Tag: Lord Alton of Liverpool

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5646), when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority changed its practice; what the reasons were for doing so; and how that change in practice had previously been communicated publicly.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) cannot confirm when this practice changed. Making provision for interested members of the public to make their views known, whilst not a legal requirement under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, was part of the HFEA’s past practice although very few applications attracted a response. This change was not communicated publicly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 2 February (HL5773) and 7 March (HL6225), whether the previously licensed research to perform genome editing in human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9 has commenced; if so, when that research actually commenced and when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) received evidence of ethics approval; if not, how the HFEA has confirmed that the newly approved activities have not already commenced prior to receipt of evidence of ethics approval; and whether the delay due to the absence of evidence of ethics approval has applied only to genome editing or also to all activities previously covered by the same licence.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the research referred to by the Noble Lord has not commenced. When ethics approval has been received, the person responsible is required to provide evidence of this to the HFEA. The ethics approval applies to new activities in the research project, including the use of CRISPR-Cas9.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 March (HL6930 and HL6954), how the patient information and consent forms originally submitted to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) explicitly described the process of genome editing in human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9; whether such previously licensed research has now commenced; if so, when the HFEA received evidence of ethics approval; and what have been the reasons for the further delay in commencing such research in the light of previous complaints about delays by the person responsible in her correspondence to the HFEA dated 15 December 2015 and 12 January 2016.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the original patient information is part of the information presented to the Licence Committee and this was sent to the noble Lord on 7 March 2016. The research involving gene editing has not yet started. The HFEA is awaiting final confirmation that the changes to the patient information and consent forms requested by the research ethics committee have been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns to the private notice question from Lord Alton of Liverpool on 21 April, which members of the United Nations Security Council they believe would veto a referral to the International Criminal Court of evidence of genocide against Christian, Yazidi and other minorities in Iraq and Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. It is not possible to refer Daesh itself to the ICC. Any referral would cover ALL potential crimes against international humanitarian law within a specified geographic area, rather than a specified organisation or set of actors.

When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China. We expect that any Security Council resolution at this time seeking to refer the situations in Iraq or Syria to the ICC would likewise be blocked.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 April (HL7391), whether the single stem cell line from the research project R0152 that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank was derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the single stem cell line from the research project R0152, that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank, was not derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any vessels of the Royal Navy fleet have been built or serviced at the Nauta shipyard in Poland; and whether the Government is aware of the use of North Korean labour at that shipyard.

Earl Howe

I can confirm that no Royal Navy vessels have been built or serviced at the Nauta shipyard in Poland. We are aware of reports, however, that North Korean labour has been used at the shipyard.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan has adequate supplies of electricity; what assessment they have made of the effect of power cuts and power rationing on that hospital’s ability to provide treatment; whether they have raised the issue of the lack of electricity at the Juba Teaching Hospital with the government of South Sudan; and what steps they will take to ensure that that government takes action.

Baroness Verma

The Government of South Sudan has provided one year’s supply of fuel to the Juba Teaching Hospital. The fuel was delivered and electricity was restored to the hospital at the end of May 2016. The Government has also recently signed a contract with a private company to undertake general renovation of the hospital.

The South Sudan Government’s annual budget allocations for health and education are amongst the lowest in the region averaging 6% for education and 4% for health, compared to an average of 17% and 15% respectively in other East African countries. The UK has consistently lobbied for increased budget allocations to these sectors. The UK is pressing the Government of South Sudan to increase funding for health in the 2016-17 annual budget which will be set in July, particularly for medicines, hospital infrastructure, recurrent running costs including fuel, and personnel for hospitals and clinics. This issue was most recently raised in a meeting with the Minister of Health, Riek Gai Kok on 21 June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to participate in the conference about the attacks on Yazidis, Christians and others by ISIS organised by the US State Department in Washington DC on 29 July; if so, who will represent them and whether whilst attending that conference they will explain why they have not supported the genocide declarations passed by the House of Commons and the US Congress.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK will attend the State Department Consultation on Threats to Religious and Ethnic Minorities under Daesh on 28 and 29 July. It will be represented by a senior official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The consultation will be used to discuss what countries are doing to protect minorities under Daesh and what more can be done. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) made clear during his visit to Washington on 21 July, the Government is fully committed to working with international partners to ensure Daesh is held to account for its crimes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to engage in increased consultation with civil society and UK-based and international human rights NGOs around the UK–China Human Rights Dialogue, including increasing transparency and accountability.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Ministers and officials meet civil society representatives on a regular basis to hear their views and benefit from their expertise on the human rights situation in China. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma) met Chinese NGOs during his recent visit to China. He plans to host a round table with UK-based NGOs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they have allocated this financial year towards peace-building and reconciliation initiatives and towards the restoration of plurality and diversity in Iraq and post-war Syria; and how much has been allocated for each of the next five years.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

For the 2016/17 financial year the UK Government allocated £3.7 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) towards promoting reconciliation in Iraq. These funds contribute to addressing the long-term factors that led to Daesh’s rise. In Iraq the funding supports efforts to encourage political reform and reconciliation through the passage and implementation of legislation, building the capacity of decision makers to craft a strategic vision for reconciliation, and creating a space for dialogue between the government and all of Iraq’s communities. In Syria, we have committed over £7 million from the CSSF for the 2016/17 financial year towards the promotion of reconciliation, specifically in supporting local councils, moderate voices and civil society groups who work to increase community engagement in local conflicts. We are also supporting Track II political dialogue and peace building work, through education, interfaith coexistence and reconciliation training.

For financial year 2017/18, and subsequent years, the final allocation of funding for promoting reconciliation in both Iraq and Syria is yet to be decided. However, this will remain a critical area for our programme funding.