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  • Lord Crisp – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Crisp – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support low- and middle-income countries to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

    Baroness Verma

    We remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable countries and communities to better withstand and recover from the impact of disasters. However, we are still assessing the full implications of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 for DFID programmes.

    The Sendai Framework is one of many guides which we can draw on to help shape our approach to safeguarding development gains from the impact of disasters. DFID is already supporting developing countries to help them reduce risk and build resilience, through its support to multilaterals and through country programmes.

  • Lord Crisp – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Crisp – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The UK adopted the Sendai Framework in March 2015. The UK has a range of robust mechanisms in place for dealing with disasters and reducing disaster risk. The National Focal Point for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, recently attended the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction, the regional body responsible for tracking progress against the Sendai targets. Implementation of the Sendai Framework is at an early stage, but work is ongoing within the UK to further improve domestic disaster risk reduction, and sharing best practice and building capability overseas – including through peer review, highlighted in the Sendai Framework as a means to strengthen disaster risk governance. The UK volunteered to be the subject of the first international peer review in 2012, and UK experts have subsequently taken part in peer reviews in Bulgaria and Finland.

  • Lord Berkeley of Knighton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Berkeley of Knighton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley of Knighton on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the availability of musical instruments and instrumental teachers in schools.

    Lord Nash

    Music education hubs are responsible for making sure that every child aged 5 to 18 in their local area has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching and that clear progression routes in music are available and affordable to all young people. Music education hubs must also provide an instrument loan service to support pupils from families with low incomes.

    According to data published by Arts Council England (ACE), 583,783 pupils learnt to play an instrument at school through whole-class ensemble teaching in the academic year 2013/14, an increase of 52,361 from 2012/13.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Israeli ministers over the prosecution of settlers for acts of violence against Palestinians.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly raise the issue of settler violence with the Israeli authorities. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns on 26 October with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai. He pressed for a swift resolution of the investigation into the attack that occurred in Duma in July, as well raising wider concerns around increasing settler violence, including during the olive harvest.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the demolition of the homes of Palestinian suspects as an act of collective punishment and deterrence.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly raise the issue of demolitions with the Israeli government. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue most recently with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai, on 26 October, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General on 28 October. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem also raised the issue of demolitions with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 28 October.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the case for ensuring accountability for violence both by Israeli settlers and by the Israel Defence Forces as a means to restore calm in the West Bank.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly raise the issue of settler violence and the need for accountability with the Israeli authorities. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns over the use of force, including lethal force, on 4 November with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Envoy on the Peace Process, Isaac Molho, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability. Our Ambassador also raised this issue with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai, on 26 October, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General on 28 October.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in bringing to justice those responsible for the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family in Duma.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We understand that the Israeli authorities believe they know the group that was involved, but unfortunately, at the moment, they do not have the evidence needed to bring individual suspects to trial. On 3 November, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met the Israeli Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and received assurances that the investigation into the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family is continuing. Our Embassy will continue to request updates from the Ministry of Justice on this case and other cases of settler violence.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the new Israel Defence Forces rules of engagement with Palestinian stone-throwers, and the Israeli sentencing policy towards those individuals.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of press reports of changes to Israel Defence Forces Rules of Engagement. We are also aware of changes to sentencing policy. Like all countries, Israel has a right to defend its citizens from attack and to hold perpetrators of attacks to account. We nevertheless regularly raise with Israel concerns over the use of force, including lethal force, by Israeli security authorities. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv did this most recently on 4 November with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Envoy on the Peace Process, Isaac Molho, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations have been made to the government of Israel concerning their use of live ammunition for crowd control.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns over the use of force, including lethal force, on 4 November with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Envoy on the Peace Process, Isaac Molho. He also raised our concerns with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai on 26 October.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in co-operation with the UN and other allies to ensure that a long-term solution is found to protect the residents of Camp Liberty.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We strongly condemn the shameful attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on Thursday 29 October. Officials from our Embassy in Baghdad raised the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office on Friday 30 October and made clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensuring that all those responsible are brought to justice.

    In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty. We support the UN’ calls for more to be done to protect the residents.

    In 2011 the Government of Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq which allowed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to make assessments on applications made by the residents for relocation. The UNHCR assessment process is underway, and a number of residents have now been relocated to third countries.