Tag: Baroness Tonge

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what non-grant mechanisms the Department for International Development uses to finance sexual and reproductive health and family planning.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

DFID primarily provides support in developing countries through grants to delivery partners. We work in the poorest countries, including fragile and conflict affected states, for whom non-grant options can pose more risk.

No DFID resources that are specifically disaggregated as supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights or family planning were provided via non-grant mechanisms during those periods. While we do support World Bank IDA, which is a non-grant source of finance, we believe it is important that countries establish their own priorities for spending these resources.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take in 2017 and beyond to support the International Planned Parenthood Federation in providing service points to women and girls worldwide.

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 discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the case for ensuring accountability for violence both by Israeli settlers and by the Israel Defence Forces as a means to restore calm in the West Bank.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We regularly raise the issue of settler violence and the need for accountability with the Israeli authorities. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns over the use of force, including lethal force, on 4 November with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Envoy on the Peace Process, Isaac Molho, stressing the need for proportionality and proper accountability. Our Ambassador also raised this issue with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai, on 26 October, and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General on 28 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 regarding the use of skunk water on children, homes, and streets, in the Qitoun neighbourhood of Hebron in November.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli government, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv regularly raises UK concerns over the use of force by Israeli security authorities, most recently with the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 October. We continue to stress the need for proportionality and proper accountability.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take following the announcement that the government of Israel is to end its diplomatic links with the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

It is not our understanding that the Government of Israel is ending its diplomatic links with the EU. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, discussed this issue with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 30 November. Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified that Israel will continue to work with the EU on the Middle East Peace Process. In December 2009, the UK introduced voluntary guidelines to enable produce from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories to be specifically labelled as such. We therefore also welcome the EU’s ‘Interpretative notice on the indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967’, a technical clarification of existing rules, adopted on 11 November.

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 the destruction of structures in al Hadidiya in November 2015, despite an injunction by the Israeli Civil Administration, in particular a one-kilometre section of road serving that community and funded by an international donor.

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 what steps they plan to take to help to ensure that women have access to safe and legal abortion services 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

As the main public health threat of Zika is to the unborn babies of infected pregnant women in affected countries it is important that responses to Zika include vector and infection control with a focus on pregnant women or women of child-bearing age and strengthened reproductive and sexual health services (for women who do not want to get pregnant). The importance of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for all women is brought home by the emergence of Zika. There may be increased demand for voluntary rights based 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 although DFID has not been asked to provide specific sexual and reproductive health and rights assistance to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean affected by the Zika virus.

New guidelines covering maternal surveillance and neonatal health are being rolled out across the region, developed by the Latin American Centre for Perinatology, Women and Reproductive Health.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will represent them at the forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit in May.

Baroness Verma

Final decisions on who will be in the delegation will be taken nearer the time.

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 concerning unexploded ordnance left after military training close to Palestinian property.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

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 appropriation of 234 hectares of Palestinian land near Jericho by Israel on 10 March.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a press statement on 16 March condemning the Israeli government’s decision to take over 585 acres of land in the West Bank as ‘state land’.