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381018

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	answering body	The Lord Chairman of Committees
	answering dept id	200
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name	Chairman of Committees (HoL)
	hansard heading	Parliament: Asbestos
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask the Chairman of Committees what assessment has been made of the levels of asbestos throughout the Palace of Westminster and the parliamentary estate; what is the policy regarding disturbing it, leaving it in place, or removing it; and what advice has been taken about the dangers of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, to those involved in repair and construction work and those working in areas where asbestos has been removed or disturbed.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL466
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>It is difficult to estimate the amount of asbestos that is present in the Palace of Westminster and on the parliamentary estate because asbestos materials of various types have been widely used (often concealed in ducts and voids, and buried in the fabric of the building) over the years. Before the dangers of asbestos were known it was used extensively in building works due to its strength and resistive properties. Extensive surveying has been undertaken to inform Parliament’s management of asbestos and robust controls are in place to cover checking for the presence of asbestos and the safe execution of works.</p><p>Parliament’s Asbestos Management Plan complies with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and follows Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance. Risks associated with asbestos-containing materials are managed in line with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The plan is reviewed annually and has been independently audited.</p><p>Each presence of asbestos is judged for removal or management in situ on its own merits, in line with best practice and HSE guidance. All staff in the Parliamentary Estates Directorate undergo mandatory training in asbestos management which provides information and advice about the dangers of asbestos, including asbestos-related diseases. Contractors and their staff are also required to undertake this training, or to provide evidence that they have done equivalent training. The removal of asbestos would be part of the minimum outcome of the Palace Restoration and Renewal Programme and is therefore addressed in all the scenarios that are described in the recent Independent Options Appraisal.</p> answering member printed Lord Sewel question first answered 29/06/2015 16:59:17 answering member 2124 label Biography information for Lord Sewel
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381016

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Islamic State
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether aid to victims of ISIS qualifies as part of the ring-fenced overseas aid budget; and what capacity the Department for International Development has to support directly the victims of ISIS.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>All UK aid spend meets the OECD Official Development Assistance (ODA) Reporting Directives, including that support provided to those affected by ISIL. To date, the UK has pledged £800 million to support vulnerable people in Syria and the region affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria, including those displaced by ISIL. In Iraq, DFID has provided £59.5 million of humanitarian assistance, as a direct consequence of ISIL’s atrocities. Access to areas held by ISIL is however extremely limited and the majority of UK Aid in Iraq is supporting those who have been displaced by ISIL’s brutality. We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for neutral and impartial humanitarian agencies to provide vital assistance to all those in need.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:22:25 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381014

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Burma: Internally Displaced People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that food rations for internally displaced peoples in Kachin state, Burma, are not cut.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL462
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>Since 2011 we have committed over £17m in humanitarian funding in Kachin and Northern Shan states in Burma which includes support for food and cash. We are also working with the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) to investigate development work on livelihoods for those displaced by conflict in Kachin State Burma.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:20:47 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381013

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Burma: Internally Displaced People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address the continuing humanitarian situation for internally displaced people in Kachin state, Burma.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL461
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>Since 2011 we have committed over £17m in humanitarian funding in Kachin and Northern Shan states in Burma which includes food and cash, health services, and water and sanitation to sites for internally displaced people (IDP). We have also provided £5m of humanitarian health programming. We also fund UN agencies for coordination and capacity building around gender based violence, camp management and water and sanitation. Minister of State Rt. Hon. Desmond Swayne TD MP visited Kachin in August 2014 and met with IDPs and camp officials to discuss their situation. DFID’s head of office visited Kachin in June 2015, visiting IDP camps around Laiza and discussing IDP issues with the Kachin Chief Minister.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 29/06/2015 16:19:59 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381017

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	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	Maldives: Political Prisoners
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the well-being of former president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, opposition leaders, activists, and other political prisoners who have been arrested or jailed; and what representations they and the Commonwealth have made to the government of the Maldives on behalf of those individuals.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2015 answer text We have received many reports about the well-being of former President Nasheed and others, and about the conditions in which they are held. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has regularly raised these issues, and our wider concerns, with the Government of the Maldives, most recently with Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon on 28 May and 12 June. We also regularly raise the issue of the Maldives with the Commonwealth Secretary General, most recently on 16 June. Commonwealth delegates have recently visited the Maldives to investigate the circumstances of former President Nasheed’s imprisonment. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 24/06/2015 13:41:02 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

381015

	registered interest
	date	15/06/2015
	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	Burma: Ceasefires
	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 nationwide ceasefire talks in Burma, and the prospects for peace in the ethnic states, particularly Kachin state.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL463
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2015 answer text On 31 March the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team and government negotiators successfully agreed a draft text of the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA). Following this agreement, a series of consultations has taken place to discuss the detail of the Accord, including a meeting between 2 – 9 June in Karen State attended by over 100 representatives from 17 ethnic armed groups as well as UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Burma, Vijay Nambiar. As a result, amendments to the text were proposed, and the ethnic armed groups agreed to form a new committee, comprising more senior representatives, to engage in further negotiations with the Burmese government. Prospects for a NCA ahead of the elections in Burma scheduled for November 2015 remain uncertain. However, even in the absence of a NCA, we do not anticipate a return to widespread conflict. Bilateral ceasefires remain in place between the government and the majority of armed groups, and a timetable for further negotiations is being discussed. We remain actively engaged in the peace process and stand ready to provide whatever additional assistance is required. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 24/06/2015 13:39:15 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool