Tag: Baroness Tonge

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 17 November (HL3625), what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the identification of the ages of Palestinian children prior to their arrest and detention.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Ministry of Justice (MoJ) when they met on 3 November and were informed that a small number of children under 12 had been detained. The Israeli MoJ stated that once their age was established, the minors were released. They also told officials that if identification was not available, parents of the individuals were contacted via the Palestinian District Coordination Office. Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention in Israel. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. While we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the Department for International Development’s bilateral expenditure directly targeting HIV and AIDS in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

Earl of Courtown

Details of DFID expenditure can be found in Statistics on International Development GPEX tables, which I have attached. The latest published report contains 2013/14 data. Data for 2014/15 will be published in late January 2016.

DFID supports HIV prevention, treatment and care through a variety of bilateral channels including: projects and programmes at the country level; strengthening health systems in our partner countries to respond to the HIV epidemic; and funding research. We also provide support through multilateral channels and global partnerships such as the Global Fund and UNITAID. In 2013/14, bilateral spend on HIV was £48.4 million.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the arrest and detention of Mohammed Abu Tair.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised the specific case of the arrest and detention of Muhammad Abu Tair with the Israeli Authorities. However, we remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel on the aerial spraying of herbicides on 187 hectares of crops within the borders of Gaza in late December 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total financial commitment by the UK to Gaza since fighting ceased in 2014.

Baroness Verma

The UK provided more than £17 million in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. In October 2014, the UK pledged a further £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided more than £25 million of additional support to Gaza for a range of activities, including basic service delivery and support to the private sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding reported Palestinian General Intelligence Service raids on female students’ houses in Hebron at night.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Officials from our Consulate-General raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority on 23 March.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how closely they monitor the weekly UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs statistics of death, injuries and house demolitions in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and what conclusions they have drawn from those statistics.

Baroness Verma

We follow all briefings and updates from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs closely, and are greatly concerned with the deteriorating humanitarian situation across the occupied Palestinian territories. We raise these concerns regularly with the Government of Israel and development partners, and continue to call for the lifting of movement and access restrictions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 18 April (HL7720), what representations they now intend to make to the government of Israel to ensure an adequate power supply to Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We regularly raise Gaza’s energy needs, which are essential to permit recovery and allow the economy to grow, with the Israeli authorities. A long-term strategy for gas provision needs to be established. In the interim, we are focussing on provision of diesel to run the Gazan power plant, and expanded electricity provision from medium-voltage feeder lines into Gaza from Israel.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so when, they intend to instigate an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in politics at all levels.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they live. There is no place for hatred against people because of their race, gender, ethnic origin, faith, sexual orientation, age or disability. This includes anti-Muslim attacks which are unacceptable in Britain.

The Government is already taking a number of steps to counter Islamaphobia and does not intend to carry out an independent inquiry. We fund Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) to encourage reporting of these crimes and to support victims. We have also set up the first cross Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group to raise awareness of Islamaphobic attacks. In addition, the police began to disaggregate hate crime by religion in April 2016. This will help the police to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support Gaza and Gazan refugees in the light of warnings from the UN that Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020.

Baroness Verma

As part of its Bilateral Aid Review, DFID is in the process of agreeing future multi-year support for Palestinian development, which will include support for Gaza. This will include access for reconstruction materials, basic service delivery, support to the private sector and assistance for the most vulnerable.