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1240212

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Andy Li
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have on the wellbeing of imprisoned Hong Kong activist Andy Li; and whether they have asked the government of China (1) to allow access to Andy Li by family members and lawyers, and (2) to return him to Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8697
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>We have raised our concerns about the 12 detainees in Shenzhen, which we understand includes Andy Li, with the Chinese authorities in Hong Kong. It is essential that due process is followed. The rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, including their rights to freedom of speech and assembly, are expressly guaranteed in the Joint Declaration. Rights committed to under the Joint Declaration must be upheld.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 16/10/2020 13:03:04 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1240213

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Korea: Nuclear Disarmament
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Foreign Secretary's to South Korea and the demilitarised zone, what assessment they have made of the prospects for (1) the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and (2) an improvement in the protection of fundamental human rights in North Korea.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government is concerned at the continued development of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. UN sanctions must be enforced until North Korea takes concrete steps to denuclearise and dismantle its weapons programme. The UK is working with partners to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea and to reduce the risk of North Korean cybercrime, a valuable source of revenue for the regime. We continue to show our support to US efforts to negotiate with North Korea, and to partners in the region, as evidenced by the Foreign Secretary's discussions with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang in Seoul in early October. We have raised our concerns directly with North Korea and at the UN Security Council. We encourage North Korea to return to meaningful negotiations with the United States.</p><p>The UK repeatedly calls on North Korean to acknowledge and address the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country. The UK made a robust statement at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020. The UK has directly challenged North Korea on its human rights abuses. In July 2020, we designated two North Korean Government organisations under the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime. At the UN Human Rights Council in October, we made clear our continued concerns.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 16/10/2020 13:02:46 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1240215

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Leader of the House of Lords
answering dept id	92
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name	Leader of the House of Lords
hansard heading	Questions for Short Debate and Select Committee Reports: Parliamentary Scrutiny
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask the Leader of the House what plans there are to set aside time on currently non-sitting Fridays to debate (1) Select Committee reports, or (2) Questions for Short Debate, in the Chamber or in Grand Committee.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2020 answer text <p>My Noble Friend the Government Chief Whip has no such plans. In line with the Guidance on Hybrid House and Hybrid Grand Committee set down by the Procedure and Privileges Committee, legislation is currently taking precedence on sitting Fridays.</p><p>Despite the constraints on the way in which the House is working we have managed to debate 11 Select Committee reports in the session to date. I expect it to be possible to debate further reports as the session progresses.</p><p>Last week the Government Chief Whip wrote to the Procedure and Privileges Committee with a suggestion as to how we can adapt our current working practices to allow a limited number of Questions for Short Debate to be asked in Grand Committee.</p><p>Background/points we could make:</p><p>- The short answer to the question is ‘no’.</p><p>- We normally sit on only one Friday per calendar month. We have had to sit on more than that since returning from the summer recess to accommodate the various Coronavirus regulations.</p><p>- The Procedure and Privileges Committee guidance clearly states, at paragraph 39, that:</p><p>- “Until further notice, Thursday and Friday sittings of the hybrid House may be used for legislation which shall have precedence over other business.”</p><p>- Despite the broadcasting and administrative restrictions we have been working under we have still managed to debate 11 select committee reports in the session to date. And will take more where we can.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Evans of Bowes Park question first answered 19/10/2020 15:35:19 answering member 4329 label Biography information for Baroness Evans of Bowes Park attachment 1 file name Scan_Isabelle Tombs_20201019-123716_2720_001.pdf title B Evans signed
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1240216

registered interest
date	05/10/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Care Homes: Coronavirus
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 findings of Amnesty International's report As if expendable: the UK Government's failure to protect older people in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, published on 4 October.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2020 answer text <p>Since the start of this pandemic we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care. We have taken steps to ensure residents and staff are protected, including testing all residents and staff, providing 208 million items of personal protective equipment, ring-fencing £1.1 billion to prevent infections in care homes and making a further £3.7 billion available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic – including in adult social care.</p><p>Residents’ individual circumstances must be considered in any decisions, ensuring that their human rights, personal choices, safety and dignity are upheld. Early in the pandemic, we outlined the importance of this through the Adult Social Care Ethical Framework.</p><p>We keep our policies under continuous review based on the emerging international and domestic evidence and will consider Amnesty’s report as part of this. On 18 September, we published our Adult Social Care Winter Plan which included several additional measures to support care homes during the pandemic.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 15/10/2020 15:06:28 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1239838

registered interest
date	01/10/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Mongolia: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of news reports of protests in Inner Mongolia about (1) the suppression of the Mongolian language, and (2) the destruction of the Mongolian ethnic identity.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of the recent protests in Inner Mongolia and will continue to monitor developments closely.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 16/10/2020 11:58:39 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1239474

