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 placing of razor wire by Israeli forces on a route taken by school children in Toqou’ village south of Bethlehem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not had discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue. However, we have raised concerns on several occasions with the relevant Israeli authorities about the route of the barrier.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the UK financial commitment to Gaza since fighting ceased in 2014 has been spent, and on what.

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 government of Israel regarding the closure of the Palestine Today news television channel in the West Bank and the arrest of three journalists.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. However we are aware of reports of closure of the Palestine Today television channel and are investigating the background.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning reports that a further 77,000 Jewish settlers are due to be relocated to illegal Israeli settlements around Ramallah.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We consistently express our opposition to illegal settlements. On 18 February, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised our concerns about settlements with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the UK’s strong opposition to illegal construction of settlements with the Israeli authorities, and raised these specific plans on 17 November 2015.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of gunfire by Israeli forces at farmers trying to access their land near the border east of Khan Younes.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, we have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli authorities about the Israeli Defence Forces use of live fire.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the destruction of crops and olive trees on Palestinian-owned agricultural lands near Nejehot settlement by Israeli forces.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of the difficulties facing Palestinian olive growers and of the particular sensitivities around olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We have expressed our serious concerns to the Israeli Government and security officials about the destruction of olive trees on a number of occasions, whether by the Israeli authorities or extremist settlers. We hold the Israeli authorities responsible for enforcing the rule of law and providing the appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for follow-up health and welfare checks of newborn female babies whose mothers have been victims of female genital mutilation.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is illegal, extremely harmful and it is child abuse. Girls born to mothers who have had FGM are offered the same range of newborn and infant health checks as offered to all families.

In addition to the routine newborn and infant health checks offered to all families as part of the Healthy Child Programme, professionals have safeguarding responsibilities meaning that if they have any concerns about FGM they should take appropriate safeguarding actions, including sharing this with key professionals within the child’s life as part of local safeguarding procedures. In addition, any concerns about potential risk of FGM must be recorded within the child’s Red Book.

A multi-agency approach is essential to protect girls from harm and as such, midwives, health visitors, general practitioners and school nurses amongst others are all responsible for the health and welfare of all children they see, irrespective of whether the mother has had FGM or not.

The document Female Genital Mutilation Risk and Safeguarding Guidance for professionals (Department of Health, May 2016) provides information for health professionals on the specific issues frequently encountered when dealing with FGM. A copy of this document is attached.