The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect their new Ambassador to Lebanon to be in post.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Hugo Shorter has been acting as Charge d’Affaires to Lebanon since 5 September.
We are currently seeking agrément for a substantive Ambassador from the Lebanese authorities. As soon as it is granted, a permanent appointment will be announced.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Lebanon about practical ways in which the United Kingdom can help Lebanon to secure an uninterrupted supply of electricity.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is committed to promoting stability and prosperity in Lebanon. We call on all parties to resolve the ongoing political deadlock, which is damaging the Lebanese government’s ability to provide its people with functioning state institutions and essential public services, including the supply of electricity. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) delivered this message in person when he spoke to the Lebanon’s Prime Minister during his visit to the country last month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence, if any, they have received about the use of illegal rocket-propelled cluster bombs by Saudi Arabia in Yemen; and whether they have made representations to Saudi Arabia on that subject.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of recent reports that the Saudi Arabian led Coalition may have used cluster munitions in Yemen. We note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not yet a state party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but have encouraged Saudi Arabia to accede to the Convention. The British Government has always been clear that any action taken must be in accordance with International Humanitarian law (IHL). We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian government and the Houthis and have received repeated assurances of their IHL compliance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for co-ordinating the services and provisions needed by those sleeping rough.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Lord De Mauley on 13 January relating to United Kingdom milk production, whether they will examine the French system for the marketing of milk with a view to improving the economic prospects for dairy farmers in England.
Lord De Mauley
The French system for the marketing of milk helps dairy producers maximise their revenue through the use of Geographical Indicators (GIs). We are already supporting the marketing of high value cheese and other dairy products by encouraging British food specialities to apply for protected status.
We are also pushing for better Country of Origin labelling to help promote British dairy products. We have raised this with the new EU Agriculture Commissioner and the Commission is due to publish a report on the feasibility of mandatory labelling next month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to assist rough sleepers, and in particular homeless military veterans.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the alleged harassment by armed soldiers of refugees from the Kobane region of Syria at a camp near Suruç, Turkey.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports of alleged harassment of Syrian refugees at a camp near Suruç, Turkey. We have not made representations on these specific allegations, but maintain regular dialogue with Turkey on the humanitarian situation in the region. We recognise the challenges facing Turkey because of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and appreciate the Turkish government’s considerable humanitarian efforts in the region. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Turkey is now hosting more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees and a further 200,000 Iraqi refugees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to increase the resources available to the United Kingdom Embassy in Tunis.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Staffing resources at our Embassy in Tunis have more than doubled since the 2011 revolution. An additional staff member is due to deploy later this year. We plan to focus programme resources on areas where the UK can offer unique comparative advantage, coordinating with other partners to maximise effect. Programme Fund budgets for future Financial Years are yet to be confirmed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what ministerial visits to Tunisia are planned for the coming 12 months.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), had been due to visit Tunisia in January 2015. His visit was postponed at the Tunisians’ request as they were still in the process of forming a government. We hope to visit at the earliest opportunity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Arab Partnership Participation Fund will be used to help improve border security in Tunisia.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In Financial Year 2015/16 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has widened the Arab Partnership Fund so that it will be possible to bid for funding for some rule of law projects in addition to those in the governance, participation and public voice areas. The funding bidding process for 2015/16 is currently underway and the final selection of projects will be determined by fair and open competition based on the relative merits of individual projects and the extent to which they support the delivery of the British Government’s policy in Tunisia. Government policy priorities in Tunisia include border security.