Tag: Baroness Tonge

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Clinical Commissioning Groups’ midwifery workforce planning has taken into consideration the impact on the workload of midwives of the rise in non-communicable diseases.

Lord Prior of Brampton

At a national level, it is Health Education England’s (HEE) responsibility to ensure that there is sufficient future supply of staff, including midwives, to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system taking in to account issues such as demographic changes, for example, increases in older mothers.

The Workforce Plan is built upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of its Local Education Training Boards (LETBs), shape the 13 local plans.

The Workforce Plan is predominately an aggregate of the local LETB plans, but the final national plan is only agreed with the advice and input of its clinical advisory groups and Patients’ Advisory Forum, as well as the royal colleges and other stakeholders.

At a local level, it is ultimately the responsibility of National Health Service trusts, working with their clinical commissioning groups, to ensure they have sufficient staff on their wards with the right skills to treat patients in their care and this would include taking account of changes in patient condition profile, for example, any rise in non-communicable diseases, in their workforce planning.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-07-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports of new rules of engagement for Israeli police allowing the use of live ammunition in response to stone throwing.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not made representations to the Government of Israel on this specific issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities in order to understand their rules of engagement and express our concerns where necessary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take following the demolition of a home in Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan by the Israeli authorities on 7 September.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government is concerned that there has been a large increase in demolitions since the start of 2016, compared with the monthly average in 2015.

On 7 September, during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman in London, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) raised our concerns about demolitions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding harassment and violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank towards Palestinians living there; and whether they intend to put pressure on the government of Israel to take responsibility for the settlers’ actions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government condemns all acts of violence by extremist settlers. Settler violence is an abhorrent phenomenon which must be tackled firmly. We condemn such acts and urge the Israeli authorities to investigate thoroughly every instance of violence by settlers and to bring those responsible to justice. We have most recently raised our concerns over this issue on 10 October and stressed the importance of Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of refugees from Syria who are Palestinian in origin.

Lord Bates

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimates that 110,000 Palestinian refugees have fled Syria since the onset of the conflict; 42,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria are estimated to be in Lebanon and 17,000 in Jordan, with the remainder in Egypt, Turkey and Europe.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they made to the government of Israel concerning the right of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank to visit Jerusalem for Christmas worship.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not specifically raised the issue of access for Palestinian Christians with the Israeli authorities. However the Government remains deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement between the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It remains difficult for Palestinians, of all religions, to enter East Jerusalem for work, education, medical treatment or religious worship. Through our Embassy in Tel Aviv, we regularly lobby the Israeli authorities on this matter and encourage them to lift access restrictions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the number of Palestinians killed or injured in October and November.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the number of deaths and injuries of both Palestinians and Israelis during this time. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), discussed the violence with the Israeli Head of Military Intelligence on 24 November. The Deputy Head of Mission at our Embassy in Tel Aviv also raised the issue of the current violence with Israel’s National Security Council Director on 18 November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure that the government of Israel complies with the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on 22 December 2015 regarding unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding; Article 10 of the Charter of the UN states that the General Assembly “may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council”. The UK, and all other EU Member States, abstained on the General Assembly resolution regarding unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries. The UK, the EU and other Member States are of the view that unilateral economic measures should respect the principles of international law, including the international contractual obligations of the State applying them and the rules of the World Trade Organization where applicable. The UK, the EU and other Member States consider that such unilateral economic measures are admissible in certain circumstances in particular when necessary in order to fight terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or to uphold respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and good governance. The UK has no plans to ensure any particular country complies with this resolution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel regarding the deaths of two people killed during protests in Gaza in mid January.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and deaths and injuries of both Palestinians and Israelis during this time. Since the start of the current violence, Ministers and officials have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised concerns over the use of force by Israeli security forces with Israeli officials on 3 February.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in the light of the Procurement Policy Note:Ensuring compliance with wider international obligations when letting public contracts of 17 February stating that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate unless formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the UK Government, what assessment they have made of the connection between that advice and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office position that Israeli settlements are illegal and support for them is not encouraged.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government’s position on the illegality of settlements remains unchanged. Settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two-state solution.