Tag: Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for pressing the government of the Central African Republic to delay the planned election until there is confidence that that election can be held safely and that all eligible voters will be on the electoral roll.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government remains supportive of the elections planned for 27 December in the Central African Republic (CAR). This date has been agreed by the transitional government and the international community. Elections in CAR have already been delayed this year. Further delays would allow armed groups and spoilers to enhance their position and strengthen their rhetoric. There must be an end to the transition phase in order to secure a stable peace, and allow reconciliation to begin. By 16 November, when voter registration closed, approximately 95 per cent of the estimated electorate were registered, which is a significant success for the CAR transitional authorities. Out-of-country voter registration of Central African refugees and diaspora progressed more slowly, with approximately one third of the estimated refugee electorate registered. In the referendum on 13 December, judged a success by a UN Security Council assessment, many of CAR’s population turned out determined to vote. Through the international community, we will work to ensure that an elected president appoints an inclusive government representative of CAR’s population. Due to the commitment of the international community to the election date, agreement was found for some 300 extra UN troops to be provided to ensure security during the election period.

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 evidence that recent attacks on the north-east Borna State in Nigeria, and attacks in neighbouring Chad and Cameroon, are being carried out by Boko Haram.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Boko Haram usually do not claim responsibility for individual attacks, which often take place in remote areas with no international presence. However, they are the only terrorist organisation conducting this type and scale of attack in North East Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin region, including in Chad and Cameroon. This assessment is shared by Nigerian National and State-level authorities as well as civil society across the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider providing funding to the Women’s League of Burma and its members to support ongoing work documenting cases of rape and providing support for victims of sexual violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK has previously provided funding support to the Women’s League of Burma, including towards the publication of some of their research into sexual violence in Burma. The organisation is invited to contact our Embassy in Rangoon directly if they have specific requests for future support.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Eritrean nationals were required to pay fees for their asylum appeals in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 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, in the light of Amnesty International’s report Our Hearts Have Gone Dark, what steps they have taken to ensure that the victims of serious health issues, including mental health, as a result of the conflict in South Sudan receive urgent and adequate care.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK is the second largest aid donor in South Sudan and leads the £200 million, five year, multi-donor Health Pooled Fund which provides primary health services, including mental health care, to over 8million people in eight states across South Sudan. The fund also supports the South Sudan Healthcare system to deliver lifesaving care, ranging from Primary Health Units in more remote areas to State Hospitals. Patients with serious illnesses, including mental health cases, are referred to the nearest centre able to provide care for them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, FCO, Tobias Ellwood MP on 20 July (HC6867), what assessment they have made of the legality of coalition airstrikes in Yemen, and to what extent that assessment differs from those produced by Human Rights Watch.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK supports the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition military intervention in Yemen, which came at the request of legitimate President Hadi to the UN Security Council, the Gulf Co-operation Council, and the Arab League for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression’. We are aware of reports, including from Human Rights Watch, of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law by the Coalition. We have received repeated assurances from the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that they are complying with International Humanitarian Law and 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 2016-01-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the situation in Madaya; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood that access will now be possible on a regular basis.

Baroness Verma

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the Syria crisis. We have pledged over £1.1 billion, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

On 11 January 2016, the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent confirmed that aid convoys of humanitarian assistance had arrived in the hard to reach town of Madaya, and the besieged areas of Foah and Kefraya. Further convoys have since arrived and more are planned. DFID funding to UN agencies is directly supporting the current convoys.

The UN and partners continue to do all they can on a daily basis to gain access to the 4.5 million Syrians in hard to reach and besieged areas. The UK supports UN agencies and its partners who are trying to secure such access and deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria

A wide range of constraints on humanitarian access exist, including continued hostilities, onerous bureaucratic requirements, and attempts by parties to armed conflict to intentionally block access. In the past year, only 10% of all requests submitted by the UN to the regime to access besieged and hard to reach areas have been approved and delivered. That is why the UK played a critical role in co-sponsoring and lobbying for UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which enable the UN to deliver aid into Syria without the consent of the regime. It is vital we maintain the pressure on the regime to let aid convoys in and to provide sustained, permanent and safe humanitarian access.

The desperate situation in besieged and hard to reach areas shows why we need the international community to come together at the London Conference for Syria and the Region on 4 February to support immediate needs and identify longer-term solutions to address the needs of those affected by the crisis, especially regarding jobs and education. We also hope the Conference will put pressure on the parties to the conflict by shining a spotlight on violations of international law and impediments to humanitarian access in Syria.

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 World Bank gender policy, and of whether the bank’s inspection panel has ever been guided by a gender safeguard.

Baroness Verma

The World Bank Gender Policy sets out how Bank staff should assess the gender dimensions of development in their work and is an important part of Bank’s commitment to drive progress on gender equality. The Inspection Panel assesses compliance with Bank policy including not only the Gender Policy but also with the Environmental and Social Safeguards, which includes requirements for a social assessment that may cover gender.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls for an investigation into what action should be taken against those in Burma who are responsible for the crackdown by police at the Letpaden meeting of student protesters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We publicly expressed our concerns at the violence that occurred in Letpadan in March 2015 and supported the EU’s call for a formal investigation to be initiated. The right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental democratic freedom. Officials from our Embassy and those of other international partners have been attending the protesters’ trials. We look forward to working with the new government in Burma to make improvements across the spectrum of civil and political liberties.

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.