Tag: Lord Hylton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the collapse of the Dolmabahçe Agreement, whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the proposal by Open Democracy of 15 steps for Turkish–Kurdish peace.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We understand that the Government of Turkey did not commit itself to specific undertakings following the talks at the Dolmabahçe Palace in February 2015. We have been very clear that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) violence must end in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the British Red Cross report Not So Straightforward and its campaign to reunite refugee families, Torn Apart.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

We are reviewing our process for dealing with applications for refugee family reunion in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Justice. We are working closely with the British Red Cross and are considering the recommendations made in the Not So Straightforward report in detail.

We have now improved our guidance on processing family reunion applications so that it is clear, consistent and accessible. We intend to publish this in the next few weeks. We have also committed to redesigning the application form to ensure that applicants better understand the process and what is required of them.

There are no plans to extend the family reunion criteria as called for in the British Red Cross Torn Apart campaign. The current family reunion policy meets our international obligations and strikes the right balance. Where family members cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules, such as in the case of an 18 year old applying to join their refugee parents in the UK, we consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting entry clearance outside the Rules.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the governments of Syria and Jordan concerning the Syrian refugees trapped at the Syria–Jordan border; what responses they have had; and what plans they have for securing food and essential services for them.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation for the people camped in the no man’s land between Syria and Jordan. We are working closely with the Jordanian authorities and humanitarian agencies to resume relief supplies as soon as possible. Our Ambassador visited the area in March and we have regularly raised the issue with Jordan at the highest levels, including during the Secretary of State for International Development, My Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel)’s visit to Jordan in August. Understandably, the Jordanian Government’s priority is their national security. We welcome their decision to supply water and allow a delivery of food and other essential aid in August, and continue to press for a long term solution that addresses both the humanitarian situation and Jordan’s security needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether (1) medical personnel, (2) ambulance crews, and (3) journalists, have been unlawfully attacked in the last year in Israel and Palestine, and how many of each group have been injured in that period.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

While we have not made an assessment specifically on this matter, we are clear that both medical staff and journalists should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. Freedom of the media is an important human rights principle. We are aware of several concerning incidents involving journalists and ambulance crews in the West Bank and Gaza over the past year. We regularly raise our concerns with both the Palestinian Authority and Israeli government, and have urged all sides to de-escalate the current tensions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey measures to slow the rate at which refugees and migrants leave Turkey, and the feasibility of their having European interviews before they leave that country.

Lord Bates

The Government has strong bilateral relations with Turkey and regularly discusses a number of issues, including migration. The Government recently announced that the UK will resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over the lifetime of this Parliament – this will include a number from Turkey. The Government supports Turkey’s efforts to manage the flow of illegal migration, and maintain an effective border between Turkey and the EU. Turkey is responsible for refugees on its territory and EU Member States are responsible for interviewing and deciding asylum claims lodged on their territories. There are no plans to create a mechanism to allow asylum interviews to be conducted in Turkey on behalf of EU countries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Egypt about the alleged involvement of Egyptian forces in the death at sea of Firas Miqdad, a fisherman from Gaza.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports of an incident on 5 November involving an Egyptian naval vessel and a Palestinian fishing vessel, leading to the death of the fisherman Firas Miqdad.

Details of the incident remain unclear. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials will continue to monitor this case.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will require the Parole Board to take into account all the available evidence that individual prisoners serving long sentences have changed their attitudes and lifestyles while in prison.

Lord Faulks

It is not mandatory for a prisoner to complete specific courses or programmes before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board. The Parole Board is required to assess the prisoner’s overall risk of serious harm to the public and, in doing so, will consider a range of factors, including, where available, the prisoner’s response to specific offending behaviour programmes (OBPs).

The Parole Board already takes into account other indicators of reduced risk, including where the prisoner has engaged effectively with professional staff on a one to one basis or undertaken education, work and training. In addition, the Parole Board will consider the prisoner’s behaviour in custody, together with evidence drawn from the prisoner’s attitudes – for example, how well the prisoner handles stressful situations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 16 December (HL4270 and HL4271), whether they have asked, or will ask, the government of Iraq to end the requirement for religious affiliations to be shown on identity cards.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The current National Identity Law does not require Iraqi citizens to mention their religious or tribal affiliations. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior has removed religious affiliations from new identity cards.

We will continue to encourage the Government of Iraq to ensure freedom of religion or belief in Iraq.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what expertise in the design and supervision of aid and development projects, if any, is available within EU diplomatic posts outside the EU; and if none, whether they will call for a halt to further projects.

Baroness Verma

The EU Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) is responsible for designing European international cooperation and development policy and delivering aid throughout the world.

As of 1 January 2015 DG DEVCO had approximately 3600 Staff (officials, contractual agents, local agents and other categories of external staff) both in Headquarters (35%) and in EU Delegations (65%). DG DEVCO has the greatest number of Commission staff in EU Delegations (2350 – approximately 44%). The Commission also draws on Member State contributions to complement and supplement its own expertise. For example, as well drawing on expertise in policy technical experts meetings and management committees, there are a significant number of specialists drawn from Member States under the Seconded National Experts arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will reinstate legal aid for qualifying UK residents seeking to re-unite with their immediate family members from overseas; and if not, why not.

Lord Keen of Elie

Our limited legal aid resources should be available for the highest priority cases and to the most financially vulnerable. There are no plans to change the legal aid arrangements for family reunion. As with all cases outside the scope of legal aid, exceptional funding may be available where required under ECHR or EU law.

Guidance to support applications for family reunion is available from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). UKVI issue guidance to help applicants, and the types of evidence requested to accompany an application – such as marriage and birth certificates – will usually be straightforward to collate.