Tag: Lord Kennedy of Southwark

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Egypt regarding the detention of Mahmoud Hussein.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of the case of Mahmoud Hussein, who has been detained in Egypt since 25 January 2014. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have asked the Egyptian authorities to take action to release journalists and political detainees who remain imprisoned, to review mass judicial decisions, and to remove restrictions on civil society.

In January this year, I personally raised concerns over reports of mistreatment of detainees and the importance of due process with the Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights, Dr Mahy Abdel Latif. Our Ambassador and officials in Cairo, regularly raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities, most recently in September 2015.

During the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in November 2014, we expressed our concern on a number of issues relating to detainees, including the number of detainees in pre-trial detention and reports of mistreatment or torture. The UK also raised the issue of torture and inhumane treatment in detention in Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council in June 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many council homes have been built each year since 2010 in each of the 32 London boroughs.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The numbers of local authority dwellings built ineach London borough from 2010/11 are shown in the attached table. For context I have also provided figures going back to 2001/2. These figures show that under Labour, from 2001/02-2009/10, there were 170 council homes built across the 32 London boroughs, whereas from 2010/11 to 2014/15 we have built 1,510 council homes across London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that all evidence, and not just scientific studies, is presented to the inquiry into the safety of hormone pregnancy tests.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The terms of reference for the inquiry into the safety of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) state that the Expert Working Group (EWG) of the Commission on Human Medicines will consider all available evidence on the possible association between exposure in pregnancy to HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy (in particular congenital anomalies, miscarriage and stillbirth). This will include scientific studies as well as wider sources of evidence.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is providing the secretariat to the review and is compiling all the available information. To date, the MHRA has requested relevant published and unpublished information from all companies whose predecessors marketed HPTs and has conducted a search of the National Archives with a view to obtaining a complete set of historical documents relevant to this issue. The MHRA will also search for all relevant published literature and review all suspected adverse drug reactions that have been submitted in association with HPTs in the United Kingdom. All of this information will be made available to the EWG.

Interested individuals and organisations were invited to provide any information relevant to a possible association between the use of oral HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy through a public call for evidence between 25 March and 30 June 2015. In addition, the EWG will hear evidence from a number of individuals who feel their lives have been adversely affected by HPTs.

The report of the review and all documents will be made public subject to the usual legal requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how people and organisations can make representations to the inquiry into the safety of hormone pregnancy tests.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The terms of reference for the inquiry into the safety of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) state that the Expert Working Group (EWG) of the Commission on Human Medicines will consider all available evidence on the possible association between exposure in pregnancy to HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy (in particular congenital anomalies, miscarriage and stillbirth). This will include scientific studies as well as wider sources of evidence.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is providing the secretariat to the review and is compiling all the available information. To date, the MHRA has requested relevant published and unpublished information from all companies whose predecessors marketed HPTs and has conducted a search of the National Archives with a view to obtaining a complete set of historical documents relevant to this issue. The MHRA will also search for all relevant published literature and review all suspected adverse drug reactions that have been submitted in association with HPTs in the United Kingdom. All of this information will be made available to the EWG.

Interested individuals and organisations were invited to provide any information relevant to a possible association between the use of oral HPTs and adverse outcomes in pregnancy through a public call for evidence between 25 March and 30 June 2015. In addition, the EWG will hear evidence from a number of individuals who feel their lives have been adversely affected by HPTs.

The report of the review and all documents will be made public subject to the usual legal requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Mexico following the publication in December 2014 of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain concerned by reports of the use of torture in Mexico. Ministers have raised human rights with their Mexican counterparts on several occasions, including at the highest level during the President’s State Visit in March 2015. Officials at our Embassy in Mexico City also regularly raise our concerns in meetings with the Mexican government. In support of this ongoing dialogue, this year, the UK is working with the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute to train judges to deal with torture and enforced disappearance cases.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of El Salvador concerning women who miscarry and find themselves imprisoned.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain concerned by reports that women in El Salvador have been imprisoned under anti-abortion laws after suffering a miscarriage. Officials have raised concerns about the restrictive and sometimes punitive approach to sexual and reproductive healthcare at both a bilateral and multilateral level with the Salvadoran government. During El Salvador’s most recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2014, the UK encouraged El Salvador to review its strict anti-abortion laws and urged the Salvadoran government to improve the treatment of women who have had abortions or suffered miscarriages.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Uzbekistan concerning Mr Muhammad Bekzhanou.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Our Embassy in Tashkent raised Mr Begjanov’s case with the Government of Uzbekistan last year and, together with our EU colleagues, we have called for his release as part of an annual amnesty granted by the Uzbek authorities. We plan to raise Mr Begjanov’s case again with the Uzbek authorities in the coming weeks. More broadly we have raised with the Uzbek authorities our concerns about the use of a provision of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code to impose additional sentences for violation of prison rules such as in the case of Mr Begjanov and various other prisoners.

We have longstanding concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our Embassy in Tashkent raises these issues at every appropriate opportunity with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-10-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Eritrea regarding the detention of Aster Fissehatsion.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I refer the Noble Lord to my response of 24 June 2015 (HL533). We continue to press the Government of Eritrea to fulfil its international human rights obligations. The UK made clear in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 23 June that this must include the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including Aster Fissehasion.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-01-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Office of Rail Regulation.

Baroness Kramer

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament. The Secretary of State appoints the Chair and other board members and Ministers and Department for Transport officials meet regularly with ORR to discuss a wide range of issues including regulatory matters and railway performance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-01-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the responsiveness of the Train Operating Companies to the needs of passengers.

Baroness Kramer

The National Rail Passenger Survey consults more than 50,000 passengers a year to produce the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) – a network-wide picture of passengers’ satisfaction with rail travel. This survey measures Passengers’ overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can, therefore, be compared over time.

The new approach to rail franchising – as launched by the Secretary of State in March 2013 – is designed to see the interests of passengers strengthened. Since the new programme was launched, passenger satisfaction requirements (based upon the NRPS) have been included in franchises. And when evaluating bids for franchises, credit is given for non-financial factors, which includes initiatives to improve the quality of service to passengers.