The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will reply to the letter from Lord Ahmed to the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Theresa May, dated 9 February 2016.
Lord Keen of Elie
I must apologise for the delay in responding to your letter. The response was sent on 29 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of India encouraging it to (1) ratify the UN Convention against Torture and its optional protocols; and (2) permit a visit to India, including Jammu and Kashmir, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK engages on human rights matters with India, both bilaterally and through the EU-India Human Rights dialogue. We continue to call on the Indian government to expedite the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, and adopt robust domestic legislation to this effect. The UK made a specific recommendation on this issue during India’s Universal Periodic Review in May 2012. The EU Delegation in Delhi has also hosted a number of events on the importance of ratifying the Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of domestic violence and rape against wives from Asia, and whether in making that assessment they have identified any trend.
Lord Bates
This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.
The 2014/15 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 6.1% of adults aged 16 to 59 experienced any form of domestic abuse in the last year, down from 8.9% in the 2004/05 survey. While the latest estimate is not statistically significantly different from recent years, it is the lowest since these questions were first asked in 2004/05.
The 2014/15 CSEW also estimates that 0.3% of adults aged 16 to 59 had been a victim of rape (including attempts) in the last year. Due to the low number of respondents to the survey that have been a victim of this crime, it is not possible to say whether this estimate differs from surveys conducted in other years. However, prevalence of less serious sexual assault has fallen from 2.3% in the 2004/05 CSEW to 1.5% in the 2014/15 survey.
Data from the CSEW cannot be disaggregated by ethnicity, nor by the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-04-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the US regarding the implementation of HR158 under the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015, which prevents British nationals from travelling to the US if they may have visited Iran, Sudan, Iraq or Syria in the last five years; and what assessment they have made of whether that implementation is discriminatory.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While US immigration processes are a matter for the US authorities, we have raised with the US administration the importance of clearly communicating changes to their immigration policy. The US Customs and Border Protection service has stated publicly that “the religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveller are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the US”. We remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of India about allowing a delegation of members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir for a fact-finding visit to Jammu and Kashmir in the immediate future.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our missions across the globe have received many successful and worthwhile APPG visits by Parliamentarians with a strong record of interest in the relevant country. As with the British public, we encourage all Parliamentarians to study FCO travel advice when planning any travel. The FCO currently advises against all travel to certain parts of Kashmir.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current waiting time for processing of (1) Spouse Visas, (2) Visitor Visas, (3) Student Visas and (4) Entrepreneur Visas.
Lord Bates
The average global processing time for the period July 2014 to June 2015 and the most recent data – which covers the month of June 2015 – on global processing times for spouse, visitor, student and entrepreneur visas are set out in the table below.
|
Type |
Category |
Average processing time |
Average processing time |
|
Non-Settlement |
Visit |
7 |
7 |
|
Non-Settlement |
Student |
6 |
8 |
|
Non-Settlement |
T1 Entrepreneur |
11 |
11 |
|
Settlement |
Spouse |
35 |
54 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the changes in the rates of incidence of domestic violence and rape between 2005 and 2015.
Lord Bates
This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.
The 2014/15 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that 6.1% of adults aged 16 to 59 experienced any form of domestic abuse in the last year, down from 8.9% in the 2004/05 survey. While the latest estimate is not statistically significantly different from recent years, it is the lowest since these questions were first asked in 2004/05.
The 2014/15 CSEW also estimates that 0.3% of adults aged 16 to 59 had been a victim of rape (including attempts) in the last year. Due to the low number of respondents to the survey that have been a victim of this crime, it is not possible to say whether this estimate differs from surveys conducted in other years. However, prevalence of less serious sexual assault has fallen from 2.3% in the 2004/05 CSEW to 1.5% in the 2014/15 survey.
Data from the CSEW cannot be disaggregated by ethnicity, nor by the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-04-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they keep statistics of how many British citizens have been excluded from travelling to the US under HR158 of the Visa Waiver Programme Improvement and Terrorist Prevention Act 2015; and if so, how many have been so excluded; and whether they are aware of any British Parliamentarians being refused entry under that rule.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
US immigration processes – including the collection of statistics – are a matter for the US authorities. A number of Members of Parliament have raised this issue on behalf of their constituents and we are aware of at least one Parliamentarian affected by the new legislation. We have raised the importance of clearly communicating changes to immigration policy with the US administration, and remain in close contact with the US Embassy in order to avoid inconvenience to British nationals travelling to the US.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-10-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India about the number of attacks on minorities by extremist groups in that country, in particular black ink attacks carried out by Shiv Sena.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports of attacks by Hindu extremists on minority groups in India. The UK raises human rights matters with India, including attacks on minority groups, both bilaterally and through the EU-India human rights dialogue. As part of an EU delegation, our High Commission in New Delhi met the Indian National Commission for Minorities in early October to discuss a range of current issues. Our High Commission also maintains regular contact with civil society organisations and senior faith leaders working on religious freedom across India.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-10-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to raise with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the case of three British citizens murdered in Gujarat in 2002 when he visits the United Kingdom in November.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs , my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has previously raised this case with Prime Minister Modi in his former role as Chief Minister of Gujarat. We continue to raise consular matters with the Indian authorities at all levels. Our officials have provided consular support to the families since 2002 and will continue to provide assistance to them as needed.