The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the rejection by the Knesset of the amendment proposed by MK Jamal Zahalka to include a clause on equality in Israel’s Basic Law.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the case of the Hares Boys.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to monitor developments in the case of the Hares boys and raise the issue with the Israeli authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the UK Embassy in Israel has taken to monitor attacks on Christian places of worship.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are in regular contact with representatives of churches on a range of issues, including concern about attacks on places of worship. The last attack occurred on 17 January when the Dormition Abbey compound of the Orthodox Church in the Old City of Jerusalem was vandalised with anti-Christian slogans. The ‘Tag Meir’ organisation has listed 44 cases of vandalism and arson on Christian and Muslim places of worship in Israel and the West Bank since December 2009.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the demolition of 22 structures in Khirbet Jenbah in order to create an army training zone.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv recently raised the demolitions in a high-level meeting with a senior Israeli defence official. We also regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities over demolitions in general.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Payments Agency will receive a bonus payment this year.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Senior Civil Servants who are moderated as top performers at the end of the performance management year are eligible to receive a bonus payment.
The performance management year for the SCS runs from 1 April to 31 March. Performance markings for 2015/16 will be determined in May 2016. Until this time, we will not know which Senior Civil Servants will receive a payment.
The government publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants on a twice yearly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the possibility of charges of fraud, corruption, conspiracy and attempting to pervert the course of justice being brought against lawyers working for Leigh Day and Public Interest Lawyers with regard to the Al Sweady case.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Crown Prosecution Service routinely provides the Attorney General with updates on cases and casework issues. In accordance with the practice adopted by previous Law Officers the Attorney General does not usually comment on which individual cases are raised with him.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Director of Public Prosecutions the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take Mark Pearson to trial for sexual assault, and the claim by the defence solicitor in that case that the CPS initially provided amended and misleading video evidence to the court.
Lord Keen of Elie
The CPS’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, as this can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, whether the public interest lies in prosecuting.
It is open to the defence in any crown court case to argue, after the prosecution has closed its case, that the evidence is too weak for the decision to be left to the jury. In this particular case the judge clearly considered that the decision was properly a matter for the jury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why no safe areas have been established in Syria, in particular in Idlib, Darra, Jazira, and Afrin.
Baroness Verma
At the Syria conference in London on 4 February, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our support in response to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, experience suggests that so-called ‘safe’ areas can prove difficult to demilitarise and protect against all threats. In fact, there is a risk that they can become targets.
For a safe area to work, all parties to the conflict and relevant regional authorities would need to agree to its establishment. In the absence of such consent, this would require foreign military intervention, authorised by a UN Security Council Resolution. Any party seeking to establish a safe area would need to ensure sufficient military capability to guarantee safety from both aerial and ground attack, including by unconventional means. Credible measures would also be needed to prevent human rights abuses and to provide humanitarian assistance within the protected area. In addition, the existence of a ‘safe’ area near an international border should not be used to repatriate refugees against their will, or to deny access to asylum.
The UK plays a key role in ensuring humanitarian access to Syria. By 31 January 2016, at least 257 shipments of cross-border aid had been delivered as a direct result of the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which enables the UN to deliver aid into Syria without the consent of the regime. We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is under way to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and previous resolutions on Syria.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
On 11 February, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), took part in the latest round of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich to discuss with his counterparts how to best support the political process and necessary supporting steps, including a ceasefire and confidence building measures, called for in UN Security Council resolution 2254.
The ISSG agreed the need to implement a cessation of hostilities within a week, to delivering humanitarian assistance to named besieged communities by this weekend and to facilitate rapid progress in negotiations aimed at political transition. If implemented fully and properly by every ISSG member this will be an important step towards relieving the killing and suffering in Syria. But it will only succeed if there is a major change of behaviour by the Syrian regime and its supporters. Russia, in particular, claims to be attacking terrorist groups and yet consistently bombs non-extremist groups including civilians. If this agreement is to work, this bombing will have to stop: no cessation of hostilities will last if moderate opposition groups continue to be targeted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to use the UN Security Council Resolutions on Syria to organise air-drops of food by the World Food Program to besieged areas, and to provide air cover for such drops with the US air force.
Baroness Verma
At the "Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016" Conference on 4 February, more than US$11 billion was pledged to support people in Syria and the region affected by the conflict, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Commitments made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children. The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total more than £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
The most effective way to get food and other essential aid to people who are starving and in desperate need is for Assad and all parties to the conflict to adhere to international law. Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. It is an outrageous, unacceptable and illegal mechanism to use starvation as a weapon of war. That is why the UK will continue to call on the Assad regime and all parties to the conflict to allow immediate and unfettered access to all areas of Syria.
Right now, aid delivered by road, by UN agencies and by others who know the situation on the ground and who can ensure it gets to those who need it most is the best way of getting help through. But we always consider the most effective way to get assistance to the people in need, and we do not rule anything out.