Tag: Baroness Tonge

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of Official Development Assistance was allocated to sexual and reproductive health and family planning in fragile and conflict-affected states in the last year for which figures are available.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK aid strategy has committed that, from 2016, we spend 50% of our support in fragile states and regions. This will include our work on family planning and broader sexual and reproductive health and rights. In such settings, DFID uses multilateral mechanisms, for example United Nations Population Fund, and our bilateral programmes to disburse funding for sexual and reproductive health services. In addition the UK has made a commitment that in humanitarian crises, DFID calls for proposals will require that the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls to be considered.

DFID spent approximately £605m on sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health in fragile and conflict affected states and their neighbours in 2014; £606m in 2013 and £526m in 2012. This was approximately 6% of DFID ODA in 2012 and 2013 and 7% in 2012.

In 2015/16 our support to UNFPA totalled £112.5m and included work in fragile and conflict-affected states and humanitarian settings, including in Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen. In Syria, for example, DFID will be providing £18.5 million through UNFPA over three years to 2018. This is in addition to the UK’s previous support to Syria, which has helped tackle gender-based violence and enabled access to reproductive health services for more than 260,000 girls and women.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development will provide funding to the United Nations Population Fund in 2017.

Lord Bates

The Department of International Development values the work of the UN Population Fund (UNPF), therefore we have guaranteed it £20 million of funding for the financial year 2016/2017. This funding is provided with the request that the UNPF works across the UN system on reform: to accelerate progress and to deliver improved results on the ground.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the destruction by Israeli forces of a water network in the northern Jordan Valley.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not raised this specific issue, the UK does raise the issue of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve this unacceptable situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza. An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue of water with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 26 October.

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 following reports that the Israeli army is preventing a Palestinian woman from travelling to her own wedding ceremony in Jordan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities over this specific issue. We do, however, remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this issue with Israeli National Security Advisor Cohen on 2 November. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem also raised this issue with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 28 October.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 December (HL3871), what assessment they have made of the contribution of economic security to achieving peace between Israel and Palestine, and based on that assessment whether they will now raise this issue with the government of Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We assess that economic security is vital and that Palestinians see tangible improvements in their daily lives. That is why we are a leading donor to the Palestinian Authority and why the Department for International Development have put such emphasis on strengthening Palestinian institutions and fostering private sector-led, sustainable economic growth in the West Bank. We do not plan to make representations on the specific issue of the stone factories. However, we regularly raise the need to enable development of the Palestinian economy. On 19 November our Ambassador in Tel Aviv discussed the need to create economic sustainability in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Public Security and Information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of improvement in the conditions of children in prisons in Israel since the publication in 2012 of the report by British lawyers Children in Military Custody.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) progress report of October 2013 noted that Israel has taken some positive steps towards addressing the recommendations in the 2012 report by updating the existing Standard Operating Procedures and policies in relation to the arrest of minors. These updates included changing the policy on methods of restraint and the use of blindfolds. Israel also increased the age of majority for Palestinian children. The Israeli military committed to conducting a pilot of using written summons instead of night-time arrests.

We welcome the steps taken to date, but we continue to call for further measures, including the mandatory use of audio-visual recording of interrogations, investigation into continued reports of single-hand ties being used, and an end to solitary confinement for children.

We are also funding a follow up mission by the British lawyers who conducted the report in February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the rejection by the Knesset of the amendment proposed by MK Jamal Zahalka to include a clause on equality in Israel’s Basic Law.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the use of tear gas at Qitoun checkpoint against Palestinian children on their way to school.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, we consistently urge Israeli contacts against the use of excessive force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following reports of the Israeli navy opening fire on Palestinian fishing boats off al-Sudaniya and Gaza city, on 1 March, and what assessment they have made, if any, of the damage done on that and other occasions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Whilst we have not raised this issue with the government of Israel, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have expressed our concern previously over the Israel Defence Forces use of live fire against fishermen and also about the confiscation of their boats.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how to achieve legally binding targets for air pollution should the third runway at Heathrow proceed.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Airports Commission published a large amount of analysis on air quality, which included an assessment of potential impacts on limit values, in its Final Report, which is available in the libraries of the House.

In addition, as announced in December, we are testing the Airports Commission’s work on air quality against the Government’s new air quality plan, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee.