Tag: Lord Chidgey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-06-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of Regency Mining’s operations and connections in South Kordofan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Regency Mines is a UK-registered company, which has operated agrominerals in Sudan. Following recent contact with the company, we understand that Regency Mines has no operations in South Kordofan, an area affected by conflict. More broadly, the United Kingdom advocates for the whole of the extractives industry to adopt the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which provide guidance to companies operating in countries affected by conflict.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which countries the receipt of BBC World Service programmes via the internet has been blocked in each year from 1999 to 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The BBC World Service has advised that blocks via the internet occurred in the following years:

1999 to present – China (BBC Chinese)
1999 to 2008 – China (BBC News – English)
2010 – China (BBC News – English was again blocked in December 2010 for a number of days and then lifted)
2014 – China (BBC News – English was again blocked in October 2014 for two weeks)
2002 – Vietnam
2004 – Uzbekistan
2006 to present – Iran
2013 to present – Sri Lanka
2014 – Rwanda

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Médecins Sans Frontières’ rejection of EU funding in Sudan in response to the EU’s policies on migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Baroness Verma

We were disappointed to learn about Médecins Sans Frontières’ rejection of EU funding in Sudan. Sudan is a major source, host and transit country for migration. As such we remain committed to tackling the full range of migration issues in Sudan, including addressing the conflicts and the human rights situation, and supporting regional co-operation and efforts to stop people trafficking and smuggling through the ‘Khartoum Process’. Through DFID, we will deliver support that addresses the root causes of migration, and strengthen the basis for inclusive economic development and increased employment opportunities to encourage Sudanese people to better see their future in Sudan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which countries local FM radio stations broadcasting BBC World Service programmes in-country have been closed down by the authorities in each year from 1999 to 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The BBC World Service has advised that they experienced closures to their service in the following countries: 2006 – Tajikistan 2008 – Oman 2009 –Azerbaijan 2010 – Somalia 2010 – Sudan 2008 to 2011– Israel 2014 – Rwanda

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to commit to include safe and legal routes of passage from the Horn of Africa into the Khartoum Process.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is continuing its Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process, and remains committed in its support for human rights. Our focus remains on the implementation of the actions agreed at last year’s EU-Africa Valletta Summit on migration.

We are working with EU and international partners to ensure that EU funding underlying the Khartoum Process is properly monitored and overseen, including compliance with the EU Treaties which includes respect for human rights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the changes in audience sizes in African countries or regions following the switch from short wave to FM transmission of BBC World Service programmes between 1999 and 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The BBC World Service has advised that they make the following assessment of the changes in audience sizes in African countries or regions:

Sub -Saharan Africa –

Total audience across all platforms has risen from 52.7 million in 2005 to 81.8 million in 2015 (55 per cent increase).

In 2005, Short Wave and Medium Wave delivered 63 per cent of total audiences; by 2015 Short Wave and Medium Wave delivered 39.3 per cent of total audiences.

Short Wave and Medium Wave audiences in the region have dropped 3.9 per cent, while BBC’s direct FM audiences have grown by 125 per cent.

Middle East and North Africa –

Total audience across all platforms has risen from 15.3 million in 2005 to 48.2 million in 2015 (215 per cent increase).

In 2005, Short Wave and Medium Wave delivered 78 per cent of total audiences; by 2015 Short Wave and Medium Wave delivered 8.5 per cent of total audiences.

In this period, Short Wave and Medium Wave audiences in the region have dropped by 62 per cent, while the BBC’s direct FM audiences have dropped by 59 per cent.

BBC Arabic TV reaches 30.3 million people across Middle East & North Africa.

The World Service use Global Audience Measurement (GAM) data to track performance by platform and by market. This data provides clear records from 2005 onwards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they plan to take in the design of an international migration policy, based on respect for human rights, when they no longer chair the Khartoum Process.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is continuing its Chairmanship of the Khartoum Process, and remains committed in its support for human rights. Our focus remains on the implementation of the actions agreed at last year’s EU-Africa Valletta Summit on migration.

We are working with EU and international partners to ensure that EU funding underlying the Khartoum Process is properly monitored and overseen, including compliance with the EU Treaties which includes respect for human rights.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the change in the size of the audience for BBC World Service programmes broadcast via the internet in African countries or regions from 1999 to 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The BBC World Service has advised that:

The current weekly audience for the BBC on the Internet in sub Saharan Africa has grown from 520,000 in 2006 to 4.3 million (726 per cent increase).

The current weekly audience for the BBC on the Internet in the Middle East and North Africa grew from 530,000 in 2006 to 2.2 million (315 per cent increase).

The World Service use Global Audience Measurement (GAM) data to track performance by platform and by market. This data provides clear records from 2005 onwards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports from Human Rights Watch of collusion between Sudanese police forces and people smugglers trafficking people in the region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of, and deeply troubled by, reports of collusion between Sudanese police forces and people smugglers. We have raised our concerns over these reports with both the Ministry of Interior and the Commissioner for Refugees. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan as part of our wider engagement on migration issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of political instability, human rights violations, poor governance and rule of law, and economic collapse, on migration flows from Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are concerned by migration flows from across the region, including Sudan. There are a range of political, economic and security factors that impact migration flows and we are undertaking further research on the drivers of migration from Sudan. We continue to raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Sudan and urge the government and opposition groups to work together to secure a political settlement that addresses Sudan’s internal conflicts.