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  • Lord Avebury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Avebury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to share the revenues from the sale of the domain name .io with the people of the Chagos Archipelago including the descendants of those who were evicted from the islands.

    Baroness Warsi

    In much the same way as the .uk domain, the administration of the .io domain has always been carried out by a private sector organisation – this is currently the Internet Computer Bureau. As with the .uk domain, the Government receives no revenues from the sales or administration of this domain, and there are therefore no plans to share these with Chagossians.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Chin and Karenni children are likely to be reached by the Myanmar Education Consortium in Myanmar.

    Baroness Northover

    A local partner of the Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC), Kayan New Generation Youth, is working with Karenni communities in four states: Kayah, Kayin, Naypyidaw and Shan (south). The MEC is not currently supporting partners in Chin State. However, it is supporting a local organisation, Linguistic Society, working in Rakhine, which is developing early childhood care and development material in one of the ethnic languages used in Southern Chin and adjoining Myebone township in Rakhine.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any improvement in the balance and fairness of media reports of incidents of hate-motivated offences and of prejudice against religious and ethnic groups since the Leveson report was published.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    No such assessment has been made. In the Royal Charter we have introduced a new system of independent press self-regulation that protects press freedom whilst offering real redress when mistakes are made. Importantly, the Government recognises the importance of a free press and does not interfere with what it does and does not publish.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the report of the Chilcot inquiry is likely to be published before the next General Election.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Inquiry is independent of Government, and the timing of the delivery of its report to the Prime Minister is a matter for the Inquiry. Sir John Chilcot said in May that it was the Inquiry’s intention to do so as soon as possible. Government is doing everything it can to ensure this is possible.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the limits to the power of the police and security services to search data stored on mobile phones.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    There are strict statutory safeguards in place regarding the interference of property to access data stored on mobile phones.

    Current UK law limits police powers to search data stored on a mobile phone.
    The data can only be searched if the phone has been lawfully seized under a power in Police And Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).

  • Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future environmental risk of the arrangements to neutralise Syria’s chemical weapons at sea.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Chemical Weapons Convention requires that the highest priority is given to ensuring the safety of people and to protecting the environment when destroying chemical weapons, and the plan has been endorsed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical by the Weapons. Waste products from this process will be stored safely and securely in industry standard containers, and will subsequently be disposed of in Germany and Finland, in accordance with national legislation. No waste from this process will be disposed of at sea.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the position of free media in Egypt.

    Baroness Warsi

    The British Government is appalled by the sentences given to Egyptian and international journalists in Cairo on 23 June, including to two British nationals being tried in absentia. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 23 June expressing his concerns and urging the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a matter of urgency.

    The Egyptian Ambassador, Ashraf el-Kholy, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 23 June. FCO Political Director, Simon Gass, told the Egyptian Ambassador that the Government was deeply concerned by the verdicts, along with the procedural shortcomings seen during the trials. Our Ambassador to Egypt raised this issue in Cairo with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 June. We will continue to monitor the situation of these journalists very closely, and raise the issue with the Egyptian authorities. The UK believes that a free and robust media is a bedrock of democracy.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they have in the programme to contain the spread of Ebola.

    Baroness Northover

    To date, the UK government has contributed £897,324 to the Ebola Virus Disease response in the three affected countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia through multilateral partners and the DFID bilateral programme. In addition, DFID is finalizing arrangements to send out three Public Health England disease control specialists to Sierra Leone to support the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) response.

    In Sierra Leone, DFID funds are being used to support improved coordination at the national level; training and equipping of health workers competently to manage Ebola cases; improving EVD case detection and supporting appropriate radio messaging and community mobilisation activities on EVD prevention in affected districts. In Liberia, DFID has provided chlorine and other materials for hygiene and sanitising; and training in their appropriate use. Along with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are closely monitoring the outbreak from Sierra Leone and Liberia (where we have DFID country offices) and internationally through Whitehall. We are working with WHO and national government agencies to improve our understanding of the outbreak and help to guide the response in-country and regionally.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce the levels of obesity.

    Earl Howe

    We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels of obesity. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, Government departments including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, School Sports Funding and the School Food Plan.

    Our national ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in adults and children by 2020 requires collective action by Government, businesses, health and care professionals, and individuals. We believe the actions we are taking are delivering results with obesity rates levelling off, but we still have much further to go.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce sugar intake in children.

    Earl Howe

    Helping people consume fewer calories, including sugar, is key to reducing obesity levels in England. Through the Responsibility Deal, 40 companies, including those that produce and retail sugar sweetened beverages and confectionery, are removing sugar under the calorie reduction pledge.

    Rules are in place that prohibit the advertising of foods high in sugar in or around children’s television.

    The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.