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752406

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the freedom of information response issued by the Department for International Development (DfID) on 13 March which stated that “whoever needs our help the most gets it first”, what assessment they have made of the needs of religious minorities in Northern Iraq and Syria; whether those minorities fall within the definition of humanitarian assistance applied by UN agencies; what assessment they have made of claims by NGOs that religious identity is the basis for human rights abuses including abduction and murder; what data DfID collect about the ethnic and religious diversity of those receiving its aid in those regions; and if such data is not collected, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL854 HL855 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752407

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to call for ethnic and religious minorities to be added to the UN’s diversity approach to humanitarian assistance; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which UN agencies have (1) protected religious freedom, (2) guaranteed the safety of religious minorities within their remits, and (3) provided equal and impartial support and access to services.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK’s humanitarian aid operates under International Humanitarian Law and is provided based on need. It must be available to people of all faiths and of none. All UN agencies are required to carry out comprehensive vulnerability assessments to ensure aid is reaching those most in need, including those from religious minorities. We do not intend to call for ethnic and religious minorities to be added. The Multilateral Development Review restated our vision of building open societies, where no-one is held back by their gender, ethnic group, sexual orientation, disability or belief system.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 20/07/2017 16:23:54 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752408

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UN agencies have operated impartially and neutrally in responding to the needs of religious minorities facing persecution and genocide in Northern Iraq and Syria; and on what evidence they base that assessment.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL855 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752409

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the freedom of information response issued by the Department for International Development (DfID) on 13 March which stated that “the vast majority of Syrian refugees across the Middle East, as well as internally displaced persons in Iraq and Syria, live in host communities rather than in camps” and that DfID is active in providing them with support, what funds have been made available to Yazidis and Christians living outside the camps; how much will be provided for (1) urgent humanitarian assistance, and (2) the rebuilding of those communities; and how much DfID funding is provided through the Bishops Emergency Committee.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752410

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government (1) what contact they have had with, and (2) what support they intend to provide to, the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee, regarding (a) the rebuilding of 13,000 homes on the Nineveh Plains, and (b) the need to ensure that those Christians internally displaced from the Plains are provided with adequate food supplies.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL855 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752087

registered interest
date	14/07/2017
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Insulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been contacted by her Department to submit cladding for testing.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	5011
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government is taking the potential impact from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire very seriously. Building owners across the public sector estate have been contacted to ensure any risks are managed and dealt with appropriately and promptly. As part of this, we have contacted all bodies responsible for safety in schools, further education colleges and universities instructing them to carry out checks to identify any building which may require further investigation.</p><p>The two schools to date, where ACM cladding has been identified and tested, have been alerted to the results. As a precautionary step, both schools have already been inspected by the Fire and Rescue Service who confirmed appropriate measures are in place to mitigate the risks from potential fire, and the buildings have now been declared safe for continued use.</p><p>The Department for Education is continuing to work closely with the schools concerned to support them and ensure all the necessary steps are taken to ensure the continued safety of the buildings.</p><p>All schools already have to follow a range of strict fire safety regulations designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire. They must have robust plans to follow in the event of a fire, conduct regular fire drills, install sprinklers if an assessment deems them necessary and typically have multiple exit routes.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 24/07/2017 15:59:18 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

752088

registered interest
date	14/07/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Financial Services: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve the financial inclusion of refugees in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	5045
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>Since September 2016, the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account, provided that the customer is legally resident in the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The industry produced Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) guidance notes contain a list of documents which are capable of evidencing identity for special cases, including refugees, who either cannot meet their standard verification requirement, or have experienced difficulties in the past when seeking to open accounts, and which will generally be appropriate for opening a basic bank account. In the case of refugees the suggested non-standard documentation includes an Immigration Status Document with Residence Permit.</p><p> </p><p>To help refugees to prove their identity, when an individual is granted refugee status by the Home Office they are issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) as proof of the holder’s right to stay, work or study in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The treatment of customers by financial services firms, including banks and building societies, is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. The FCA’s Principles include a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers and the government works closely with the FCA to ensure that members of the public have access to useful and affordable financial products and services.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Stephen Barclay grouped question UIN 5046 question first answered 19/07/2017 15:51:42 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

752089

registered interest
date	14/07/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Bank Services: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve access to bank accounts for refugees in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
tabling member printed	David Linden
uin	5046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>Since September 2016, the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account, provided that the customer is legally resident in the EU.</p><p> </p><p>The industry produced Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) guidance notes contain a list of documents which are capable of evidencing identity for special cases, including refugees, who either cannot meet their standard verification requirement, or have experienced difficulties in the past when seeking to open accounts, and which will generally be appropriate for opening a basic bank account. In the case of refugees the suggested non-standard documentation includes an Immigration Status Document with Residence Permit.</p><p> </p><p>To help refugees to prove their identity, when an individual is granted refugee status by the Home Office they are issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) as proof of the holder’s right to stay, work or study in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The treatment of customers by financial services firms, including banks and building societies, is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. The FCA’s Principles include a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers and the government works closely with the FCA to ensure that members of the public have access to useful and affordable financial products and services.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Stephen Barclay grouped question UIN 5045 question first answered 19/07/2017 15:51:43 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

752090

registered interest
date	14/07/2017
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Big Lottery Fund: Newcastle upon Tyne
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Big Lottery on jobs and staffing levels at its Newcastle site.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	5034
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>I have had no discussions but The Fund is led by a non-executive board and has operational autonomy; therefore, the shape or form that these organisational changes should take is an independent decision and is not a matter for the Secretary of State.</p> answering member constituency Chatham and Aylesford answering member printed Tracey Crouch question first answered 19/07/2017 15:23:24 answering member 3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

752091

registered interest
date	14/07/2017
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Financial Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made on the effect on the financial stability of the UK of the Financial Policy Committee's decision of 21 June 2017 to bring forward the assessment of stressed losses on consumer credit lending in the Bank of England's 2017 annual stress test.
tabling member constituency	Ross, Skye and Lochaber
tabling member printed	Ian Blackford
uin	5064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <p>The assessment of the effect of the decisions made by the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) on the financial stability of the UK is a matter for the FPC. The government established the independent FPC in 2013, giving the FPC a primary objective to identify, monitor and take action to remove or reduce systemic risks with a view to protecting and enhancing the resilience of the UK financial system. The FPC comprises thirteen members including the Governor and a non-voting member from HM Treasury (currently the Second Permanent Secretary).</p><p> </p><p>Following its recent policy meeting on 21 June, the FPC published the Financial Stability Report (FSR) on 27 June. The FSR set out the FPC’s latest assessment of the outlook for financial stability in the UK, as well as the actions that the FPC has deemed necessary to meet its objectives.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor of the Exchequer is legally required to meet the Governor to discuss the FSR and other matters relating to UK financial stability as appropriate, as soon as possible after the publication of the FSR. HM Treasury will publish a record of this meeting within 6 weeks of the meeting taking place.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Stephen Barclay grouped question UIN 5065 5066 5067 question first answered 20/07/2017 14:38:04 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	4390 label Biography information for Ian Blackford