Tag: Lord Judd

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote operational and headquarters experience in the UN for career development in the armed forces and police.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Multinational relationships are key to the security of the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) recognises and values the experience that military personnel gain from deployments and postings to multinational operations and Headquarters, including the UN. This has been demonstrated by the increase in the number of UN Staff Officer posts filled by the UK in recent years and the UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review commitment to double the number of troops deployed to UN Peace Operations.

Career development in the Armed Forces is based on a range of factors including such multinational deployments and postings. Relevant experience and performance from deployment to UN operations and headquarters would form part of an individual’s career assessment. Requirements for such deployments and postings are initiated and developed centrally by the MoD then apportioned to the Single Services to fill.

The UK also recognises the benefits of international deployments to the police service. Through the National Police Chiefs’ Council we are encouraging police forces to consider releasing officers to undertake international roles. The newly-established Joint International Policing Hub will consider ways of incorporating international deployments into careers in the police service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what comparative analysis they have conducted of the number of children in privately operated children’s homes and those in other homes who become entangled in the criminal justice system, and what action they are taking as a result.

Lord Nash

As at 31 March 2015, there were 4,390 looked after children in privately operated children’s home provision[1] of which 60 were looked after under a youth justice legal status[2]. A further 2,180 children were looked after in children’s homes not run by private sector providers (e.g. local authority or voluntary sector provision) of which 20 were looked after under a youth justice legal status.

The Government has asked Sir Martin Narey to undertake an independent review of children’s homes. As part of his review, Sir Martin will consider how to reduce any inappropriate criminalisation of children in children’s homes.

[1] Includes children in secure, regulated and unregulated children’s homes.

[2] Includes children remanded to local authority accommodation or to youth detention accommodation; children placed in local authority accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act; and those sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, as amended by Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, with residence or intensive fostering requirement).

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Iraq about building a socially, religiously and politically inclusive society in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We strongly support the Iraqi government in its efforts to build a more inclusive society, including uniting Iraq’s communities against Daesh and extremism, restoring public trust in the state, and delivering the services and opportunities that all Iraqis want and deserve. We welcome the commitments that the Government of Iraq has made to inclusivity, to protecting Iraqi citizens, and addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account. We continue to promote progress against these commitments in our engagements with the Government of Iraq at both official and ministerial levels, emphasising the importance of political reconciliation to defeating Daesh and eradicating radicalism.

For the 2016/17 financial year we have allocated £3.7 million from the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund towards reconciliation in Iraq. This funding will support efforts to encourage political reform and reconciliation, including the passage and implementation of legislation. And following our announcement at the Iraq Pledging Conference on 20 July the UK is contributing £9.25m to the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation. This will help the Iraqi government stabilise areas recently liberated from Daesh and re-establish security, basic services and inclusive local governance.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how far they expect proposals in the report of the earlier Open Ended Working Group of 2015 in Geneva, and developed in working papers to the 2015 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, to provide a basis for identifying which of those proposals could be negotiated in time to be submitted to the 2016 UN General Assembly in order to prepare for substantial negotiations to begin in 2017.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Any Open Ended Working Group mandated to address the issue of nuclear disarmament should consider proposals and papers related to this issue from previous UN and Non Proliferation Treaty meetings and should take a consensus-based approach that takes into account the wider global security environment. We remain open to an appropriately-mandated Open Ended Working Group provided that it is conducive to a constructive dialogue and we are considering whether to attend the meeting in Geneva in 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Bangladesh about (1) the arrest of Shafik Rehman on 16 April, and (2) the recent harassment of other journalists in Bangladesh; and what was the outcome of those representations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Consular officials in Dhaka have registered the British Government’s interest in Mr Rehman’s case with the Director, Consular Affairs at the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and requested consular access to Mr Rehman. Our High Commissioner in Dhaka raised this case with the MFA’s Director General EU.

We have made clear our concerns about freedom of expression in Bangladesh, most recently in a press statement about the murder of Nazimuddin Samad. In that statement the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), restated the Government’s position that the right to freedom of expression and open debate in Bangladesh must be upheld.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards the future of the European Youth Orchestra, and the role of the EU in its future.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Last week the commission announced the continuation of the orchestra for a further year, until the end of 2016. British donors and foundations are prominent among its funders, reflecting the generosity of British philanthropy in the arts.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to the Kurdish authorities to help them cope with the number of people who have fled fighting in Iraq and are now displaced within the region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

In response to the crisis in Iraq, since summer 2014 the UK has pledged £129.5 million of humanitarian support. This includes £50 million of additional assistance announced on 20 July 2016. To date, we have provided cash assistance, access to clean water, food, medicines and other life-saving assistance for the most vulnerable – irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity. This funding has supported the response in northern Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), as well as helping other vulnerable people across the country.

Given the importance of a coordinated response, we have provided £1 million of funding to UNDP to support the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Joint Crisis Centre (JCC), as well as its equivalent for the Government of Iraq, the Joint Crisis and Monitoring Centre (JCMC). In close collaboration with the JCMC, the United Nations, donors and non-governmental organisations, the JCC is leading humanitarian efforts in the Kurdistan Region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2014-06-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that any extension of the mutual defence agreement with the United States is designed to assist the fulfilment of the purposes of the non-proliferation treaty and to fulfil the undertaking in that context given by the existing nuclear powers.

Baroness Warsi

We are committed to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and firmly believe that the best way to achieve this is through gradual disarmament negotiated through a step-by-step approach within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament and continues to be at the forefront of international efforts to control proliferation, and to make progress towards multilateral nuclear disarmament. The UK-USA Mutual Defence Agreement is, and will continue to be, in full compliance with our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2015-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following their policy of prioritising survivors of sexual violence for their Syrian refugee resettlement programme, what similar action they are taking in respect of the situation of Yazidi women and girls.

Lord Bates

The Government is deeply concerned about the crises in Syria and Iraq and the suffering and hardship they are causing for millions of people, particularly those who have endured appalling violence, persecution and abuse. We are committed to helping those in need and have so far provided £39.5 million to help the 2.2 million displaced Iraqis, many of whom were victims of ISIL’s persecution. These funds provide food, shelter, water and medical care to thousands of vulnerable families.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the Government. The action we are taking includes providing funding to support the UN Population Fund in the coordination and information management of the international response to support victims of sexual and gender based violence. The UK has also specifically committed funding to help establish community outreach teams that are providing psychosocial support and referrals to appropriate services for survivors of sexual and gender based violence.

We will continue to be actively involved in the region and will closely monitor developments but we have no current plans to expand the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme, or implement a similar scheme specifically for Iraq.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2015-10-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 September (HL1861 and HL1991), what further steps remain in the process of taking a decision about extending the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, and what timetable they have set for those further steps to be taken.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Secretary of State is giving careful consideration to the inspector’s report on the inquiry into proposed extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and will issue her decisions in due course.