Tag: Baroness Hooper

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they have given to the government of Colombia to help it develop its national business and human rights action plan, and whether further assistance will be given to aid its implementation.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We supported Colombia in the development of their National Action Plan (NAP) to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The NAP, which is the first of its kind outside of Europe, was launched in December. It allows Colombia to meet its existing human rights obligations and increase business awareness.

The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend, the Lord Price of Sturminster Newton, launched a campaign for British businesses to support peace, primarily through the respect for human rights, during his visit to Colombia last month. Twenty of the largest British companies operating in Colombia subsequently agreed to align themselves to the Colombian National Action Plan for business and human rights.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Colombia about the dangers faced by defenders of human rights and leaders of land restitution claims, and the case for enhancing their protection.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are concerned by the increase in violence towards human rights defenders (HRDs) in Colombia. Reports from the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Somos Defensores indicate that 63 HRDs were killed in 2015, a 13 per cent increase from 2014. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this issue during his meeting with President Santos on 12 May. During his visit to Colombia in April, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised human rights concerns with the Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister, Patti Londoño-Jaramillo.

Ensuring protection and support for HRDs, including leaders of land restitution claims, is a priority area for our Embassy in Bogotá. As well as monitoring specific cases, the UK raises our concerns with the Colombian government at every possible opportunity. Our Ambassador to Colombia recently joined an international community initiative called “Ambassadors with Defenders” that aims to raise awareness of the situation of HRDs and follow up on specific cases. Earlier this year, the Ambassador accompanied the Colombian Minister of Interior to a regional human rights roundtable, where the role of local authorities in taking effective action on HRD cases was discussed. The UK was the only member of the international community invited to this event.

With regards to increased protection, on 26 April, President Santos announced the creation of a high level group in charge of investigating threats and killings against HRDs. He invited human rights organisations to appoint five representatives to participate in this group. The Attorney General’s Office has prioritised the investigations of these cases.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision they make for uprating the UK state pension for UK citizens living in British Overseas Territories.

Baroness Altmann

The Government has a clear position, which has remained the same for around 70 years and we have no plans to change this policy: UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so for example in the European Economic Area or countries where we have a reciprocal agreement that allows for uprating. Annual increases are paid to UK state pension recipients and in Bermuda and in Gibraltar.