Tag: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-04-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many appeals lodged against initial asylum refusals by Eritrean nationals were lodged (1) within the UK, and (2) outside the UK, in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, and (c) 2015.

Lord Faulks

The numbers of Eritrean nationals who lodged an asylum appeal in the UK or from overseas in the three years up to December 2015 are:

	Total	Within the UK	Outside the UK
2013	122	122	0
2014	241	240	1
2015	1,856	1,854	2

The numbers of Eritrean nationals who were required to pay a fee for their asylum appeal in the three years up to December 2015 are:

	Total
2013	1
2014	2
2015	23

Notes to tables:

1. Figures include Asylum, Protection and Revocation of Protection appeals.

2. Figures provided are taken from internal management information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the South Sudan Troika plans to issue a comprehensive statement on its priorities in Sudan and South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK, along with our Troika partners (the United States and Norway), has been active in supporting efforts to resolve the crisis in South Sudan. This includes working with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and regional partners.

We are deeply concerned about the recent fighting and will continue to work with our troika and regional partners to resolve the crisis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what systems they have in place to monitor the use of military equipment licensed for export to Saudi Arabia to establish whether or not that equipment has been used to violate international humanitarian law in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government monitors the situation in Yemen closely, including reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We take these reports very seriously. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities, who have provided assurances to us that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances, and we urge all sides to investigate such incidents fully. The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor alleged incidents internally, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We are offering Saudi Arabia advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

With respect to UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia, all applications for strategic export control licences for military and dual-use goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the Criteria), in a manner consistent with the UK’s international obligations. A licence will not be issued for export of items to any country if to do so would be inconsistent with any mandatory provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.

The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the Criteria. Our export licensing system allows us to respond to changed circumstances and new information as and when necessary. The principle of responsible export controls is fundamental for the Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the legal opinion recently commissioned by Amnesty International and Saferworld, which claims that they are breaking the law by supplying arms to Saudi

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of this legal opinion provided on instructions from certain non-governmental organisations. We are also aware of our legal obligations as regards the licensing of arms for export to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All arms export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking intoaccountall relevant information, to ensure compliance with our legal obligations, including under international law. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria. This includes the export of arms to Saudi Arabia. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and of criticism by the Institute of Global and International Studies, and others, that there has been too much focus on addressing sexual violence rather than on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government is fully committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in its entirety. The prevention of sexual violence in conflict is an important part of this. We will continue our work on this issue as part of a comprehensive programme of work. At last year’s High Level Review of UNSCR 1325, the Government announced a package of eight ambitious new commitments, which included increasing women’s meaningful participation in peace processes and wider peacebuilding efforts and ensuring that women’s rights are fully taken into account in our overseas counter-extremism work, in humanitarian emergencies, in our early warning and conflict analysis and in our military doctrine.

There is still much that the international community needs to do to deliver the commitments enshrined in UNSCR 1325. Despite clear evidence of the links between women’s participation and the success and sustainability of a peace process, all too often women remain excluded. Women and girls continue to suffer disproportionate levels of violence in conflict situations. The international community must do more to address the full range of human rights abuses that women experience in conflict. The Government will continue to prioritise this work as part of our diplomatic, development and defence work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in deciding to use the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund exclusively to support national institutions in South Sudan, what assessment they made of the potential effect on supporting community-level peacebuilding and fostering a dialogue likely to prevent conflicts between communities.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Across the Sudan and South Sudan Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we have decided to maintain the same level of funding for community-level peacebuilding programmes in FY16-17.

We have not taken a decision to use the CSSF in South Sudan exclusively in support of national institutions. We will continue to support community level peace building in Eastern Equatorial and Lakes states in financial year 2016-17, and have begun exploring with partners the possibility of expanding existing community level projects in Sudan across the border in order to increase coordination and value for money.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-05-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the long-term protections in place for the monies granted under the Cotonou Convention in the 11th European Development Fund.

Baroness Verma

The European Development Fund (EDF) provides development assistance in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement. The 11^th EDF resources are implemented in compliance with the principals of sound financial management and transparency. Every year the accounts of the EDF are scrutinised by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) who perform rigorous annual audits on the EU’s finances. The ECA also review specific programmes and projects for effectiveness and impact.

DFID regularly reviews the work of its partners, including the EU, to ensure that aid is being spent efficiently and appropriately.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reports that one in seven women in South Sudan do not survive childbirth, what steps they are taking to ensure the improvement of conditions for pregnant women in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK leads the £200 million, five year, multi-donor Health Pooled Fund which provides comprehensive health care for pregnant women, including skilled care during labour and delivery, in eight of the ten states in South Sudan. Over the last three years this programme has enabled 493,316 pregnant women to receive anti-natal care services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Human Rights Watch report that some Saudi Arabian air strikes in Yemen violated international humanitarian law.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition. We take any report of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by all sides to the conflict very seriously. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian government and have received repeated assurances of International Humanitarian Law compliance. We continue to engage with them on those assurances. The Saudi Arabian authorities have their own internal procedures for investigations and we encourage them to be open and transparent in this. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law and international human rights law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the evidence available regarding human rights violations committed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen. The UK supported the September UN Human Rights Council resolution which contains mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen. We continue to raise the importance of respect for human rights with all sides of the conflict. We used a wide range of evidence including credible non-governmental organisations, UN agencies and other sources of information to inform our assessment.