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718208

registered interest
date	06/04/2017
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that fighters in East Ghouta in rural Damascus, in their <i>Worshippers of God, Remain Steadfast </i>campaign, are supported by the Hay’at Tahrir A-Sham group; and whether they have provided political or practical support to those fighters.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL6709
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>We remain seriously concerned by ongoing regime military activity, particularly in eastern Ghouta. We are aware of clashes between pro-regime forces and opposition groups, following heavy bombardment and the imposition of starvation sieges by the regime in the area. Although the majority of fighters are from non-extremist groups, we are aware of reports of involvement of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) in these clashes. In all our engagement with the opposition we urge them to adhere to the ceasefire, adhere to international humanitarian law and to avoid cooperation with HTS.</p><p>The UK's political and practical support to the opposition is provided to those moderate groups who are standing up to both the tyranny of Asad and terrorist threat of Daesh, and have made clear their commitment to a negotiated settlement to the conflict. The UK provides no support to HTS and does not provide weapons to any party in Syria.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/04/2017 15:07:01 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

718209

registered interest
date	06/04/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Bank of England
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider advising the Bank of England to change its formal name to the Bank of England and the United Kingdom, whilst continuing to use the Bank of England for day-to-day purposes.
tabling member printed	Lord Harrison
uin	HL6710
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>The Bank of England's name carries a longevity that pre-dates the formation of the United Kingdom itself, having been founded in 1694 as “the Governor and Company of the Bank of England”. Under the current state of the union the Bank acts as central bank for the entirety of the United Kingdom. This includes underwriting both Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes.</p><p>To change its name now would represent a break from over 300 years’ worth of history and the prestige it carries as a global brand.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/04/2017 14:50:14 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	2488 label Biography information for Lord Harrison

718215

registered interest
date	06/04/2017
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	Syria: Chemical Weapons
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of chemical weapons attacks that have been perpetrated against the people of Syria in the present conflict.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL6715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>There have been numerous allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria in the present conflict, with over 250 attacks alleged since the chemical weapons attack in Ghouta in August 2013. The Joint Investigative Mechanism, a joint UN-Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons body established by the UN Security Council, looked at nine specific cases from 2014 and 2015 in detail. It attributed responsibility to the Syrian regime in three cases and to Daesh in one. The vast majority of reported chemical weapons use involves allegations of attacks by the Syrian regime, largely consistent with regime capabilities and with incidents the Joint Investigation Mechanism has attributed to the regime.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/04/2017 15:03:45 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

718238

registered interest
date	06/04/2017
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	Zimbabwe: Workplace Pensions
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the cost of proposals submitted by the Overseas Service Pension Association in December 2016 for assisting the government of Zimbabwe in meeting its obligations to Zimbabwe public service pensions.
tabling member printed	Lord Goodlad
uin	HL6737
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>The Government understands the hardship that lack of pension payments causes to former service-people and their families. The British Ambassador to Zimbabwe raises pensions frequently with the Zimbabwean Government and has secured written confirmation that it will resume payments when the economic situation improves. However, we have not made an estimate of the cost as these payments are the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe as set out in the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/04/2017 15:33:45 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	670 label Biography information for Lord Goodlad

718241

registered interest
date	06/04/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Crime: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what initiatives they are currently pursuing to tackle rural crime.
tabling member printed	Baroness Quin
uin	HL6740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>The Government has ensured that, through the election of Police and Crime Commissioners, all communities, including those in rural areas, have a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated. It is for Police and Crime Commissioners to hold their forces to account on how they tackle the crimes that matter most in rural areas.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, in support of the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, we continue to work with the police, industry and others and consider the evidence on what more can be done to prevent criminals committing crime.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 19/04/2017 09:08:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	518 label Biography information for Baroness Quin

717906

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Social Security: Expenditure
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total expenditure on social security in 2016–17; and what were the ten largest heads of expenditure.
tabling member printed	Earl Attlee
uin	HL6653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>The total expenditure on social security in the UK in 2016–17 was forecast to be £217.9bn by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), in their Spring Budget 2017 forecast. Table 4.24 of the OBR’s March 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook<sup><sup>[1]</sup></sup> provides more detail, including a breakdown by benefit area.</p><p> </p><p>[1] Office for Budget Responsibility, <em>Economic and Fiscal Outlook</em>, March 2017, Table 4.24 (http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/March2017EFO-231.pdf).</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 19/04/2017 14:50:35 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	3425 label Biography information for Earl Attlee

717907

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
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	Turkey: NATO
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey following reports that it has been blocking partner programmes with countries which are not members of NATO.
tabling member printed	Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
uin	HL6654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>At NATO, the UK and Turkey regularly discuss the importance of the Alliance's cooperation with partners to project stability beyond its borders, such as by helping to build resilience and capacity in partner countries, as agreed at the Warsaw Summit last year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/04/2017 15:03:23 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	627 label Biography information for Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

717939

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	European Gendarmerie Force
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the development of the EU Gendarmerie Force.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL6686
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>The European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) was established in 2004. Representatives from the police forces of Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Poland participate in the organisation. The UK does not. The EUROGENDFOR is not part of the European Union framework.</p><p> </p><p>Further information on the organisation and its latest activities can be found at <a href="http://www.eurogendfor.org/" target="_blank">http://www.eurogendfor.org/</a></p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 19/04/2017 09:09:15 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

717947

registered interest
date	05/04/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Police: Reorganisation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the interests of economy, what recent consideration they have given to amalgamating police services in England and Wales.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL6694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>Decisions on whether to amalgamate with another police force are for individual Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables who are accountable to their local communities and best placed to determine what would be in local interests. PCCs and Chief Constables up and down the country are demonstrating that they can deliver more efficient and effective policing through collaboration without sacrificing local accountability and identity.</p><p> </p><p>Requests for voluntary mergers would be considered only where they are supported by a robust business case and have community consent.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 19/04/2017 09:08:22 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

717767

registered interest
date	04/04/2017
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	North Korea: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reports of human rights violations committed by the government of North Korea against its exiled citizens, and of some exiled North Koreans having become UK citizens, what is their response to the recommendation by the UNHCR group of independent experts on accountability in their report to the 34th session published on 24 February that UN Member States "enact legislation with extraterritorial effect for gross violations of human rights and, for those States that recognize the principle of universal jurisdiction, consider how they can contribute to securing accountability for human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea"; and whether they intend to enact such legislation.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL6576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2017 answer text <p>We welcome the UN Group of Independent Experts Report which is an important milestone in the process of developing a viable framework for accountability for those who commit human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). At the UN Human Rights Council in March, the UK strongly supported a new resolution on DPRK human rights which drew on the recommendations in the report. The adoption of the resolution demonstrated that there is broad consensus among the international community on strengthening the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Seoul. This provides OHCHR with additional resources to gather and evaluate evidence and consult legal professionals about how this evidence could be used in any future internationally agreed framework for accountability. Legislation already exists in the UK which covers extraterritoriality. War crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957, and a small number of other grave offences, including torture, are already subject to universal jurisdiction.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/04/2017 15:33:16 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool