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  • Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January 2013 (HL4464), whether the potential disadvantages as well as advantages of water fluoridation for young children are enjoyed regardless of personal behaviour”.”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Scientific reviews over many years have shown that water fluoridation is an effective and safe public health measure. It is known that consuming fluoride in water at levels permitted by United Kingdom legislation, whether as a result of fluoridation or present naturally, can contribute to the risk of dental fluorosis, as can other sources of fluoride such as toothpaste if swallowed in excessive amounts.

    In 2014 Public Health England published Water fluoridation Health monitoring report for

    England, acting as guidance for dental teams on the prevention of dental disease in their patients. This included advice on reducing the risk of dental fluorosis from toothpaste ingestion among their patients, in particular young children. A copy of this guidance is attached.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January 2013 (HL4464) describing the Childsmile programme as very encouraging”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There are a variety of community based oral health improvement programmes that have been shown to be effective in reducing dental decay. No single intervention is likely to provide a solution to oral health improvement priorities and many work together for maximum benefit, for example water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste.

    Public Health England recently reviewed such programmes and published an evidence informed toolkit entitled; Local authorities improving oral health: commissioning better oral health for children and young people, for local authorities to support their work on oral health improvement. Local authorities can therefore consider a range of oral health improvement programmes (including those which make up the Childsmile programme in Scotland and water fluoridation) and decide which or which combination is most appropriate to their local population’s needs. A copy of the toolkit is attached.

  • Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 19 January (HL Deb, col 641) about the potential fortification of bread with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects in pregnancy, why they do not apply the argument around choice and whether or not it is right to medicate the entire population for the benefit of a fairly small part of it” to the fluoridation of water supplies to prevent caries.”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    It has been the policy of successive governments that decisions on water fluoridation are best taken locally. There is a duty to consult the local population where local authorities propose the establishment of a new water fluoridation scheme. Some areas of the country have water supplies that naturally contain levels of fluoride similar to the target level for water fluoridation schemes where the levels are adjusted.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in each of the last 10 years.

    Lord Bates

    The costs to the Government for the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation since 2011 are set out below:

    2011-2012: £213,100

    2012-2013: £201,700

    2013-2014: £213,100

    2014-2015: £270,000 (plus an additional £350,800 for the statutory Investigatory Powers Review, as required by section 7 of the Data Protection and Investigatory Powers Act 2014)

    2015-2016 (to the half year point in September): £135,800

    It is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown of the Independent Reviewer’s costs prior to 2011.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sierra Leone regarding the Safe Abortion Act 2015.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government was encouraged by the successful passage of the Safe Abortion Bill through the Sierra Leone Parliament last December. We are disappointed that interventions from stakeholders outside Parliament meant that the Bill was not signed into law and is undergoing further consultation.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the arrest and detention of Mohammed Abu Tair.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised the specific case of the arrest and detention of Muhammad Abu Tair with the Israeli Authorities. However, we remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel with regard to the two Bedouin villages, Umm al-Ḥīrān and Atir, due to be destroyed by Israel in order to establish a new Jewish settlement and to plant a forest.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv are following this situation closely. We continue to encourage the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to work together to identify a satisfactory solution to the issue. We believe any solution must respect the equality of all Israel’s citizens, avoid forced relocations and be consistent with Israel’s commitments under international law.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to Israel’s reported decision to reject recommendation 13 of UNICEF’s report Children in Israeli Military Detention: Observations and Recommendations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and our Ambassador in Tel Aviv have spoken and written to the Israeli Justice Minister and Israeli Attorney General to urge Israel to take action on the report. While we welcome recent improvements made by the Israeli authorities, we remain concerned at the number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli detention. We will continue to raise these concerns with the Government of Israel to ensure that international standards are upheld in regards to the treatment of Palestinian children detained. We are also funding a further visit in February for the authors of the independent report.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel regarding the deaths of two people killed during protests in Gaza in mid January.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and deaths and injuries of both Palestinians and Israelis during this time. Since the start of the current violence, Ministers and officials have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised concerns over the use of force by Israeli security forces with Israeli officials on 3 February.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel regarding its use of administrative detention.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should only be used when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventative rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We have raised these concerns with the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General and National Security Adviser levels. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the matter of the use of administrative detention on 3 November 2015 with Israeli officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.