Tag: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the situation of children living in Eritrea, and of the effects of the Danish report on asylum determination, published in 2014, which has been criticised for failing to reflect the balance of views expressed by the UN.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government wants to see better conditions for children in Eritrea. Some of the issues of concern are: a lack of education; limited access to health services; and the prospect of extended National Service. Each of these can act as a driver for migration, pushing minors to undertake dangerous journeys to Europe. Though the Government of Eritrea has made some progress, including improving health services and increasing the net national enrolment in education, more needs to be done. Through the Department for International Development, the UK is supporting UN Children’s Emergency Fund programs that help improve the lives of children in Eritrea.

The Home Office’s Country Information and Guidance on handling Eritrean asylum and human rights claims is based on an objective assessment of the situation in Eritrea. It uses evidence from a range of sources, including the Danish Immigration Service’s fact finding report of December 2014. The Home Office carefully considered the criticisms of the Danish report when preparing the guidance, as well as other published material. Each asylum case is carefully considered on its individual merits.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering ending Conflict, Stability and Security Fund support for community-level peacebuilding in South Sudan more gradually in order to provide time for organisations which are currently receiving funding to secure alternative sources of support.

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 are not ending CSSF support for community-level peace building in South Sudan. All projects have clearly defined end dates and implementers are aware that there is no guarantee of further funding beyond that date. Sustainability beyond that point is something that implementers are required to analyse as part of their original project plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is a credible body to investigate human rights violations committed by the Ethiopian security forces in their response to the Oromo protests.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government remains deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and has repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in Oromia. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and raise our concerns with the Ethiopian Government, including on the use of force.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia. We will not pre-judge the outcome of their investigation and we await the publication of their report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action. We will take a view on what further lobbying, if any might be appropriate following the publication of the EHRC report.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the continuing impact of the alterations to the state pension age on women born in the 1950s, on or after 6 April 1951.

Lord Freud

The decision to equalise the State Pension age for men and women dates back to 1995 and addresses a longstanding inequality. Since April 2010, women’s State Pension age has been gradually increasing for those born after 6 April 1950. Following sharp increases in life expectancy projections, and therefore the increase in the number of people living longer in retirement, this timetable was accelerated by the Pensions Act 2011.

The Government listened to concerns expressed by those affected by the Pension Act 2011 changes, and took action to limit the maximum change to State Pension age to 18 months, a concession worth over £1billion.

All those affected by the faster equalisation timetable will reach State Pension age following the introduction of the new State Pension, which is more generous for many women who have historically done poorly under the current system.

The average woman reaching State Pension age in the first forty years of the new State Pension is estimated to receive 10 per cent more State Pension over her lifetime than the average man.

Women retiring today can still expect to receive the State Pension for 26 years on average – several years longer than men. And this generation of women will spend a higher proportion of their lives in retirement than any before.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their policy to suspend existing arms export licences, and to refuse new ones, if a country is believed to be committing violations of international law during an armed conflict.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Criteria

We keep all licences under review in the light of changing circumstances in countries of destination for UK arms exports.

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 claims that Saudi Arabia has bombed several hospitals in Yemen, including Médecins Sans Frontières clinics.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of recent allegations regarding an attack on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Sa’ada province on 10 January. We are also aware of reports of alleged attacks against a MSF hospital in Sa’ada on 26 October and on a MSF unit in Taiz on 2 December. We welcome the public announcement by Saudi Arabia to establish a fact finding committee into the alleged airstrike on the MSF mobile clinic in Taiz. It is important that Saudi Arabia conducts thorough and conclusive investigation into incidents that have raised concerns.