Tag: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the Basic Law and democratic elections in Hong Kong.

Baroness Warsi

We maintain a good dialogue both with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Chinese authorities, with whom we discuss Hong Kong regularly at senior levels. We did so most recently during the UK-China Summit in June, when the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and Premier Li discussed prospects for universal suffrage in 2017, alongside a variety of other issues. During his visit to Beijing in May, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), met with Wang Guangya, Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office to discuss the transition to universal suffrage, as well as Hong Kong’s continuing prosperity.

The Six Monthly Reports to Parliament demonstrate our commitment to closely monitor Hong Kong’s development. The latest Six Monthly Report is due to be published in mid-July.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce sugar intake in children.

Earl Howe

Helping people consume fewer calories, including sugar, is key to reducing obesity levels in England. Through the Responsibility Deal, 40 companies, including those that produce and retail sugar sweetened beverages and confectionery, are removing sugar under the calorie reduction pledge.

Rules are in place that prohibit the advertising of foods high in sugar in or around children’s television.

The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce the levels of obesity.

Earl Howe

We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels of obesity. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, Government departments including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, School Sports Funding and the School Food Plan.

Our national ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in adults and children by 2020 requires collective action by Government, businesses, health and care professionals, and individuals. We believe the actions we are taking are delivering results with obesity rates levelling off, but we still have much further to go.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they have in the programme to contain the spread of Ebola.

Baroness Northover

To date, the UK government has contributed £897,324 to the Ebola Virus Disease response in the three affected countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia through multilateral partners and the DFID bilateral programme. In addition, DFID is finalizing arrangements to send out three Public Health England disease control specialists to Sierra Leone to support the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) response.

In Sierra Leone, DFID funds are being used to support improved coordination at the national level; training and equipping of health workers competently to manage Ebola cases; improving EVD case detection and supporting appropriate radio messaging and community mobilisation activities on EVD prevention in affected districts. In Liberia, DFID has provided chlorine and other materials for hygiene and sanitising; and training in their appropriate use. Along with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are closely monitoring the outbreak from Sierra Leone and Liberia (where we have DFID country offices) and internationally through Whitehall. We are working with WHO and national government agencies to improve our understanding of the outbreak and help to guide the response in-country and regionally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the position of free media in Egypt.

Baroness Warsi

The British Government is appalled by the sentences given to Egyptian and international journalists in Cairo on 23 June, including to two British nationals being tried in absentia. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 23 June expressing his concerns and urging the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a matter of urgency.

The Egyptian Ambassador, Ashraf el-Kholy, was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 23 June. FCO Political Director, Simon Gass, told the Egyptian Ambassador that the Government was deeply concerned by the verdicts, along with the procedural shortcomings seen during the trials. Our Ambassador to Egypt raised this issue in Cairo with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 June. We will continue to monitor the situation of these journalists very closely, and raise the issue with the Egyptian authorities. The UK believes that a free and robust media is a bedrock of democracy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in relation to suppression of the marking of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations by the government of China.

Baroness Warsi

We are concerned at reports of detentions in relation to the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square and raised our concerns about this with the Chinese authorities during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 20 May. The Minister of State, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this issue with the Chinese authorities on 19 May and made a statement on this issue on 21 May. We also fully support the EU statement of 28 May calling for the release of all those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their views. We were pleased to see that on 5 June, the Chinese authorities released a number of those arrested after attending an event to commemorate the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.