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1122935

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking with international partners to help contain the current outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL15326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>The UK Government continues to take the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) extremely seriously. It is the largest in the country’s history, the first in an active conflict zone and the second largest on record. We have been one of the leading supporters of the response in the DRC from the very start – through both funding and technical expertise to the World Health Organisation and others – and are actively pushing for international partners to do more. We are also the leading donor for regional preparedness. With case numbers continuing to rise and the outbreak not yet under control, the UK is looking to ensure that the response adapts to meet the needs of a deteriorating situation, including by strengthening community engagement. We are also looking to other donors to step up in terms of funding and support. Preventing the spread of deadly diseases saves lives and money, and is therefore firmly in the UK’s national interest.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 07/05/2019 15:33:31 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1122937

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Overseas Aid
	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 potential impact of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 on the delivery of UK aid assistance, in particular medical and healthcare aid to Idlib, and to conflict zones more generally.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL15327
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>As part of our humanitarian response to the Syrian conflict, the Department for International Development is funding UN and NGO partners to provide vital humanitarian assistance to people in need in Idlib, including healthcare. Our support in Idlib governorate alone has meant that approximately 500,000 people received medical consultations between January and June 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The government gives the utmost priority to protecting UK citizens, and safeguarding our national security. As yet, the powers at section 4 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 have not been used, and there are currently no designated areas. If, in future, any area within Syria or elsewhere is designated, the Act provides clear exemptions from the offence of entering or remaining in a designated area for any person who does so for the purpose of providing aid of a humanitarian nature, or who is acting on behalf of or holding office under the Crown. This means that, even in areas where a designated area offence might be in place, the UK will continue to be able to deliver the highest standards of lifesaving humanitarian support.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 07/05/2019 15:34:38 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1122939

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Palestinians: USA
	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 in regard to reports that the United States Agency for International Development is preparing to reduce the size of its West Bank and Gaza mission and to lay off many of its local employees; and what impact this will have on international efforts to build the capacity for a future Palestinian state in accordance with UK policy to support a two state solution.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL15329
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>The UK maintains a regular dialogue with the United States (US) on a range of Middle East issues, including reduced levels of US funding to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK is concerned about the effects of US cuts to the OPTs on both the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) ability to deliver essential services to Palestinians and on the prospects for peace and stability in the region. A UK official spoke to a US Government official regarding this in February, and in March the former Secretary of State raised wider reductions in US funding to the OPTs with Nita Lowey, Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The UK will continue to work with the international community to support a stable PA which can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel, as part of UK efforts to prepare the ground for a two state-solution.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 07/05/2019 15:35:41 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1122940

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	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	Medical Records: Children
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum age at which children have the legal right to access their own medical records and to allow or prevent access by others, including their parents; and at what age parents can no longer access their child’s medical records without that child’s written consent.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL15330
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>There is no defined minimum age for the ability to access, and prevent others accessing, medical records. Young people, provided they have capacity, have the legal right to access their own health records and can allow or prevent access by others, including their parents. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland anyone aged 16, and in Scotland those aged 12 or over, are legally presumed to already have such capacity. Those under that age must demonstrate they have sufficient understanding of what is proposed. A child may achieve capacity earlier or later. In any event children should be able to access their own health records but they should not be given access to information that would cause them serious harm.</p><p>Parents should be allowed access to their child’s medical records if the child or young person consents, or lacks capacity, and it does not go against the child’s best interests. If the records contain information given by the child or young person in confidence, this information should not normally be disclosed without their consent.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford question first answered 07/05/2019 15:01:25 answering member 4019 label Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1123757

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2019
	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	Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, following the recent statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL15395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>​Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif publicly clarified on 24 April that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case was not linked to his offer of a prisoner exchange to the US. He is quoted as saying, &quot;The offer that I made was people who have been in prison either in the United States or elsewhere in the world on American request… But the Iranian-British woman is a separate case.&quot; The UK has not been approached for a prisoner exchange by Iran. In our bilateral discussions with Iran we regularly request consular access to all our dual national detainees, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Under the auspices of diplomatic protection, we will continue to do so to ensure her wellbeing.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/05/2019 16:07:11 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1122933

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	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	Sudan: Military Coups
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of events in Sudan since the recent army coup; and what action they have taken in response to that coup, in particular to encourage the formation of a new provisional government which represents opposition parties and civil society.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Sandwich
	uin	HL15324
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>​Since Bashir's removal on 11 April and the establishment of a Transitional Military Council the UK has made clear public statements via the Troika (US, Norway and UK), the Foreign Secretary and our Ambassador in Khartoum calling for all sides to engage in an inclusive dialogue that leads to a swift and peaceful transition to civilian rule. In support of this we are regularly engaging with all Sudanese parties and civil society, both in Khartoum and London. The UK is working closely with international partners and welcomes the leadership of the African Union (AU); it is vital that the transition credibly delivers the demands of the people of Sudan. As the Foreign Secretary made clear on 24 April, during this once in a generation opportunity for change it is essential the proposed extension of the AU deadline for the return to civilian rule in Sudan is used effectively and that protestors, politicians and military council reach an agreement.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/05/2019 15:54:32 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

1122934

	registered interest
	date	24/04/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Developing Countries: Agriculture
	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 World Bank’s new emphasis on the private sector, in particular, whether it has encouraged large-scale industrial farming for palm oil and other commodities at the expense of the environment and local farm livelihoods; and what proposals they have made, if any, to redress this trend.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Sandwich
	uin	HL15325
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>The World Bank Group (WBG) can play an important role mobilising private sector finance for quality development projects that meet robust environmental and social standards – projects that are critical to providing the finance needed to achieve the Global Goals. Recognising the particular risks in the palm oil sector, the WBG has issued guidance that seeks to ensure improved benefit sharing with smallholders and communities and the widespread adoption of environmentally and socially sustainable standards (<em>T</em><em>he World Bank Group Framework and IFC Strategy for Engagement in the Palm Oil Sector</em>). The International Finance Corporation has a complaints procedure for affected people to express any grievances and seek redress where this guidance is not followed. This procedure is currently under review to ensure greater attention is devoted to responding to complaints at an early stage.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 07/05/2019 15:32:46 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	2109 label Biography information for The Earl of Sandwich

1123313

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Plagiarism
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many essay mill and contract cheating companies have been (1) prosecuted, and (2) closed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL15369
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>The use of companies that sell bespoke essays to students who pass the work off as their own undermines the reputation of the education system in this country, and devalues the hard work of those succeeding on their own merit.</p><p> </p><p>While it is not currently a criminal offence to operate an essay mill, we are keeping the need for legislation under review. We are mindful however, that countries who have introduced legislation to make the operation of essay mills illegal, appear to have had limited success in pursuing successful prosecutions using that legislation.</p><p> </p><p>In 2016, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) found there were approximately 17,000 instances of academic offences per year in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Our current focus is on non-legislative measures and we expect educational institutions to do everything in their power to prevent students being tempted by these companies. In a university context, that may be through making sure their students are aware of the severe consequences they face under the terms of their student contract if they are caught cheating. The most recent guidance from the QAA highlights the importance of severe sanctions of suspension or expulsion if ‘extremely serious academic misconduct’ has been discovered.</p><p> </p><p>On 20 March 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education challenged PayPal to stop processing payments for essay mills. PayPal is now working with businesses associated with essay writing services to ensure its platform is not used to facilitate deceptive and fraudulent practices in education. Google and YouTube have also responded by removing hundreds of advertisements for essay writing services and promotional content from their sites.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the department published an education technology strategy on 3 April, attached, which challenges technology companies to identify how anti-cheating software can tackle the growth of essay mills and stay one step ahead of the cheats.</p><p> </p><p>We are determined to beat the cheats who threaten the integrity of our higher education system.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/05/2019 16:52:05 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie attachment 1 file name HL15369_Education_Technology_Strategy.pdf title HL15369_PDF
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

1123302

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	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	Cyprus: Peace Negotiations
	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 Report of the Secretary-General on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, submitted to the UN Security Council on 16 April; and whether (1) it reflects the ongoing embargo of the Turkish Cypriot community on the island, or (2) recognises the impact of the Greek Cypriot approach to the negotiations since the rejection of the Annan Plan by the Greek Cypriot electorate and the failure of the Crans-Montana talks.
	tabling member printed	Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
	uin	HL15358
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>​The UK is grateful for the ongoing work of the Secretary-General and his good offices on the island, as we are to Ms Jane Holl Lute for her ongoing consultations with the parties. We endorse the Secretary-General's view that prospects for a settlement remain alive as reaffirmed in his April report. We welcome his continued willingness to work with the parties to conduct further consultations on a way forward and hope that they will lead to a return to negotiations. We echo the UN's view that the status quo is not sustainable and, like the Secretary-General, we encourage all sides to engage constructively, creatively and with the necessary sense of urgency, demonstrating they are committed to making progress towards a settlement. A settlement continues to represent the most sustainable means of addressing the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community on the island.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 07/05/2019 15:57:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	648 label Biography information for Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

1123293

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Food
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support schemes that aim to make use of fresh food as it reaches its best before date rather than have it destroyed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Kennedy of Southwark
	uin	HL15349
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government continues to work with key stakeholders across the food chain, including redistribution organisations, in exploring the barriers to increasing surplus food redistribution and developing solutions.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State announced in October 2018 a £15 million pilot fund for 2019/20 to support the further redistribution of surplus food and reduce food waste. We are looking to make announcements on the successful applicants to the first tranche of funding shortly and announce new opportunities for funding in the next few months.</p><p> </p><p>The projects supported by the £500k fund announced in January 2018 are already bearing fruit, with His Church officially opening their new walk in freezer in March.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2017, the Government with the Waste and Resources Action Programme and the Food Standards Agency published step by step best practice guidance on date labels to get the right information and advice put on packaging conveyed clearly and consistently to help consumers reduce waste and ensure food is safe and fit to eat.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 07/05/2019 10:45:20 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4153 label Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark