Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, together with international partners, to ensure global water security and to advance the global sustainable development agenda after the UN 2023 Water Conference on 22–24 March; and whether this will include commitments to the Water Action Agenda, particularly in view of the conclusions of the UN World Water Development Report 2023.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

The UK played a leading role at the UN Water conference. Delivering the UK's key intervention, Lord Goldsmith called on all for greater accountability, political leadership, and finance for water. Lord Goldsmith also announced our Water Action Agenda contributions including: £18.5 million in new support to strengthen Water, Sanitation and Hygiene systems in up to five countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and seed funding for a £38 million water programme. The UK supports the findings of UN World Water Development Report 2023, and agrees partnership and cooperation are key to achieving equitable access to water and sanitation for all.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they last raised human rights issues with the government of India; and, further to the US State Department’s annual country report on human rights practices in India, published on 20 March, what assessment they have made of any increase in significant human rights issues in that country, including the reported targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship. We remain committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, media freedom and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level.  I, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, regularly speak to the High Commissioner of India. Human rights forms part of that dialogue. Our networks across India regularly meet civil society groups and run projects promoting human rights.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, what discussions they have had with international partners about the possibility of opening a channel of communication to the insurgent group Hei’at Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib, in order to be able to combat the threat from ISIS in north western Syria more effectively.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Daesh are both proscribed by the UK Government under the Terrorism Act 2000. We are closely monitoring the security situation in north west Syria, including the actions of Daesh and maintain a regular dialogue with our international counterparts. The UK is a leading member of the Global Coalition and we are committed to making sure they cannot resurge in the region.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Israel following the remarks on 19 March by the Finance Minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, concerning Palestinian history and culture; and whether they have made any assessment of the potential impact resulting from the Minister’s remarks on peace and stability in the region.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK condemned the Israeli Finance Minister's comments calling for the Palestinian village of Huwara to be "wiped out" and his recent comments that deny the existence of the Palestinian people, their right to self-determination and their history and culture. Such rhetoric serves no purpose other than to stoke tensions further.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they had any metrics in place to quantify the soft power advantage of the BBC Arabic radio service during its 85 years of broadcasting; what assessment they have made of any loss of soft power to the UK following its closure on 27 January; and whether they have had any discussions on the matter with the BBC in 2023.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The FCDO strongly values the important work of the BBC World Service in providing accurate and impartial news to 365 million people globally each week.

The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC. The BBC and the Foreign Secretary periodically agree objectives, priorities and targets, which include audience reach metrics. However, the BBC remains operationally and editorially independent of Government and service delivery decisions are for them to take. Though BBC Arabic radio broadcasting has ceased, the service remains available via TV and digital platforms, reflecting audience trends. BBC Arabic is funded by the Licence Fee, with some additional support via the FCDO-funded 'World2020 programme'.

As stated in the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK Government is working to bring soft power into its broader foreign policy approach. This includes providing a one-off £20 million uplift to the World Service to protect all 42 language services, recognising its crucial role in supporting UK soft power and countering harmful disinformation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients used the complaints procedure of their local GP surgery in England in each of the last five years; and what was the average length of time GP surgeries in England to investigate patient complaints and to provide a response.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The following table shows the number of complaints received by general practitioners (GPs) in the past five years, and is derived from the document, ‘Data on Written Complaints in the NHS 2021-22’. A copy of this document is attached.

The data collection for GP practices was suspended in 2019/20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so data for that year is unavailable. Data on the length of time that it took GP surgeries to investigate and provide a response to complainants is not collected centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications the sale of the Vaccines Manufacturing And Innovation Centre (VMIC) near Oxford for the UK’s long-term investment in vaccine manufacturing; and how the disposal of the VMIC will contribute to the preparedness of the UK for future pandemics, particularly in view of the experiences of COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The decision to sell the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre was made by VMIC UK Ltd.’s Board of Directors, with the facility being subsequently sold to Catalent. Once completed, it is intended that the facility will be capable of producing a range of therapeutics and vaccines.

Officials regularly engage with industry stakeholders to understand the wider landscape and implications for vaccine development and manufacturing in the United Kingdom and will continue to do so. Officials are also working across Government to review lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future health emergencies.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current situation of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, detained in India since 2017 on charges of terrorism; and when they last raised his case with the government of that country.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK Government has consistently raised Mr Johal's case with the Government of India and is committed to doing what it can to assist him. The Foreign Secretary most recently discussed Mr Johal's case with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Delhi on 1 March. Consular staff visit Mr Johal regularly to check on his welfare and did so most recently on 7 March. Consular staff also continue to attend relevant court hearings in an observer capacity.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have led recently at the United Nations with the aim of alleviating Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis; and what discussions they have had at the UN with the governments of Saudi Arabia and of the Gulf States in regard to humanitarian funding for Yemen this year.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK uses its role as penholder at the UN Security Council to support the Yemen peace process. A political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We are also working closely with the UN Special Envoy to Yemen in his efforts to develop the current de facto truce into a Yemeni-led political settlement under UN auspices. The UK pledged up to £88 million of aid for Yemen at the UN-led Humanitarian Pledging Conference in Geneva in March.

We continue to engage with Gulf partners regarding a coordinated approach to effectively deliver humanitarian aid in Yemen. This includes at the ambassadorial level and through our officials in Riyadh and Amman. At the inaugural UK-Saudi Arabia Aid Dialogue last month, improving humanitarian access and encouraging greater funding commitments by regional partners were identified as key targets.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to ensure that the Yazidi women and girl victims of Islamic State crimes are supported and have access to justice.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK led the UN Security Council to establish the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) and continues to encourage close co-operation between UNITAD and the Government of Iraq.

We also advocated for the passing of the Yazidi Survivors Law, an important first step toward assistance and justice for survivors of sexual violence by Daesh. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the legislation, including providing funding support to the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs.

During my recent visit to Iraq I met with Yazidi communities and leaders to hear their experiences and reiterate UK support.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by US Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel to reporters at a briefing on 27 March regarding the expansion of military cooperation between Russia and Iran, including Russia’s use of Iranian-manufactured drones in Ukraine, and in particular, reports that Russia is helping Iran to achieve advanced digital surveillance capabilities.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK is clear that Russia and Iran's relationship does not just affect Ukraine. On 9 December in a statement the Foreign Secretary highlighted Russia's offer of military and technical support to the Iranian regime and the risk this poses to international security and our partners in the Middle East.

Alongside our allies the Government has introduced severe sanctions against Russia's defence industry, including prohibiting exports of defence equipment to Russia. Iran's supply of drones to Russia violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 and we will continue to work with the international community to hold Russia and Iran to account and deter others from supporting Russia's illegal war in Ukraine.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the malicious use of Apple AirTags and similar devices to stalk victims without their knowledge; what estimate they have made of the prevalence of this behaviour; and what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the manufacturers of such devices in order to prevent such stalking.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)

Stalking is a terrible crime which causes significant harm to victims. The Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims of stalking and is determined to do everything it can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.

I am aware of the reports of Apple AirTags being used by perpetrators to stalk their victims. Home Office officials have previously engaged with Apple on this issue and discussed Apple’s responses to the concerns raised and the measures it has taken with a view to ensuring safeguarding. We do not have data on the prevalence of stalking related to such devices.

In order to improve our understanding of those who perpetrate abuse and identify what works to tackle their behaviour, the Home Office has invested over £2 million for various research projects since 2020, including research that specifically considered the way perpetrators may use technology to facilitate their abuse.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Belarus concerning the case of Ales Bialaitski, founder of the Viasna human rights centre and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner; and whether those representations include requesting his release from prison.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK Government is appalled by the brutal and ongoing repression that the Lukashenko regime conducts against its own people. We have strongly condemned the politically motivated sentencing and imprisonment of Ales Bialiatski. There are nearly 1500 political prisoners in Belarus and we continue to urge the Belarusian regime to release them all, immediately and unconditionally.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations, together with international partners, over arrests and intimidation of journalists in Iran reporting on alleged schoolgirl poisonings in that country; and whether they have called for the immediate release of the journalist Ali Portabatabaei following his arrest on 5 March.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We are aware of reports of mass poisonings of school girls across Iran since November and continue to monitor developments closely. On 3 March, I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] called on the Iranian authorities to investigate these incidents urgently and with transparency. I underlined it is essential that all girls can exercise their human right to education without fear.

The UK is a fierce champion of media freedom and proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. We condemn the Iranian authorities' crackdown on journalists and internet freedom and continue to raise the issue of the Iranian peoples' right to access independent media with the Iranian government, as well as in multilateral fora.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliance of the Illegal Migration Bill with the UN 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

Those who come to the UK illegally who cannot be returned home will be relocated to a safe third country such as Rwanda, where they will have the opportunity to claim asylum and rebuild their lives.

In December, the High Court ruled that the Government’s Migration Partnership with Rwanda is lawful and that it complies with the Refugee Convention.

We are satisfied that the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill are compatible with the UK’s international obligations.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with (1) the Musicians’ Union, or (2) the BBC, in regard to the BBC’s new strategy for classical music announced on 7 March, which included a reduction of roles in the BBC's Symphony, Concert and Philharmonic orchestras and the closure of the BBC Singers.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)

Operational and editorial decisions are independent of Government and are a matter for the BBC.

DCMS Ministers met the BBC on 22 March to discuss a range of issues, including latest developments regarding the BBC’s classical music strategy, announced on 7 March.

The BBC has today announced that it will suspend the proposal to close the BBC Singers, and will continue to engage with the Musicians' Union and the other BBC Unions about its proposals regarding the BBC's English Orchestras.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India concerning the rearming of the Village Defence Group in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in light of the previous revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We have not made representations to the Government of India regarding Village Defence Groups in Jammu and Kashmir. The UK Government's position on Kashmir is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, considering the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the origins of COVID-19, in the light of the statement made by the FBI Director Christopher Wray on 28 February that "the FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan".

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The United Kingdom has been clear on the need for a robust, transparent and science-led review into the origins of COVID-19 and continues to support the World Health Organization expert studies into the origins of COVID-19, which should include field research in China and other countries to understand how it started and spread. We recognise that there are questions that need to be answered about the origin and spread of COVID-19, so we can ensure we are better prepared for future pandemics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients are currently under the care of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHS England;  how many children are currently on waiting lists for assessment; what percentage of CAMHS patients currently transition to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS); and what further support they are providing to CAMHS in order to provide more urgent (1) support, and (2) treatment, to children and young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested is not collected centrally. The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Tier Framework is no longer used to commission or provide mental health services universally across England and the number of patients in such services is not identifiable in the NHS Mental Health Services Data Set.

Data on the number of children on a waiting list for assessment is not collected, as a singled national access and waiting time standard for children and young people’s mental health services has not yet been defined.

Data on the number of children and young people transitioning from children and young people’s mental health services to adult mental health services is not collected, as a pathway for analysis has not been defined.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. We are supporting them to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. This will allow an extra two million people by 2023/24, including 345,000 more children and young people, to access National Health Service funded mental health support.

We also provided an additional £79 million for 2021/22 to allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community health services.

NHS England has also consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its clinically led review of NHS access standards. One of these is that children, young people and their families/carers presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. We are now working with NHS England on the next steps.

As a first step to introduce the five new waiting time standards, NHS England has recently shared and promoted guidance with its local system partners to consistently report waiting times to support the development of a baseline position.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on 2 March that the NHS is "facing an eating disorders crisis", due to a 51 per cent increase in children and young people requiring specialist services; and what steps they will take to ensure that there is no regional disparity in the services offered.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

Under the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government has earmarked additional funding to bolster existing mental health services, including eating disorder services, until 2023/24. Since 2016, investment in children and young people's community eating disorder services has risen every year, with an extra £54 million per year from 2023/24. This extra funding continues to enhance the capacity of community eating disorder teams across the country. We expect integrated care boards to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard so that investment in mental health services increases in line with their overall increase in allocation for that year.

NHS England continues to work with system leaders and regions and to ask that areas prioritise service delivery and investment to meet the needs of these vulnerable young people to help ensure funding flows to these services as intended. To support this, NHS England is refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders, including to increase the focus on early identification and intervention. The updated guidance will highlight the importance of improved integration between dedicated community eating disorder services, wider children and young people's mental health services, schools, colleges, and primary care to improve awareness, provide expert advice and improve support for children and young people presenting with problems with eating, whilst ensuring swift access to specialist support as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the decision by the Crisis Group to place Somaliland on its March 2023 Conflict Risk Alert, in response to concerns about escalating violence in the Sool region, what assessment they have made of the current security situation in Somaliland.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

The UK is closely monitoring violence in Las Anod. We assess that there are risks of further escalation and instability unless a ceasefire is upheld and a peaceful resolution reached. We are working with partners to press all parties to end the fighting. The UK joined UN statements on 7 and 14 February that urged both sides to prevent civilian casualties, allow unfettered humanitarian access and engage in dialogue. On 28 February, the UK issued a joint statement with Qatar, Somalia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and US that called for de-escalation. The UK-supported Start Fund is providing support via Oxfam to households displaced by the violence.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the new study by the Five Gyres Institute published in the journal Plos One on 8 March, concerning the increase in the amount of microplastic in the world’s oceans in the past 15 years; and what steps they will take, with international partners, in response to that report.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)

Marine litter, including microplastics, is one of the greatest environmental challenges we are currently facing, reiterated by the new study by the Five Gyres Institute. Whilst we have not yet made an assessment of the findings of this latest study, we will continue to draw from a wide range of evidence and assessments to develop our policy, including any new research, enabling us to take the best possible action domestically, regionally and internationally to tackle the issue of marine microplastics and improve our understanding of their sources, pathways, impacts, distribution and abundance.

Domestically, we are working to prevent plastic from entering the environment in the first place by eliminating the most problematic plastics; we have already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and we have funded research to examine wider sources of microplastics, including tyres and textiles. This research will help to inform future policy.

As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, the UK participates in monitoring programmes to assess regional trends in marine litter. Technical experts from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have been leading an expert group to develop a new indicator for microlitter (including microplastics) in seafloor sediments, which could be used in future to inform regional policy.

The UK is a leading voice in tackling marine plastic pollution, co-sponsoring the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty and taking an ambitious stance at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC1) in November last year. At INC1, the UK supported a treaty that will restrain the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels, address plastic design and encourage more recycling and re-use of plastic, in order to end plastic pollution, including microplastic pollution.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what steps they are taking to strengthen bilateral relations with Nigeria, particularly through security and trade initiatives, and (2) what meetings they plan to have with the President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

The UK Government aims to be a partner of choice to Nigeria on trade, development and security. In November 2022, we held an Economic Development Forum to address barriers to investment and boost bilateral trade. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are supporting Nigeria in tackling its security challenges and shared threats. In December 2022, the Minister for Development and Africa [Minister Mitchell] discussed opportunities for strengthening our relationship with Bola Tinubu as part of his engagements with Nigerian presidential candidates. We look forward to continuing this partnership with the incoming administration.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in the Sahel, including activities by organisations such as the Wagner Group; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, in response.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

Instability in the Sahel is rising. Partnerships with Wagner Group are counterproductive to long-term stability and we know Wagner Group commits human rights abuses. We are working closely with international partners to counter the malign use of such proxies by Russia and have designated the Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin under the Russia Sanctions Regime. UK Ministers have also called for unrestricted access to investigate human rights allegations in Mali and reiterated the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law during counterterrorism operations. The UK remains committed to supporting regional security through our humanitarian, development and stabilisation programmes.

Found: Library Debate Pack , 17 April 2024 2 PQs Agriculture and Food Supply: Floods Asked by: The Marquess of Lothian