Tag: Lord Hylton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy for enabling Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo to become members of as many European institutions as possible, with the minimum of delay and the maximum of co-operation.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I refer my noble Lord to my answer of 27 April (HL7662). The British Government supports the accession of Western Balkans countries to European institutions such as Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and Europol, as a means to deliver our rule of law and governance objectives in the region, once relevant criteria are met. Any decision to enlarge the EU requires the unanimous agreement of the governments of all existing Member States and ratification in accordance with each country’s constitutional arrangements. In the case of the UK, under the EU Act 2011 ratification cannot take place without an Act of Parliament to approve the new accession. We can therefore ensure that our requirements are respected in any future EU enlargement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-05-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to respond to the report from the Prison Reform Trust In care, out of trouble; and whether they will publish an assessment of the position of children in care within the criminal justice system.

Lord Nash

As at 31 March 2015, five per cent of 10-17 year olds who had been in care for a year or more had been convicted of an offence or were subject to a final warning or reprimand.[1] Proven offending by young people, including looked after children has fallen significantly in recent years. Since the peak in youth offending in 2007, proven youth offending is down 79%; first-time entrants to the youth justice system are down 82%. Youth offending teams work with the police and other agencies to prevent looked after children from offending and coming in to contact with the youth justice system.

The Government has asked Sir Martin Narey to review residential care for looked after children and he will make recommendations on criminalisation. Charlie Taylor is leading a review of youth justice. We will respond to those reviews in due course.

I am grateful to the Prison Reform Trust for their contribution to this important debate. The Minister of State for Children and Families recently met with Lord Laming to discuss the contents of the Prison Reform Trust’s report ‘In care, out of trouble’.

[1] Department for Education Statistical First Release – 34/2015

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consult widely on how the UK’s contributions to EU programmes for disaster relief, aid and development might be used in the future.

Baroness Verma

The UK’s aid strategy sets out how we will tackle extreme poverty and in doing so protect our own national security and interests. We will continue to ensure that our 0.7% ODA commitment is used to deliver our development objectives to maximum effect whilst achieving value for money for the taxpayer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make an assessment of the report by the Refugee Support Network After Return, in particular with a view to preventing hardship and persecution of 18-year-old refugees sent back to their country of origin and to gaining benefits for the UK from the education of those individuals by not insisting on return in all cases.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

We do not send refugees back to their country of origin. Those who no longer need protection are not refugees and are expected to apply under other provisions of the Immigration Rules if they want to stay in the UK.

We have noted the content of the report but believe that the current policy framework meets the needs of this group and strikes the correct balance. Decision makers take into account the specific vulnerabilities of individuals when considering applications for further leave in addition to considering whether there are other exceptional or compassionate reasons to justify granting leave.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether international relief and resettlement aid has reached Manbij in Syria; and if not, what plans they have to make this possible.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

DFID partners, working with the local council, have already provided relief to Manbij city in the form of repairs to water and electricity networks, as well the provision of safe water, hygiene kits and support for waste removal. Our international NGO partners are also assessing needs and planning to provide further assistance.

DFID supports the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Humanitarian Pooled Fund, which has allocated over $1 million for the prepositioning of humanitarian supplies for use in Manbij. These will be distributed as access into Manbij increases – it is currently hampered by the presence of unexploded ordnance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish full details of the Child Trafficking Protection Fund.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

As announced by the Home Secretary on Thursday 27th October the Child Trafficking Protection Fund is now open for bids and will make available up to £3m over three years to fund innovative projects to protect and support victims of child trafficking.

The Fund will enhance existing provisions to support these particularly vulnerable young people and will be open to both statutory and non-statutory organisations that work with potential victims. We encourage all interested organisations to put forward innovative proposals. More information can be found on the gov.uk contracts finder webpage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to enable refugees from the Middle East and other war zones who have close family connections with the UK to come to this country safely to apply for protection.

Lord Bates

There is no provision in our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum or humanitarian protection. However, we recognise that families may become fragmented because of the nature of conflict and persecution and the speed and manner in which those seeking asylum often flee their country of origin. Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status – that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin – to reunite with them in the UK.

We also operate three discretionary resettlement schemes for recognised refugees for whom resettlement is the most appropriate answer. We operate these schemes in partnership with the UNHCR: Gateway; Mandate; and the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme. Under the Syrian VPR Scheme we are working closely with the UNHCR to resettle close family groups where at least one member qualifies under the scheme.

We are also making a significant contribution to support refugees and their families in other ways. The UK has contributed over £1 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the Syrian crisis and we intend to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees displaced to neighbouring countries over the lifetime of this Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the Decision adopted by the IPU’s Governing Council meeting on 21 October concerning Palestinian parliamentarians, in particular about the health of those parliamentarians being detained, access for family visits, and grounds for early release.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention which, in accordance with international law, should not be used as routine practice, and should be a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We have not specifically raised the cases of detained Palestinian Legislative Council members. On 3 November officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of administrative detention with Israeli officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the humanitarian impact of increasing the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza; and whether they have plans to discuss that issue with the government of Israel.

Baroness Verma

The biggest impediments to Palestinian economic progress are the Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions. The current movement and access restrictions relating to Gaza are leading to a stagnated economy and worsening situation for the people living there. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but is firmly in Israel’s security interests. We have consistently called on Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, including extending operating times at Kerem Shalom and will continue to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the government of Turkey has placed a complete or partial embargo on supplies to, and exports from, the cantons of northern Syria; and whether they plan to make any representations to the government of Turkey based on that assessment.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Turkey recognises the role that Syrian Kurds have to play in the fight against Daesh, and accepts that Syrian Kurds receive support from the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh. We have a close dialogue with the Government of Turkey about ensuring humanitarian and other supplies reach the communities of northern Syria.