Tag: Baroness Deech

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 2 February about private representations to Saudi Arabia concerning the number of executions (HL Deb, col 1580), and the Written Answer on 1 February (HL5108) regarding private representations made to the Palestinian Minister of Health concerning incitement to violence, and in the light of their public statements condemning Israeli settlement policy, what criteria they use to determine whether criticisms of foreign governments should be made in public or in private.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government makes decisions about how to deal with different situations on the basis of how it believes it can best achieve its objectives. It therefore uses different approaches in different circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 2013 Report of the European Court of Auditors EU Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority said (1) that a number of civil servants in Gaza were being paid without going to work, and (2) that the EU was not using its leverage on the Palestinian Authority to promote reforms; and what assessment they have made of the EU allocation of 252.5 million euros to the Palestinian Authority in 2016 through PEGASE.

Baroness Verma

The European Court of Auditors report of the EU’s Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority assessed the European External Action Service’s and the European Commission’s management of the direct financial support provided through the PEGASE mechanism to the Palestinian Authority. The report is accessible in the public domain.

The UK is supportive of the EU’s programme of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority, which supports delivery of essential basic services to Palestinians and helps maintain the viability of the two-state solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-03-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported rise in anti-Semitism in the UK, in particular at universities, and what action they plan to take to tackle anti-Semitism in the light of that assessment.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

There is no place in our society, including higher education, for bigotry, hatred and any form of racism such as anti-Semitism. We expect universities to act swiftly to investigate and address any anti-Semitic incidents reported to them.

Responsibility for ensuring students do not face harassment, abuse or violence rests with individual institutions, as a clear part of their duties under the 2010 Equality Act.
The higher education sector is committed to tackling discrimination and challenging intolerance on campus. Bodies such as Universities UK (UUK), Guild HE and the Equality Challenge Unit provide support to institutions to help discharge their responsibilities through the provision of practical guidance, discussion and networking events to help share best practice across the sector.

In addition, at the request of the Government, UUK have set up a task force to consider what more can be done to address harassment on campus, including on the basis of religion and belief. The Union of Jewish Students are part of the wider advisory group.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the criteria set by the UN General Assembly for election to the UN Human Rights Council in Resolution 60/251 in relation to the candidacies of China, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK carefully considers its votes against the criteria set out by the UN General Assembly; that members uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights and fully cooperate with the Council. It is the UK’s longstanding policy not to publicise how it votes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran following the announcement by the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon that Iran will pay $7,000 to the families of suicide bombers and other terrorists who die in the process of attacking any Israeli.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We raised the issue of payments to families of suicide bombers with the Iranian government, and are seeking clarification over the reported remarks about providing funds to the families of suicide bombers. We condemn any support for groups which pursue an ideology of violence that directly undermines the prospects for peace in the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran concerning the announcement by Iranian state media that an additional $600,000 has been added by them to the existing cash reward for killing Salman Rushdie.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have consistently been clear that threats to Mr Rushdie are completely unacceptable. Our Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran raised our strong concerns with the Iranian government on 29 February about these recent developments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK aid to Palestine is not given, directly or indirectly, to the families of suicide bombers or to convicted prisoners.

Baroness Verma

UK aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is subject to rigorous scrutiny, with safeguards in place to ensure its being used for proper development purposes. Our financial assistance to the PA is used to pay the salaries of civil servant and pensioners. Our support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank, which carries out close monitoring of PA expenditure. Only named civil servants from a pre-approved EU list are eligible, and the vetting process ensures that our funds do not benefit terrorist groups. The process is subject to independent auditing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Middle East water research programme as a vehicle for collaboration between researchers in the UK, Israel and the Middle East.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Science and Innovation network and the British Council in Israel manage the Trilateral Water Research programme, which was launched in 2015. The effectiveness of the programme as a platform for cross border research can be measured by the fact that five research projects have been launched involving leading researchers in the water research field from Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Gaza, Morocco, Jordan and the UK. The projects look at varied aspects of water management in the region and seek to provide innovative solutions while cementing links between academic institutions and facilitating cutting-edge research.

The programme is subject to monitoring and evaluation procedures in two stages. The first is the selection process for acceptance into the programme and receipt of a research grant. This process is a robust academic selection mechanism involving scientific peer review and is managed centrally by the British Council’s London Institutional Links team in accordance with the procedures that govern the wider Global Institutional Links programme.

The second stage of monitoring and evaluation will be during project implementation. Projects will be monitored via narrative and financial reporting, in addition to reporting on Researchfish, the British Council’s chosen research evaluation platform. Projects were contracted and finance awarded in April 2016 so reports are not yet available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the stem cell research collaboration between British and Israeli scientists under the auspices of the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The effectiveness of the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) comes firstly from its robust selection process. All projects are assessed during the selection process for their quality of science and contribution to the scientific community by a selection panel of leading researchers in their field from the UK and Israel, and also by an anonymous peer review process, that includes leading researchers around the world. During their implementation, projects are monitored via yearly narrative and financial reporting, in addition to reporting on Researchfish. The British Council is planning a comprehensive evaluation exercise this year, which is the programme’s 5th year.

In addition, the programme is being co-funded by leading health research organisations such as British Heart Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinson’s UK, who evaluate the projects before making their funding commitment and ensure their scientific excellence.

While the projects are too recent to be assessed for their impact on the Regenerative Medicine scientific field, so far a number of publications have emanated from the programme, including a ground-breaking article in Cell by Professor Yaqub Hanna in collaboration with Professor Azim Surani from The University of Cambridge. The article was assessed by the journal to be their number one paper last year. Articles by BIRAX grantees have also been published in Nature, Cell Biology, Frontiers in Immunology, Cancer Stem Cells and International Innovation.

The Programme is the only platform for bilateral cooperation between Israel and UK researchers in the field of regenerative medicine and stem cell research. Over 30 labs are involved in the projects, and hundreds of scientists are working on the Programme’s project. Over 1000 scientists took part in the bi-annual BIRAX conferences, with the recent conference which took place at the University of Oxford, this April being the largest.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Deech on 2016-04-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the importance of the particular focus on Alzheimer’s and Type 1 Diabetes in the third Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership Research Call.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The focus of the Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) Initiative is regenerative medicine, which can be applied to many fields of medical research. In addition to the regenerative medicine focus, the Initiative has supported more specific research areas, including Type 1 diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. These areas have been identified as critical in both Israel and the UK, as well as globally, and as ones in which both countries have particular research expertise. The British Council works with leading research charities in the UK and globally, including British Heart Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Parkinson UK to provide mutual funding, and these areas have been highlighted as areas of joint interest. However it is important to note that it is the quality of the science that drives the BIRAX selection process, and that applications which do not come under these priorities but do meet the criteria have also been selected for funding in past calls. The third call for proposals will continue to evaluate proposals according to criteria outlined in the call’s guidelines and their scientific excellence.

The focus on Alzheimer’s and Type 1 Diabetes has the potential to bring upwards of £1.6 million additional funding (to add to the £7 million existing funding raised by the Initiative) to collaborative projects, of which at least 50 per cent is for use in UK universities.