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1177887

registered interest
date	11/02/2020
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	Democratic Republic of Congo: Mining
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 January (HL664), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what assessment they have made of reports of children working in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; what measures they are taking to assess the dangers to children working in such mines; and what action they plan to take to help eliminate child labour and promote safe working conditions in those mines.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1510
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The British Government is deeply concerned by continued reports of children working in the artisanal mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). UK officials monitor trends in child labour in mining in DRC, including by working closely with partners such as the UN Joint Human Rights Organisation who report human rights abuses in DRC. The UK is fully committed to seeing an end to such practices by 2030 as laid out in the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. UK officials have raised our concerns about child labour with the DRC Government. In addition, as an active member of the Voluntary Principles Initiative, a multi-stakeholder initiative focussed on improving human rights adherence in the extractives sector, the UK has pressed the DRC Government and local actors in the mining sector to adhere to the principles of the Initiative. In DRC, the British Government has provided funding to the &quot;Effective Approaches to Ending the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Fragile Contexts&quot; programme, which brings together a consortium of NGOs, local partners, private sector and media development agencies to develop innovative approaches to ending child labour. This includes tackling supply and demand issues which result in child labour in fragile states. The UK has also funded work by the Carter Centre, working with civil society and mining companies, to improve transparency and governance in the mining sector.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 17:23:45 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177889

registered interest
date	11/02/2020
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	Democratic Republic of Congo: Mining
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 January (HL666), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what plans they have to impose sanctions and use UK aid to help combat child labour in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and whether they plan to require UK companies sourcing cobalt to establish an independent verification system that would ensure that their supply chains are free from exploitation, unsafe working conditions, slavery and child labour.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1512
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>Under the Modern Slavery Act, all large businesses operating in the UK with a turnover of £36m or more are required to publish an annual transparency statement detailing what steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery from occurring in their business and supply chains. EU and UN sanctions regimes are in place to tackle human rights violations and abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UK will continue to impose EU sanctions during the Transition Period. In 2018, the UK increased the amount of Official Development Assistance spent internationally on modern slavery to over £200 million. This will be used to tackle the root causes by creating jobs and livelihoods, changing business and recruitment practices, building capacity for law enforcement, and protecting victims. There will be a particular focus on the most vulnerable including children, women and girls. In DRC, the UK has contributed to &quot;Effective Approaches to Ending the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Fragile Contexts&quot; programme, which brings together a consortium of NGOs, local partners, private sector and media development agencies to develop innovative approaches to ending child labour. This includes tackling supply and demand issues which result in child labour in fragile states. As an active member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the UK encourage states and those working in the industry to implement the OECD's Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk Areas. Through project funding, we have supported the OECD to disseminate, and encourage the use of, this guidance and run capacity-building projects to implement it.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 15:33:14 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177892

registered interest
date	11/02/2020
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: Oil
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 the government of China shipped more than 10,000 tons of oil to North Korea in the last four months of 2019; and whether they intend to highlight those reports at the next UN Security Council meeting.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1515
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The British Government is committed to upholding sanctions on North Korea and is working with international partners to curtail North Korea's nuclear and missile capability. The UK is concerned about North Korea's evasion of UN sanctions, including via ship-to-ship transfers of unrefined petroleum. We think it highly likely that North Korea has breached the cap in oil imports permitted under UN Security Council resolutions. We have raised our concerns with UN Security Council members, including China. Sanctions must remain in place until North Korea denuclearises.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 15:33:50 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177213

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
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	Africa: Trade Agreements
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage countries in Africa to sign up to the African Continental Free Trade Area.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>54 of the African Union's 55 member states have signed the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and 28 of those have so far deposited their instruments of ratification with the African Union Commission (AUC). The UK is supporting the initiative by providing technical assistance, including the secondment of an investment expert to the AUC. We are also spending over £400 million annually across Africa to help countries break down barriers to trade - supporting critical trade infrastructure like ports and roads; tackling burdensome regulations, high transport costs and delays at customs; and building trade skills so that partner countries are better able to take advantage of trading opportunities. The AfCFTA was an area of focus in the trade and investment session at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London on 20 January, with AUC Chairperson Faki outlining progress to date to UK investors.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 15:23:08 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177214

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
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	Arms Trade: Export Controls
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 proposals in the report by John Deverell for Oxfam A Process for Arms Exports: Fulfilling Criterion 2C of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licencing Criteria, published on 6 February.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government has been made aware of the contents of the report published on 6 February by John Deverell for Oxfam entitled A Process for Arms Exports: Fulfilling Criterion 2C of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licencing Criteria, and has noted them fully. The Government has some of the most stringent exports rules in the world and will not issue an export licence where it considers there is a clear risk that the goods might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. We already draw on a range of sources in making assessments, including from non-governmental organisations and international organisations, and welcome any further information or proposals they choose to provide.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 17:51:42 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177215

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
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	Islamic State: Genocide
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 children born out of rape of the victims of Daesh genocide are being left in orphanages; what assistance they offer to such children; and what steps they are taking to combat any stigma or discrimination such children face.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>We are appalled by reports that children born out of rape of the victims of Daesh violence are being left in orphanages. Children born of Daesh-perpetrated sexual violence remain particularly vulnerable and present significant protection challenges. We continue to engage with the Government of Iraq on the importance of ensuring children born of sexual violence can attend school and access healthcare.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 17:52:06 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1177216

registered interest
date	10/02/2020
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	BBC Persian Service
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the harassment of BBC Persian staff in London, and (2) reports that such staff's families in Iran have been (a) called in for questioning, (b) had their passports confiscated, and (c) threatened with consequences if their relatives continue to work for the BBC; and what representations they have made to the government of Iran about the treatment of journalists.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1462
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2020 answer text <p>We condemn the judicial persecution of family members of employees and ex-employees of BBC Persian, and are deeply concerned by the reports of any threats against journalists in the UK. The British Government is committed to the promotion of media freedom which is vital to functioning societies and that journalists must be able to investigate and report as they see fit. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues including restrictions on media freedom. On 29 January, the UK alongside Canada co-hosted the first official meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition in Geneva, a partnership of 35 countries working together to advocate the safety of journalists worldwide and to defend media freedom.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2020 17:53:48 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool