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522835

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
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 Trade with EU
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of measures to improve relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
tabling member printed	Lord Ahmed
uin	HL386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2016 answer text <p>We have continued to make progress on our relationship with Iran since we reopened our Embassies in August 2015, including through reciprocal ministerial visits and the reopening of our visa services.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 13/06/2016 13:13:42 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	3470 label Biography information for Lord Ahmed

522837

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
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	Abortion
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 North Korea on reports of widespread rape committed by its military; and whether the UK defence attaché to North Korea will raise this issue with their counterpart.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL388
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2016 answer text <p>We are aware of the disturbing reports of sexual violence within the Korean People’s Army. We consistently raise our concerns about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) directly with the regime. In June, our Ambassador to North Korea made clear the UK’s position on human rights in a speech in Pyongyang attended by DPRK senior officials. We regularly raise North Korean human rights issues in multilateral fora such as the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, and will continue to do so.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 16/06/2016 14:22:16 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522838

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Equality
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 North Korean workers are producing garments for Burberry Group Inc.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL389
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2016 answer text <p>We have made no such assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The Modern Slavery Act, enacted last year, includes a demanding transparency in supply chains disclosure provision. This provision requires businesses operating in the UK, with an annual turnover of more than £36 million, to produce a slavery and human trafficking statement setting out the steps they have taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any of its supply chains or its own business.</p><p> </p><p>The provision obliges eligible companies to publish this information on their website, with a conspicuous link from their homepage, so that consumers, investors and the general public know what steps businesses are taking in this regard.</p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 15/06/2016 15:12:22 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522839

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
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	Garden Bridge
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 number of stateless children living in China with one North Korean parent.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL390
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government has not made an assessment of the number of stateless children living in China with one North Korean parent.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 16/06/2016 14:22:32 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522840

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Fire Resistant Materials
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has access to North Korean refugees in China; and what steps they have taken to address the specific matter of China's responsibilities to aid North Korean refugees fleeing North Korea.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL391
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2016 answer text <p>The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does not have access to the North Koreans at the border area in China.</p><p>We raise our concerns around refoulement - the forcible return of refugees or asylum seekers to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution - regularly through our Embassy in Beijing and at the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 20/06/2016 12:20:26 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522841

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
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	Business: Billing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the British Embassy in North Korea has presented a copy of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to North Korean officials; and whether the UK Ambassador to North Korea has held discussions on that report with his North Korean counterparts.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2016 answer text <p>Our Embassy in Pyongyang continues to raise the Commission of Inquiry report in bilateral discussions with the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urges them to engage with the international community on the human rights situation in the DPRK. Our Embassy has not specifically presented a copy of the report to North Korean officials, but we have presented North Korean officials with a supporting Written Statement by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire).</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 16/06/2016 14:23:31 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522842

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
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	Genocide Convention
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures they have in place to identify the occurrence of genocide for the purposes of fulfilling their obligations as a contracting party under Article VIII of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide 1948; and whether there is a protocol in place to guide those procedures.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL393
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK is party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 1948 which requires that we prevent and punish the crime of genocide in our jurisdiction. As a State Party to the International Criminal Court Statute (ICC), the UK has made it a domestic crime to commit any of the crimes in the ICC Statute, including genocide. Where such crimes take place in the UK, or are committed by UK nationals, they can be prosecuted before the UK courts. Responsibility for investigation and prosecution in the UK lies with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Police.</p><p>Our seat on the UN Security Council means that the UK is able to swiftly engage where a threat of atrocity crimes emerges. The form of that engagement depends on the particulars of any individual situation. Where prevention has failed, it is the international community's responsibility to take collective action, through diplomatic, humanitarian and other means. Where timely and decisive action to end, or prevent, the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes is necessary, the UK is active in calling for UN action. However, the Government believes that formal recognition that genocide has been committed is ultimately a matter for the courts, not political bodies.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 13/06/2016 13:15:52 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

522843

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Business: Billing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 28 October 2013 (WA 213) and 5 December 2013 (WA 60–1), whether they will now answer the question why Public Health England, in comparing the percentages with dental fluorosis in fluoridated populations published by McGrady et al in 2012 with those from the York systematic review, cited small categories of fluorosis which were not found in the York review, but omitted the statistically comparable total-fluorosis figures of 55 per cent in fluoridated Newcastle against 48 per cent worldwide in the York review in 2000.
tabling member printed	Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
uin	HL394
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2016 answer text <p>Most dental fluorosis in England is mild and unlikely to be of any concern from a cosmetic perspective. When discussing the public health impact of this condition, it is useful to distinguish between mild to moderate dental fluorosis and more severe fluorosis which is likely to be of concern from a cosmetic perspective, rather than overall levels.</p><p> </p><p>The study described in the paper by McGrady et al in 2012 photographed teeth in order to reducing potential examiner bias, a key recommendation of the York Review. The results might therefore not be directly comparable to the results of studies using older methodology.</p><p> </p><p>Public Health England’s 2014 water fluoridation health monitoring report was published subsequent to the responses given on 28 October 2013 and 5 December 2013 and included a section on dental fluorosis, drawing upon the 2012 report by McGrady et al. A copy of <em>Water Fluoridation Health Monitoring Report for England 2014</em> is attached.</p><p> </p><p>The report displayed the individual categories of dental fluorosis that were used in the 2012 report by McGrady et al, including the proportion who showed no signs of dental fluorosis in the two cities studied. This is shown in the following table.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Descriptive data for fluorosis total-fluorosis (TF) scores by city</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="4"><p>City</p></td><td rowspan="3"><p>p-value (probability value)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Newcastle (fluoridated)</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Manchester (non-fluoridated)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Number</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>Number</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fluorosis TF Score</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>410</p></td><td><p>45%</p></td><td><p>638</p></td><td><p>73%</p></td><td rowspan="7"><p>P <del class="ministerial">&gt;</del> <ins class="ministerial">less than</ins><ins class="ministerial"> </ins>0.0001</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>355</p></td><td><p>39%</p></td><td><p>209</p></td><td><p>24%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>79</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td><td><p>16</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p>6%</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>1%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>1%</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>0.1%</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>0.2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>906</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>869</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The probability values show that levels of dental fluorosis overall in fluoridated Newcastle were higher than in non-fluoridated Manchester. The proportion of children with dental fluorosis (TF score &gt;0) was 55% in Newcastle compared to 27% in Manchester. Fluorosis recorded at a level of TF3, considered to be mild or mild to moderate, was 6% in Newcastle and 1% in Manchester. The prevalence of higher scores (TF4 or greater) was very low in both cities.</p><p> </p><p>The methodology described in the 2012 paper by McGrady et al may give higher estimates of dental fluorosis compared to the direct examination by a dentist used in other surveys. The results give further assurance that there are low levels of dental fluorosis which might be of concern from a cosmetic perspective in both fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Prior of Brampton question first answered 17/06/2016 10:42:12 question first ministerially corrected 17/06/2016 12:57:51 answering member 127 label Biography information for Lord Prior of Brampton attachment 1 file name Water_fluoridation_health_monitoring_for_england__full_report_1Apr2014.pdf title Water Fluoridation Monitoring Report previous answer version 4271 answering member printed Lord Prior of Brampton answering member 127 label Biography information for Lord Prior of Brampton attachment 1 file name Water_fluoridation_health_monitoring_for_england__full_report_1Apr2014.pdf title Water Fluoridation Monitoring Report
tabling member	3446 label Biography information for Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

522847

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Nuclear Weapons: Safety
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement in the Executive Summary of the <i>Water fluoridation: Health monitoring report for England 2014</i> that there is "no evidence of a difference in the rate of hip fractures between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas", what account Public Health England took of the article "Adding fluoride to water supplies" by Cheng KK et al in the <i>British Medical Journal</i> of 7 October 2007, in which the authors state that if the population of England had an average lifetime exposure of ≥0.9 ppm fluoride in drinking water a modest association between fluoride and hip fracture, if such exists, would have a less than one in five chance of being detected despite potentially causing more than 10,000 excess fractures a year.
tabling member printed	Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
uin	HL398
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2016 answer text <p>The possible effects of fluoride in water have been extensively studied and reviewed over the last 50 years. In the United Kingdom the most recent review prior to the publication of Public Health England’s (PHE) Health Monitoring Report was undertaken by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination based at the University of York and published in 2000. The Medical Research Council subsequently, in 2002, reported to the Department of Health its advice on future research priorities. The US National Research Council reported in 2006 and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council reported in 2007. PHE drew on these authoritative sources in selecting a number of indicators of health conditions for inclusion in the 2014 water fluoridation health monitoring report.</p><p> </p><p>The chosen indicators of various health conditions were selected based on the evidence base, theoretical plausibility, potential impact on population health, the quality and availability of data, and the validity of the indicator. The selected indicators will be reviewed for future reports in the light of emerging evidence.</p><p> </p><p>The article by KK Cheng et al did not provide any new evidence regarding hip fractures, but comments on the chance of detecting an increased risk of hip fracture for a speculated odds ratio of 1.2 in a previous study by Hiller et al. 2000. This only refers to a single study and it is important to consider the overall weight of evidence.</p><p>The overall weight of evidence and the consensus of opinion from authoritative reviews do not indicate that a drinking water concentration of 1 part fluoride per million parts of water presents an increased risk of hip fracture.</p><p> </p><p>A more recent review of potential health effects from water fluoridation was published in 2015 by the Irish Research Board. The report concluded that a summary of the existing literature indicates that the relationship between fluoride in drinking water and bone health is inconsistent, with no definitive proof of protective or harmful effects.</p> answering member printed Lord Prior of Brampton question first answered 17/06/2016 12:18:56 answering member 127 label Biography information for Lord Prior of Brampton
tabling member	3446 label Biography information for Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

522848

registered interest
date	06/06/2016
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	West Coast Main Line
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many train paths an hour will be freed up on the West Coast Main Line when HS2 Phase 1 is operational according to Network Rail's West Coast Main Line Capacity Plus study, and when that study will be published.
tabling member printed	Lord Berkeley
uin	HL399
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2016 answer text <p>HS2 Phase 1 will add significant additional capacity to the London to West Midlands rail corridor, and this provides an opportunity for the industry to evaluate how best to make use of the released capacity on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail continues to develop the evidence base to support the Capacity Plus study. Train operating companies and freight operating companies, passenger transport executives and local authorities and High Speed 2 Ltd are supporting Network Rail in its ongoing work. Network Rail will use this work to inform the Initial Industry Advice for Control Period 6 which is expected to be published by the end of 2016.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 17/06/2016 10:32:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3526 label Biography information for Lord Berkeley