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173398

registered interest
date	13/01/2015
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to encourage the consolidation of developments in religious freedom in Turkey.
tabling member constituency	Belfast North
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
uin	220606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>We regularly raise the issue of religious freedom in bilateral discussions with the Turkish government. In early January 2015, Her Majesty´s Ambassador to Turkey met with the Head of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey) to discuss religious freedom. In 2014, we organised a round table with religious groups in Istanbul with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Our embassy in Ankara has regular meetings with religious groups and civil society to discuss strengthening freedom of religion in Turkey. The 2014 European Commission Annual Progress report on Turkey noted the need for comprehensive reform of legislation on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and application of this legislation, in line with European Court of Human Rights rulings, Council of Europe recommendations and EU standards. We support this assessment and will continue to work closely with Turkey, EU Member States, and with the European institutions, to encourage further reforms, including on religious freedom, that will continue to underpin Turkey’s accession process.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 19/01/2015 16:46:49 question first ministerially corrected 19/01/2015 16:56:26 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington previous answer version 39095 answering member constituency Monmouth answering member printed David T. C. Davies answering member 1545
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

172980

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Russia
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so, why, they have supported an informal paper calling for European Union member states' media regulators to censor Russian broadcasters and arguing that the European Union should aim to influence behaviour and attitudes amongst key audiences.
tabling member printed	Lord Stoddart of Swindon
uin	HL4052
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text The British Government supports freedom of expression and of the media. We do not support censorship of broadcasters, Russian or otherwise. The informal discussion paper, which we and other EU partners have supported, does not advocate media censorship, but proposes a coordinated response to Russian disinformation. The paper makes clear that rules designed to promote objective broadcast media reporting and transparency of interests, and to prevent incitement of hatred or propagation of violence and war, with due respect to freedom of expression must be observed, and complaints investigated by regulators. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/01/2015 16:54:47 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	950 label Biography information for Lord Stoddart of Swindon

172981

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Duke of York
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what journeys costing over £10,000, and funded as part of the Royal travel programme in connection with Foreign and Commonwealth Office business, have been undertaken by the Duke of York since 6 April 2014.
tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
uin	HL4053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text Since 6 April 2014 His Royal Highness the Duke of York has travelled to Kuwait, Germany, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia in pursuit of Foreign and Commonwealth Office objectives. Air travel for official visits to and from countries and in-country is paid for by the Royal Travel Budget which comes out of the Sovereign Grant. The total cost can be obtained from the Sovereign Grant Annual Report that forms part of the Royal Public Finances annual report. Following the publication of Buckingham Palace's audited accounts for the year ending March 2015 the details will be available on the British monarchy website. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 21/01/2015 14:23:52 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley

172987

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Iraq
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to assist the Kurdistan Regional Government to prevent sexual violence by Islamic State against Yazidi women and to provide medical, psychological, and other support to survivors of this violence.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL4059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The British Government continues to condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) against all communities throughout the areas under its control. We are working closely with the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional government and our international coalition partners to assist and protect civilians wherever we can.</p><p>From 7-14 November, the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) conducted a joint scoping mission to Erbil and Baghdad with the Government of Canada. This aimed to better understand the scale of the issue and the services being provided in response to inform UK and Canadian policy and support. Through the Department for International Development we are already funding activities to protect vulnerable civilians such as legal assistance and support groups for women within internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in the Kurdistan Region. We are continuing to explore what further support we might be able to provide to vulnerable groups and IDPs.</p><p>We welcome the commitments that Prime Minister al-Abadi has made to inclusivity, to protecting Iraqi citizens, addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/01/2015 16:55:44 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

172990

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia and Egypt
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 Saudi Arabia about the public flogging of a citizen who professed his atheism, and to the government of Egypt about the imprisonment of a citizen for professing atheism; and what assessment they have made of how such punishments may be reconciled with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL4062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>We are seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has raised the matter with the Saudi Ambassador. We have previously raised the case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.</p><p>The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, peacefully challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.</p><p>In Egypt, our Embassy in Cairo closely monitors cases where freedom of expression is threatened. I met the Egyptian Deputy Assistant Minister for Human Rights on 14 January. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have been clear throughout recent events in Egypt that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected. We deplore all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise what they believe. <br> <br>We believe, as article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and that this right includes freedom to change one’s religion or belief. Any action to punish an individual for their faith or belief is not compatible with article 18.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/01/2015 17:14:07 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

172995

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
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 Saudi Arabia concerning the right to freedom of expression and the weekly public flogging of Raif Bedawi.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL4067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>We are seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has raised the matter with the Saudi Ambassador. We have previously raised the case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities. <br> <br> The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, peacefully challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 26/01/2015 17:15:09 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172996

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Palestinians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of any current discussions concerning Gaza's gas fields; and what assessment they have made of the ownership of those gas fields.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL4068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The gas fields off the coast of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories continue to be a matter of commercial discussion. We are in regular contact with British Gas, the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis about the exploration of offshore oil and gas.</p><p>Ownership of the gas field is based on location within maritime borders.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/01/2015 16:57:31 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172997

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Israel
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 Wallace of Saltaire on 22 December (HL3625), what precise fishing limits are imposed by the government of Israel off the Gaza coast; and what is the current extent of the Gaza Buffer Zone.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL4069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>The current Gaza fishing zone limit is six nautical miles, however we have received reports that fishermen have been shot at within this limit.</p><p>The Israeli Prime Minister established a 3km Gaza Buffer zone in August 2014. However, the extent of the buffer zone varies. There is a no-go zone of 100m next to the fence.</p><p>In November 2014 Egypt expanded their buffer zone with Gaza to 1km.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 22/01/2015 15:59:38 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172998

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Israel
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 Anelay of St Johns on 31 December (HL3732), what action they have taken to ensure that Israel has fulfilled its legal obligations under applicable international law.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL4070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>We have frequently raised Israel's obligations under International Humanitarian Law and international human rights law with the Israeli authorities, including the obligation of the occupying power to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, and that destruction of Palestinian property is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/01/2015 17:05:18 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

172999

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Israel: Arms Trade
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 Livingston of Parkhead on 17 December (HL3408), what representations they have made to Israel concerning the 12 licences for components issued which could be part of equipment used by the Israel Defense Force and include components for combat aircraft, for military radars, and for targeting equipment.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL4071
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text We regularly discuss arms export licensing with the Israeli authorities. Our Ambassador to Israel briefed the Israeli government on the outcome of the review announced on 12 August. A review of all export licences for material that could have been used in Operation Protective Edge is underway and a decision is due soon. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/01/2015 17:06:53 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge