The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship afforded to British citizens visiting Turkey.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
It is our understanding that British citizens are not hindered from Christian worship in Turkey. As stated in the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey released on 10 November, freedom of worship continues to be generally respected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent deaths of Kurdish men and youths in Van and other parts of south-east Turkey since 1 January; and whether they have made representations to the government of Turkey about that matter.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south east Turkey, including Van, is extremely concerning. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continues to kill members of the Turkish police service and security forces in violent terrorist attacks. We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised the need to respect human rights and the importance of avoiding civilian casualties to the Government of Turkey.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current state of Anglo-Polish relations.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has a strong bilateral relationship with Poland, one that the Government is committed to strengthening even further. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has agreed with his Polish counterpart to work more closely together to enhance the relationship towards a more strategic partnership. The UK and Poland share a vision for the future of the EU and of European security including many foreign, defence and security policy priorities. We are partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and share a commitment to the security of our allies and ensuring that NATO continuously adapts to changing threats. We continue to work together to deliver the outcomes of the Wales NATO Summit as we look forward to the Warsaw Summit in July. The UK and Poland are also partners in trade; the UK is Poland’s second largest export market. There are also close historical links between our countries. Together with the President of Poland the Prime Minister was honoured to attend the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral last September to pay tribute to those who fought, including the brave Polish pilots who played a crucial role in standing up for freedom.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the comments by the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, quoted in The Sunday Times on 8 May, that the Zionist bashing” at universities “has gone unchallenged”.”
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place in higher education or anywhere else in society for bigotry, hatred or any form of racism such as anti-Semitism.
Recent reports of anti-Semitism are extremely concerning and must be met with a decisive response. We expect all universities and all bodies with a role in English higher education to be absolutely clear in their opposition to racism in all its forms, and to have robust policies in place to tackle such hatred and support victims.
At the Government’s request, Universities UK has set up a taskforce to examine what more can be done to tackle harassment and hate crime on campus, and this includes anti-Semitism within its remit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of badger culls in England and the effects of those culls on the welfare of cattle.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government plans to publish a report on this year’s licensed badger control operations as it has done for the first three years of the programme. The Animal and Plant Health Agency continues to assess annually the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle in areas where badger control is licensed for the purposes of controlling the disease. The analysis of the first two years impact is available on the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy for the continued protection of Alawites, Christians and Druze in the areas of Syria now controlled by the government of President Assad.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The current state of the Syrian civil war makes it difficult to offer explicit protection to Syrian minorities. The Assad regime creates the conditions for extremism in Syria by prosecuting a war it cannot win, destroying communities and the social fabric of the country. The only way to secure the position of Syria’s minority communities is to find a political solution to the crisis.
However, the International Syria Support Group has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious domination is fundamental. The UK will continue to work with this, as political discussions continue.
The UK also supports non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, as we seek further progress on a political settlement. Minorities including Alawites, Christians, Druze, Kurds and Turkmen have been represented in these projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the ability of Kurds in south-east Turkey to live in secular, democratic and gender-equal communities.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Turkish government recognises promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women amongst the range of human rights issues it is committed to addressing. Prime Minister Davutoğlu spoke publicly on 9 December about the importance his government attaches to these issues. We have welcomed the previous measures taken by the Turkish government, such as the 2013 “democratisation package”, to improve rights for minority groups in Turkey and to resolve the Kurdish issue through the peace process but, as the EU’s Annual Progress Report highlights, there is more progress to be made. We want the peace process to be resumed, building on previous progress.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the trade and other economic links between the UK and Djibouti.
Lord Price
HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics report the value of UK trade in goods with Djibouti. In 2015 the UK exported £11.9 million of goods to Djibouti, in the same year the UK imported £1.4 million of goods from Djibouti.
Data on the value of trade in services and other types of economic transaction between the UK and Djibouti is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 4 May (HL8001), whether they have requested that the taskforce set up by Universities UK includes members of those minorities subject to harassment and hate crime, representatives of the relevant law and order agencies, and independent members with no direct university involvement.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The taskforce, established by Universities UK, is looking at all forms of violence and harassment affecting students. Its task is to bring together students, university experts and external organisations to consider the current evidence and what universities are currently doing to address issues of harassment and hate crime, including anti-Semitism, and what more needs to be done.
The taskforce have had meetings with or received evidence from a wide range of organisations which includes the Union of Jewish Students, Rape Crisis, Tell Mama and Stonewall. In regards to anti-Semitism, the Taskforce has also received evidence from the Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Community Security Trust. In terms of law and order agencies, evidence has been received from a number of lawyers and from the police via PAHELO (Police Association of Higher Education Liaison Officers).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the flow of information between the UK and Turkey in the light of the actions taken by the government of Turkey following the attempted coup in that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK Government continues to have a regular dialogue with the Turkish Government following the attempted coup on 15 July, at both official and ministerial level. Both the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) spoke to their Turkish counterparts on the day following the coup attempt. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan) also travelled to Turkey shortly after the attempted coup to demonstrate our support for the democratically elected Turkish government. The Foreign Secretary also met the Turkish Foreign Minister on 7 September in London.