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752410

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government (1) what contact they have had with, and (2) what support they intend to provide to, the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee, regarding (a) the rebuilding of 13,000 homes on the Nineveh Plains, and (b) the need to ensure that those Christians internally displaced from the Plains are provided with adequate food supplies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL856
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL855 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

751993

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Nuclear Power
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure their emergency funding for displaced people from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains reaches displaced minorities such as the Yazidis and Christians; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which their policy of neutrality and impartiality will lead to the inclusion or exclusion of those who have been subject to genocide.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL828
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <ul><li>The UK Government recognises the specific risks faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh. We are aware of reports that fear of persecution or discrimination in camps may be deterring some people from using them, and are in close touch with our partners involved in the management of camps and the delivery of services within them, including UN agencies. They have clear guidelines, mechanisms and accountability frameworks in place to prevent discrimination by their own staff or those of their partners. DFID takes any allegations that these are not being applied effectively very seriously, and stands ready to follow up specific allegations with the partners concerned.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The security of the camps and all those living in them is the responsibility of the appropriate civil authorities (e.g. in Iraq, it lies with the Government of Iraq) and is monitored by independent humanitarian actors such as UNHCR. UK officials stand ready to report any specific allegations of persecution or violence against religious minorities within the camps to those authorities. The Government is concerned about Daesh infiltration inside camps. In Iraq the Iraqi authorities carry out screening of those entering camps in order to seek to prevent such infiltration. UN agencies have set up grievance mechanisms that allow any minority member to anonymously report abuse, persecution or discrimination; these can also be used to report on suspected extremist activity.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID’s funding for Iraq is targeted towards those who are most in need including vulnerable people from minority communities such as Yazidis and Christians. It is delivered in line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the whole of Iraq, which is based on comprehensive needs assessments carried out by a wide range of partners. The humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion, that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. In the difficult environments in Syria and Iraq, where access to vulnerable people is often very challenging especially as some actors such as Daesh and the Assad regime deliberately prevent humanitarian access, DFID regularly challenges our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities. We welcome information from all sources to help us to hold them to account.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID is not aware of scheduled meetings in 2015 with Christian representatives in Iraq that officials did not attend, but DFID officials regularly meet with representatives of Iraqi Christian and Yezidi communities. DFID Ministers have also met representatives of these communities.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID has received Dr Russell Blacker’s correspondence and has responded suggesting a meeting is organised with Dr Blacker, Lord Bates and Mr Burt to discuss together.</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL829 HL830 HL831 question first answered 20/07/2017 16:23:20 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

751995

	registered interest
	date	13/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports (1) that Christians and Yazidis who have been victims of genocide in Syria and Iraq do not use UN camps because of oppression and persecution that they have experienced within them, and (2) from Jordanian military officials that ISIS jihadis have infiltrated many such camps.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL830
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <ul><li>The UK Government recognises the specific risks faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh. We are aware of reports that fear of persecution or discrimination in camps may be deterring some people from using them, and are in close touch with our partners involved in the management of camps and the delivery of services within them, including UN agencies. They have clear guidelines, mechanisms and accountability frameworks in place to prevent discrimination by their own staff or those of their partners. DFID takes any allegations that these are not being applied effectively very seriously, and stands ready to follow up specific allegations with the partners concerned.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>The security of the camps and all those living in them is the responsibility of the appropriate civil authorities (e.g. in Iraq, it lies with the Government of Iraq) and is monitored by independent humanitarian actors such as UNHCR. UK officials stand ready to report any specific allegations of persecution or violence against religious minorities within the camps to those authorities. The Government is concerned about Daesh infiltration inside camps. In Iraq the Iraqi authorities carry out screening of those entering camps in order to seek to prevent such infiltration. UN agencies have set up grievance mechanisms that allow any minority member to anonymously report abuse, persecution or discrimination; these can also be used to report on suspected extremist activity.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID’s funding for Iraq is targeted towards those who are most in need including vulnerable people from minority communities such as Yazidis and Christians. It is delivered in line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the whole of Iraq, which is based on comprehensive needs assessments carried out by a wide range of partners. The humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion, that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. In the difficult environments in Syria and Iraq, where access to vulnerable people is often very challenging especially as some actors such as Daesh and the Assad regime deliberately prevent humanitarian access, DFID regularly challenges our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities. We welcome information from all sources to help us to hold them to account.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID is not aware of scheduled meetings in 2015 with Christian representatives in Iraq that officials did not attend, but DFID officials regularly meet with representatives of Iraqi Christian and Yezidi communities. DFID Ministers have also met representatives of these communities.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li>DFID has received Dr Russell Blacker’s correspondence and has responded suggesting a meeting is organised with Dr Blacker, Lord Bates and Mr Burt to discuss together.</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL828 HL829 HL831 question first answered 20/07/2017 16:23:20 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752408

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UN agencies have operated impartially and neutrally in responding to the needs of religious minorities facing persecution and genocide in Northern Iraq and Syria; and on what evidence they base that assessment.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL855 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

747966

	registered interest
	date	04/07/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of North Korea's claim to have tested a long-range intercontinental missile.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2017 answer text <p>​North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on 4 July is a clear violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. It is yet another reminder of the grave danger that North Korea poses. As a consequence on 5 July, the North Korean Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UN Security Council met to condemn the test. We will work with partners on further measures to address the threat to international peace and security posed by North Korea's destabilising and provocative conduct.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 18/07/2017 17:00:02 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753908

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Syria: Refugees
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of (1) the written evidence submitted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief to the International Development Committee on 20 October 2015 that local workers employed by UNHCR were giving preferential access to aid and food resources to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey who shared the religious beliefs of those workers, and (2) the extent to which such practices are continuing.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1054
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government takes extremely seriously any allegations that UN staff are giving preferential access to aid on the basis of the religious affiliation of beneficiaries. This would contravene international humanitarian principles and the UN’s own guidelines. Lord Bates and Minister Burt have arranged a joint meeting with Lord Alton and interested parties to discuss this important issue.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:44:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

748828

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current implementation of the one country, two systems principle in Hong Kong, 20 years after the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL491
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>I issued a Written Ministerial Statement on 29 June, HLWS17, to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which outlined our assessment of the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle, as well as referencing specific concerns over its implementation. The UK believes that it is vital for Hong Kong's continued success that the Special Administrative Region's high degree of autonomy and rule of law are preserved and that the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' is fully upheld.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/07/2017 15:55:51 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

748824

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Sino-British Joint Declaration
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recent statement by the government of the People's Republic of China that the Sino-British joint declaration no longer has any practical significance nor any binding force.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL487
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific held a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador on 5 July in which he made clear that the UK Government did not accept the position of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson that the Joint Declaration was an historical document of no practical significance. He stressed, as a guarantor of the Joint Declaration, the UK Government regarded it as legitimate to continue to issue a six-monthly report to the House on Hong Kong affairs.</p><p>The Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing also raised Her Majesty's Government's concerns with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 July stressing that the Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN. As a co-signatory, the UK Government is committed to monitoring its implementation closely.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/07/2017 13:49:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753934

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2017
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Developing Countries: Snakes
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what priority the Department for International Development plans to give to the issue of snakebite envenoming, given that the WHO considers it to be a category A neglected tropical disease.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1080
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the importance of snakebite envenoming (the act of being poisoned) and is carrying out research in this area. DFID and the Medical Research Council are currently funding the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to develop a new ‘universal anti-venom’ to treat victims of any of 21 of the most venomous snakes that threaten human health in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>In addition, DFID launched a call for expressions of interest for the development of new technologies in March this year. New anti-venoms to treat snake bites were highlighted as one of the areas where research is needed. The intent is to develop anti-venom that can be stored safely at ambient temperature, avoiding the need for refrigeration.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:49:00 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

748827

	registered interest
	date	05/07/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of the People's Republic of China to ensure that those pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong who are currently on trial or facing disqualification from taking their seats in the Legislative Council receive a fair and just hearing, and that the rule of law is upheld.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL490
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>​In November 2016 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office expressed concern at the National People's Congress Standing Committee's decision to express its interpretation of the Basic Law before conclusion of related legal proceedings in Hong Kong. The cases referred to are a matter for the Hong Kong Courts. We believe that the rule of its law remains robust overall thanks in part to its world class independent judiciary.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 19/07/2017 16:09:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool