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 concerning the reported raids on Palestinian homes on 1 March.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the pre-dawn raid on the Students Council office and store of Alquds University 5 April.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not raised this specific incident with the Government of Israel.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many journalists have been imprisoned in the occupied Palestinian territories since October 2015 and what representations they have made to the government of Israel.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As of the beginning of March 2016, we were aware of four Palestinian journalists from the West Bank arrested since October 2015. We are also aware of a Gazan journalist who was detained for seven hours at Erez crossing. We are clear that journalists should have the necessary protection to do their jobs in safety, and strongly believe freedom of the media is an important human rights principle.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the violations of the conditions of the EU Association Agreement by the government of Israel, what discussions they have had with other members of the EU, and the EU institutions, concerning the suspension of that agreement.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The EU Association Agreement provides an important framework to discuss the EU’s human rights concerns, and we work with the EU and Israel to address these. The EU regularly raises its concerns with Israel in meetings at all levels through the structures of the Association Agreement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to support the women reportedly imprisoned in Rwanda for terminating their pregnancies after rape.
Baroness Verma
The Department places the empowerment of girls and women at the heart of its programme in Rwanda. We mainstream women and girls across our programme, and deliver targeted interventions where needed to address particular constraints faced by women. For example, we are providing up to £4.6m over 4 years (2014-2018) for a programme that will work with women and men, opinion leaders and members of the community to tackle the triggers of gender-based violence. The programme will reach over 1.7 million people. We are also supporting a Girls Empowerment Programme which is enabling 92,000 girls over three years to meet in safe spaces across the country. The girls are mentored and guided through a curriculum that includes sexual and reproductive health, prevention of violence and guidance on staying safe and healthy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning cuts in water supply to areas of the West Bank.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed this issue with the Israeli authorities on 27 June. We have stressed the need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank and Gaza.
During the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood’s) visit to Israel in February, he stressed to the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu that there was an urgent need for practical, incremental steps to improve the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel in the light of the concern expressed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine about the death of a refugee and the high number of civilian injuries from live ammunition on 16 August during an Israeli military incursion into Fawwar refugee camp.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over this issue, we have regularly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate. We understand the IDF is currently investigating the circumstances of the death.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the admission arrangements of St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School in Richmond.
Lord Nash
The Department does not actively police the admission arrangements of individual schools.
Each school has an admission authority to set its admission arrangements and ensure those arrangements comply with the School Admissions Code (“the Code”). The admission authority for St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School is the School’s governing body.
If a parent has concerns about the admission arrangements of a school they can object to the Schools’ Adjudicator. If the Adjudicator finds that the school’s arrangements are unlawful, the admission authority must revise their arrangements to ensure they comply with the Code and other admissions legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in setting up a coordinated and effective health care system in Sierra Leone, following the Ebola outbreak.
Lord Bates
DFID is supporting the President’s Recovery Plan (PRP) that focuses on delivering its two health priorities to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system post Ebola. They are:
(i) Prevent, detect and respond to epidemics to ensure zero cases of Ebola. DFID is providing £38.5million to support epidemic preparedness in the country by strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory services, maintaining a rapid deployable treatment centre and monitoring Ebola survivors. This programme has been operational since December 2015 and will finish in December 2017.
(ii) Saving the Lives of 600 women and 5,000 children. DFID is providing £150million over five years (2016 – 2021) to support the Government’s saving lives target by June 2017 and then increase the availability and quality of Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services by 2021. This is being done by equipping emergency obstetric centres, providing adolescent reproductive health services, increasing the availability of skilled health workers and by providing bed nets and free medicines to mothers and children. This programme commenced implementation this month.
Each health priority has a clearly defined work plan with milestones and is coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Progress against the milestones is monitored and reported weekly with the President reviewing progress each fortnight. District surveillance reports are submitted weekly to track the incidence of notifiable diseases (such as Ebola, Cholera and Lassa fever), detect clusters of unexplained deaths and trigger immediate investigation. In additional DFID is engaging in the longer term planning to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system, including the development of a five year RMNCAH strategy.
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 allegations by Abu Anan that Israeli forces fired tear gas into or directly outside a Palestinian house resulting in the death of a baby through gas inhalation.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While our officials in Tel Aviv have not raised this specific case with the Israeli authorities, we remain extremely concerned by the violence that we have seen across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr. Ellwood), said in his press statement of 13 October, “We are also concerned by the use of force by Israeli security personnel in response to protests and security incidents”.