Tag: Baroness Tonge

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards ending child marriage in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government is committed to tackling the practice of forced marriage, including child marriage, and providing the best protection possible to victims. We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. The offence relates to where a UK resident or national forces a child into marriage overseas as well as in the UK.

Our dedicated Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad. Where cases involve a minor in the UK, the FMU work with the relevant statutory agencies to provide advice and expertise to ensure that appropriate safeguarding measures are taken.

Where a case involves a minor overseas, the FMU work with consular officers overseas and statutory agencies in the UK to ensure safeguarding obligations are fulfilled and appropriate action is taken where necessary. Last year the FMU provided advice or support in 1,220 cases. The FMU also carries out a range of activity, including delivery of a comprehensive programme of outreach, provision of an e-learning tool and guidelines for professionals to help them recognise the warning signs and ensure the right action is taken to protect those at risk.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s activities in achieving legislative or policy changes in respect of family planning, abortion and other reproductive health issues in other countries continue in 2017 and beyond.

Lord Bates

The International Planned Parenthood Federation, together with other civil society organisations, has long played an important role in promoting the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of the world’s poorest girls and women. The Government is committed to this agenda, for example through the delivery of our commitment to work for access to family planning for everyone who wants it.

The Government intends to publish the reviews of our development assistance, including the Civil Society Partnership Review (CSPR), shortly. The ways we will deliver our commitments globally and at country level, including with civil society partners, will be set out and further developed following publication of the reviews.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in bringing to justice those responsible for the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family in Duma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We understand that the Israeli authorities believe they know the group that was involved, but unfortunately, at the moment, they do not have the evidence needed to bring individual suspects to trial. On 3 November, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met the Israeli Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and received assurances that the investigation into the arson attack on the Dawabsheh family is continuing. Our Embassy will continue to request updates from the Ministry of Justice on this case and other cases of settler violence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the closure by Israeli forces of two stone factories in a village south of Bethlehem for security reasons, after incidents of stone throwing in the vicinity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not made representations to the Israeli authorities over the specific issue of the closure of two stone factories. However we continue to urge both the Israelis and Palestinians to maintain calm and refrain from taking actions which could make peace more difficult to achieve.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following a report by Rabbis for Human Rights that young Jewish settlers from Yitzhar were calling for Palestinians to be burned alive.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Whilst we have not specifically raised this issue, we are deeply concerned by the recent violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. We strongly condemn all acts of violence and all incitement to commit acts of violence. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions. The most recent discussion with the Israeli government was on 19 November when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Gilad Erdan, Israel Minister for Strategic Affairs, Public Security and Information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding measures taken by that government against Palestinian herding communities in Area C during November and December 2015, including the destruction of items provided by international organisations as humanitarian assistance.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not made representations on these specific issues to the Israeli authorities. We do, however, regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities over demolitions and settlement-building.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will help to ensure that women have access to family planning throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in the light of the spread of the Zika virus and its potential link to birth defects.

Baroness Verma

The importance of comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for all women is brought home by the emergence of Zika. There may be increased demand for voluntary rightsbased Family Planning from women in affected countries seeking to avoid pregnancy, and there is a risk of a rise in unsafe abortion in some countries. DFID has a track record of promoting rights based family planning and in highlighting the contribution safe abortion makes to saving women’s lives.

We are in close contact with DFID-funded partners, including in the UN system and civil society, active in affected regions and will continue to do all we can to support their efforts. The Government is determined to support the international community in responding to the Zika virus. The UK has been at the forefront of global efforts to ensure the World Health Organisation (WHO) has the funding, expertise and systems to respond to emerging disease threats like Zika. We are the second largest national funder of WHO and have also provided political and technical support to strengthening the organisation and its preparedness. As part of the UK effort to strengthen global health security DFID contributed £6.2 million to WHO’s contingency fund for emergencies which is available for the management of Zika.

Affected countries are working closely with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) which serves as the Regional Office of the World Health Organisation. PAHO and governments across the region are issuing information on the emerging Zika infection. DFID will keep under review its support to countries affected by Zika viral infections and along with other Government Departments we welcome the WHO emergency committee statement issued on Monday 1^st February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define the word illegal” with reference to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party, prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territory. Consequently, settlements are illegal under international law. The UK’s position on the settlements is clear. They are illegal, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two-state solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the continued withholding of the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, and whether they have determined why those bodies have been kept for so long.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have raised the withholding of bodies of suspected perpetrators of terrorist attacks on a number of occasions, at senior levels in the Israel National Security Council and with the Israel Defence Forces since the increase in violence in October.

We continue to urge both the Israelis and Palestinians to maintain calm and refrain from taking actions which could make peace more difficult to achieve.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the demolition of the new school in Abu Nuwar (east of Jerusalem) which had been designed to increase the capacity of the existing school and kindergarten.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised this particular demolition with the Israeli authorities. However our position is clear; demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and are (in all but the most exceptional of cases) contrary to international humanitarian law. We regularly raise the issue of demolitions with our Israeli counterparts.