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347917

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2015
	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	UK Membership of EU
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that no significant European Union policy changes will be agreed or implemented during the period of re-negotiation ahead of a referendum in the United Kingdom on membership of the European Union.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
	uin	HL203
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p>The British Government will continue to conduct European Union business during this period. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear with EU partners that reforming the EU and renegotiating the UK’s relationship ahead of a referendum is a priority for the UK and the British people.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 15/06/2015 16:16:42 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

347934

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2015
	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: Kurds
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey regarding the extent of progress in providing Kurdish-language education in state primary schools in majority Kurdish areas.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL220
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p>UK officials often visit Kurdish areas in Turkey to meet interlocutors from government and civil society and frequently discuss issues such as mother tongue education. We welcome efforts by the Turkish government, such as the 2013 “democratisation package”, to improve minority rights for minority groups in Turkey, including the Kurds, and we look forward to further progress in this area.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 15/06/2015 16:18:11 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

347935

	registered interest
	date	02/06/2015
	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	USA: Electronic Surveillance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States regarding the temporary halt of a range of surveillance powers in that country; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that halt for the United Kingdom intelligence services in the light of the forthcoming bill regarding communications data.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hay of Ballyore
	uin	HL221
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p>We have ongoing discussions with the US government on a full range of intelligence and security issues. The approval of the Freedom Act is a matter for the US government. With regard to the impact on our intelligence services of the temporary halt of a range of surveillance powers in the US, it is a long-standing policy of the British Government that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The Gracious Speech contained a commitment to bring forward legislation on communications data, and that legislation will extend to all of the investigatory powers covered in David Anderson’s review.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 15/06/2015 16:19:14 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	4352 label Biography information for Lord Hay of Ballyore

383715

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2015
	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	Operation Blue Star
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 7 April 2014 (HL WA244), and the oral answer by the Earl of Courtown on 16 June (HL Deb, col 1077), why they consider the mass killing of Sikhs in India to be a matter for the government of India alone, and not an issue for the international community.
	tabling member printed	Lord Singh of Wimbledon
	uin	HL623
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p>The events of June 1984 at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar led to a tragic loss of life and remain a source of deep pain to Sikhs everywhere around the world. We recognise the deep scars that this event left and the incredibly strong feelings that exist to this day. Relations between the Sikhs in India and the Indian government is an internal matter between those two parties.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 02/07/2015 14:12:47 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	4251 label Biography information for Lord Singh of Wimbledon

383725

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2015
	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	Sri Lanka: Human Rights
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p>We welcomed the early commitments by President Sirisena, and his new government, to make progress on human rights concerns in Sri Lanka. Since then there have been a number of positive steps taken, including the adoption of the 19th amendment to the constitution that restores the independence of key institutions; removal of restrictions on freedom of expression, with exiled journalists invited to return to the country and a number of banned websites unblocked; and, more democratic space with travel bans on foreign nationals visiting the North lifted and the Non-Governmental Organisations Secretariat moved from the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs.</p><p>Challenges however remain, particularly over high military levels in the North and their involvement in civilian life and land occupation.</p><p> </p><p>The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will make an assessment of progress at the September UN Human Rights Council.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 02/07/2015 14:12:04 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

388041

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2015
	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: Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in any discussions they are having with the government of Zimbabwe on the subject of pensions owed to former Rhodesian or Zimbabwean public servants.
	tabling member printed	Lord Goodlad
	uin	HL1167
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>The British Government continues to remind the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe of their legal commitment to former employees of the Southern Rhodesia government. Following our most recent approach, the Government of Zimbabwe last wrote to us on 27 May. They explained that pension repayments remain affected by current financial constraints in Zimbabwe and the state of the wider economy. Nonetheless, at our prompting they committed to continuing to seek a solution.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 21/07/2015 14:51:04 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	670 label Biography information for Lord Goodlad

388042

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2015
	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: Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that the government of Zimbabwe’s obligation to pay the pensions owed to former Rhodesian or Zimbabwean public servants has not been fulfilled, what assessment they have made of their obligation to assist those former servants of the Crown; what assessment they have made of the case for making ex gratia payments to those former public servants without prejudice, either from development aid or other funds, in the light of the practice of protecting the pensions of officers employed on expatriate terms in other former dependent territories; and what, if any, assessment they have made of the cost of making such ex gratia payments.
	tabling member printed	Lord Goodlad
	uin	HL1168
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>The UK’s pension protection arrangements in Zimbabwe are confined to those officers who were recruited by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to serve in Southern Rhodesia on expatriate terms. For those recruited on expatriate terms, the UK provides direct pension support. We continue to be clear that the UK does not have legal or moral responsibility for Southern Rhodesian civil service pensions. This responsibility lies solely with the Government of Zimbabwe.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 21/07/2015 14:51:30 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	670 label Biography information for Lord Goodlad

388473

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2015
	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: Detainees
	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 the Democratic Republic of Congo calling for the release of Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala.
	tabling member printed	Lord Chidgey
	uin	HL1248
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>Officials from our Embassy in Kinshasa have twice lobbied the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alongside other EU missions to raise our concerns about the ongoing detentions of Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala. We continue to urge the DRC government to act on the recommendations of its Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the arrests.</p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 21/07/2015 14:51:50 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	50 label Biography information for Lord Chidgey

388474

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2015
	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: Human Rights
	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 the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding allegations of unlawful detention and acts of torture by the Congolese intelligence services against activists, political leaders and human rights campaigners following protests in January against the revision of the electoral law and demonstrations in March organised by LUCHA.
	tabling member printed	Lord Chidgey
	uin	HL1249
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned by the Congolese authorities’ response to the civil unrest that affected Kinshasa and the wider Democratic Republic of Congo in January, and subsequent peaceful political activity. It is unacceptable to hold the arrested participants in detention for long periods without charge or due legal assistance. We are concerned by reports that their testimony was obtained under duress and that this may be used in legal proceedings against the activists.</p><p>In response, and together with other EU Missions, officials from our Embassy in Kinshasa twice lobbied the Congolese government to voice our concern at the arrest and detention without charge of the activists. Officials also joined other international observers in monitoring court hearings in this case and those of a number of other activists detained in recent months. Officials have stressed to the Congolese authorities that civil society organisations must be allowed to hold workshops on the democratic process without fear of arrest or reprisal, that all legal proceedings must fully respect the international standards of due process and that the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly must be upheld. Our concerns were set out in an EU Heads of Mission press statement issued on 11 February.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 21/07/2015 15:20:03 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	50 label Biography information for Lord Chidgey

388475

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2015
	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: Human Rights
	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 the Democratic Republic Congo pressing for an independent, credible, and transparent investigation of the mass grave found in March in Maluka, supported by international investigators and experts.
	tabling member printed	Lord Chidgey
	uin	HL1250
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>British Government officials have called upon Congolese judicial officials to properly investigate the mass grave containing over 400 bodies uncovered in Maluku in March.</p><p>We urge the Congolese authorities to work closely with international experts, including from the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and call on them to ensure that a transparent and credible investigation is urgently undertaken. Officials have also encouraged the Congolese government to ensure a thorough response to the public compliant filed on 5 June by the families of 34 victims of disappeared persons.</p><p>On 10 April the EU delegation in Kinshasa made a press statement on behalf of all EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa reiterating this call for justice.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl of Courtown question first answered 21/07/2015 15:25:07 answering member 3359 label Biography information for The Earl of Courtown
	tabling member	50 label Biography information for Lord Chidgey