registered interest
date	30/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	China
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 29 September (HL Deb, cols GC49), what plans they have to initiate a national review of strategic dependency on China; what assessment they have made of China's developing nation status at the World Trade Organisation; and what plans they have, if any, to make representations to change that status.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8616
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2020 answer text <p>We have a policy of engagement with China and our approach will remain consistent even if difficulties emerge. As we engage we will always protect our national interests and hold China to its international commitments and promises. Our approach also continues to underline our international leadership in promoting free trade, and our belief in the benefits that free trade brings. There is a broader debate at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding the methodology for awarding Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) to developing countries. As it currently stands there is no objective criteria for defining developing countries at the WTO and members are able to 'self-designate' as developing. The UK continues to engage on this topic at the WTO. We maintain the view that SDT should be awarded on a case-by-case, needs-based basis in the context of each WTO negotiation.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 13/10/2020 14:45:15 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1239475

registered interest
date	30/09/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Uyghurs: China
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 29 September (HL Deb, cols GC49), whether they are examining supply chains that may be connected to the use of slave labour in Xinjiang; and what prosecutions for breaches of that Act, in connection with Uighur slave labour,  are either under way or being prepared.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>On 25 September at the 45<sup>th</sup> session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Government set out our grave concerns about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang. We urge businesses involved in investing in Xinjiang, with parts of their supply chains in Xinjiang, or with any other business involvement in the region to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, or risk being seen to be supporting, any human rights violations or abuses.</p><p>Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires certain businesses with a turnover of £36m or more, equating to approximately 16,000 businesses, to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. The Government encourages companies to report transparently about how they are mitigating modern slavery risks and to use their modern slavery statements to demonstrate year on year progress.</p><p>The prevalence of modern slavery and complexity of global supply chains means that it is highly unlikely that any company is immune from the risks of modern slavery. Section 54 therefore does not require organisations to certify that their global supply chains are ‘slavery free’ or that the Government verifies the content of modern slavery statements.</p><p>The Government continues to strengthen its approach and following an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, the Home Office ran a public consultation on a range of proposals to strengthen Section 54. On 22 September 2020 the Government published its response to this consultation and announced plans to strengthen the Act and the transparency in thousands of business and public body supply chains by:</p><ul><li>harnessing the spending power of the public sector, which accounts for approximately £250bn annual spend and extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more;</li><li>radically enhancing the transparency and accessibility of modern slavery statements by requiring organisations to publish their statements on the new Government digital reporting service;</li><li>improving the quality of statements by requiring organisations to report against specific topics, including how they risk assess their supply chains and the due diligence they have undertaken, and to clearly state if they have omitted a topic.</li><li>driving greater accountability by setting a single reporting deadline on which all modern slavery statements must be published; and</li><li>Developing options for civil penalties for non-compliance in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights.</li></ul><p>The Government has committed to implementing these changes when parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 14/10/2020 11:09:54 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1238650

registered interest
date	29/09/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: North West
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to respond to the open letter from the leaders and chief executives of Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds city councils to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care which raised concerns that local restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic pose a "huge, disproportionate” economic impact; and if so, when they intend to respond.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2021 answer text <p>Evidence indicated that reduced operating hours allowed businesses to trade for the majority of the evening while also controlling transmission rates. This aimed to minimise damage to the economy and society, jobs and livelihoods and safeguard education in schools, colleges and universities.</p><p>COVID‑19 support is available to employers and the self-employed, including sole traders and limited company directors and includes loans, tax relief and cash grants, whether a business is open or closed.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 15/02/2021 14:44:56 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1238651

registered interest
date	29/09/2020
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
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 Bethell on 28 September (HL8106), how they will ensure that people will "limit social contact as much as possible” given that rules permit drinking in public houses with different groups of up to five others at different times.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>From Monday 28 September, we increased the number of COVID-19 secure guidelines that have been placed into law and expanded the range of settings in which these laws will apply. The new ‘rule of six’ simplifies and strengthens the rules on social gatherings, making them easier to understand and easier for the police to enforce. Businesses will be legally obliged to prevent people mixing in groups larger than six, take appropriate measures to prevent mingling and to comply with the COVID-19 secure guidance already in place. Therefore, if venues are not COVID-19 secure then they could be liable for fines or closures.</p> answering member printed Lord Bethell question first answered 12/10/2020 14:12:16 answering member 4708 label Biography information for Lord Bethell
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1238652

registered interest
date	29/09/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to consult the Joint Committee on Human Rights when assessing prospective trade deals.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL8576
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>We have provided extensive information to Parliament on our negotiations, including publishing our objectives and economic scoping assessments prior to negotiations beginning. We continue to engage closely with the relevant scrutiny committees, namely the International Trade Committee in the House of Commons and the International Agreements Sub-Committee in the House of Lords.</p><p> </p><p>We have a strong history of safeguarding rights and promoting our values. While our approach to agreements will vary between partners, it will always allow HM Government to have open discussions on these issues.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 12/10/2020 13:44:32 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool