations to provide assistance in this regard.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly raise sexual violence issues with the government of Liberia, UN agencies and diplomatic colleagues in Liberia. Our Ambassador will discuss this report with relevant parties over the coming weeks to assess where the UK might usefully support the government of Liberia and UN agencies to ensure those responsible for these crimes are held to account.

  • Lord Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hussain on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India concerning violence in Indian-administered Kashmir and the continued curfew order in place in cities and towns.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain concerned by reports of violence and offer our condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) said in the House of Commons on 18 October, the UK’s long-standing position, held by successive Governments, is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as mediator.

  • Lord Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hussain on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the government of India’s recent refusal to allow access to representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to investigate possible human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir, what representations they are making to the government of India to enable those investigations to be undertaken.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports of human rights abuses in Indian-administered Kashmir. Any allegation of human rights abuse in any country is a matter of concern and should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

  • Lord Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the agreement by the partner countries of the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey to lend Airbus Military €1.5 billion to support production of the A400M aircraft, how many of those aircraft (1) have been purchased by, and (2) are on order from, each of those partner countries.

    Earl Howe

    The six A400M partner nations have agreed to procure 170 aircraft from Airbus Defence & Space. Aircraft deliveries commenced in 2013 and are expected to continue into the next decade. Please see below the number of aircraft delivered, and the number ordered but yet to be delivered, as at 21 October 2016.

    Partner nation

    Aircraft delivered

    Total ordered aircraft

    Belgium

    0

    8 (including 1 aircraft for Luxembourg)

    France

    10

    50

    Germany

    5

    53

    Spain

    0

    27

    Turkey

    3

    10

    United Kingdom

    11

    22
  • Lord Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Lord Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the £530 million loan to Airbus in 2000 to support production of the A380 aircraft, how many of those aircraft have been purchased by UK airlines.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The repayable investment to support the development of the A380 wing and fuel system in the UK has secured over 2,000 UK jobs since the aircraft entered service in 2007.

    Airbus has received 319 orders for the A380 from airline customers world-wide and have made 195 deliveries, 12 of which have been made to British Airways (part of IAG).