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92764

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Mesothelioma: Compensation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the letter from Lord Faulks to Lord Alton of Liverpool on 18 September and the High Court judgment on 2 October that the review under section 48 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 about mesothelioma proceedings was not lawful, whether they intend to initiate a further review; if so, how it will differ from the last review; and what will be the timetable for it.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL2000
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government is considering the judgment handed down by the High Court on 2 October. We will set out the next steps in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 27/10/2014 14:31:34 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

79806

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 July (HL Deb, cols 1324–8) to the debate on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, what representations they have made to the Burmese authorities about proposed new legislation to restrict religious conversions and inter-religious marriages there; and whether they will call on the United Nations Secretary-General to visit Burma to address religious intolerance and to encourage the creation of an international and independent inquiry into violence in Rakhine State, Kachin State and other parts of the country.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1695
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/08/2014 answer text <p>We have voiced our strong concerns over proposed legislation on inter-faith marriage and religious conversion to members of the Burmese government and parliamentarians. If enacted, these laws would harm religious tolerance and respect for diversity in Burma, and contravene international standards and treaties to which Burma is a signatory. Most recently, our Ambassador raised our concerns with Minister of the President’s Office, U Soe Thein, in June.</p><p>The UN Secretary-General (UNSG) currently chairs the Partnership Group on Burma, which last met in April. The UNSG and his Special Representative to Burma, Vijay Nambiar, both play vital roles in raising the international community’s human rights concerns with the Burmese government whilst providing encouragement for the wider reform process. We welcome the recent visit by the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Ms Yanghee Lee, who rightly highlighted that the government needs to do more to stop the spread of hate speech and incitement to violence based on religious grounds and recommended the adoption of specific legislation to address this.</p><p>We remain deeply concerned by continued violence in Burma, particularly in Rakhine State and Kachin State. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes. Allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with through a clear, independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. We have made this clear to the Burmese government and will continue to do so. We continue to believe an independent investigation, supported by appropriate technical assistance, would make a significant contribution to accountability and reconciliation.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 18/08/2014 09:56:23 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

79805

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2014
	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	Iraq
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 July (HL Deb, cols 1324–8) to the debate on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, what assistance has been given to Christians who have been forced to leave their homes in Mosul; whether they have any plans to offer asylum to those affected; and what representations they have made to governments in the Gulf in respect of the funding of ISIS.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/08/2014 answer text <p>The UK condemns the human rights abuses reported in Iraq and has committed £5 million to the humanitarian effort to support people displaced by fighting there. All asylum claims made in the UK are carefully considered in accordance with the UK’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. The Home Office, which is responsible for all asylum claims, closely monitors developments in Iraq and other countries of return and will take decisions on a case-by-case basis in the light of the latest available country information. We regularly discuss terrorist financing with governments in the Gulf including through the mechanisms of the Financial Action Task Force.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 18/08/2014 10:00:21 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

79804

	registered interest
	date	30/07/2014
	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	Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 July (HL Deb, cols 1324–8) to the debate on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, how many officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are specifically focused on freedom of religion, and for what percentage of their time; and what resources are specifically allocated for the promotion of Article 18 through United Kingdom diplomatic services.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/08/2014 answer text <p>Within the Human Rights and Democracy Department (HRDD), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has one full time Desk Officer wholly dedicated to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), who works closely with the Team Leader in the Equalities and Non-Discrimination Team, who themselves spend approximately 50% of their time on FoRB. Additionally, the Head and the Deputy Head of HRDD spend approximately 5% and 20% respectively of their time on FoRB issues; one Human Rights Advisor spends 5% and one HRDD Communications Officer approximately 10%.</p><p>As FoRB is one of only six thematic human rights priorities for the FCO, a considerable number of other FCO officials in London and overseas are engaged directly on FoRB as part of their wider human rights work. Given that violations of FoRB can be closely associated with other threats to UK interests around the world, I cannot provide a precise figure for the total number of FCO officials working on FoRB, though the number is high and rising.</p><p>This year, seven FoRB projects around the world were approved and received total funding of £307,835.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 18/08/2014 10:01:08 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

79731

	registered interest
	date	29/07/2014
	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	North Korea
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Warsi on 23 July (HL Deb, cols GC 460–4) on the Commission of Inquiry Report on human rights in North Korea, whether any projects to improve the substantive human rights of North Koreans, rather than cultural, economic or humanitarian initiatives, are to be implemented; and whether such projects are being considered for North Korean refugees outside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1623
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/08/2014 answer text <p>It is not possible for the UK to carry out projects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without the cooperation of the DPRK authorities. This has an impact on the type of projects we are able to support, although we have successfully taken forward projects in some areas of human rights, such as disability rights. In the Financial Year 2014/15 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO’s) Human Rights and Democracy Programme is funding a project delivered by the Thomson Foundation titled ‘Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the Internet world’, which aims to give North Korean journalists a greater understanding of freedom of expression by teaching them Internet skills. Our other engagement projects are about finding concrete ways to inform North Korean citizens about the UK and its values, so that in the long term they recognise the benefits of working with the outside world from which they are normally isolated.</p><p>Our Embassy in Seoul supports the North Korean refugee community through its “English for the Future” programme, which is funded with a mixture of FCO programme funds and corporate sponsorship. We also reserve one of our Chevening scholarships for this community. These programmes help new settlers tackle some of the barriers which can prevent their successful integration into South Korean society and improve their future prospects. The FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme has also previously funded projects with North Korean refugee groups in the Republic of Korea which are more directly related to human rights in the DPRK, such as documenting the effects of torture or producing a report on the rights of women. We remain open to funding similar projects in the future.</p> answering member printed Lord Popat question first answered 11/08/2014 11:23:29 answering member 4173 label Biography information for Lord Popat
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

79643

	registered interest
	date	28/07/2014
	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	North Korea
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Warsi on 23 July (HL Deb, cols GC 460–4) on the Commission of Inquiry Report on human rights in North Korea, how many of the Commission’s recommendations that pertain specifically to Her Majesty’s Government have been implemented thus far; and whether there are any recommendations that they do not intend to implement.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1535
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/08/2014 answer text <p>The Commission of Inquiry made nineteen recommendations to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (para 1220, (a) – (s)); six for China and other States in the context of trafficking and forced repatriation of refugees (para 1221 (a) – (f)); one relating to inter-Korean relations (para 1222); two directed at states, civil society organisations, foundations and business enterprises (1223 and 1224) and ten to the international community and the United Nations (1225 (a) – (j)).</p><p>The recommendations relating to trafficking and forced repatriation do not apply directly to the UK. However, we have been clear with the Chinese government and others that we believe that people who have escaped from the DPRK are entitled to protection and should be allowed safe passage to resettlement in third countries.</p><p>Para 1223 relates to people-to-people dialogue and contact in areas such as culture, science, sports, good governance and economic development. As one of the few countries with a presence on the ground in Pyongyang, the UK can play a particular role in implementing this recommendation. We already seek to expose North Koreans to the outside world through the British Council English language training programme and other engagement activities.</p><p>Para 1224 recommends that states and others should support the work of civil society organisations to improve the human rights situation in the DPRK, including efforts to document violations and to broadcast accessible information into each country. The UK has previously funded projects with South Korean non-governmental organisations related to documenting violations in the DPRK. We have also worked with international and domestic organisations within the DPRK to improve the treatment of disabled people. Our focus on direct engagement complements that of others, like the US, who support broadcasts into the DPRK.</p><p>With regard to the recommendations for the international community and the United Nations, my noble friend, the former Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Baroness Warsi), set out in detail in her reply on 23 July (Official Report, column GC461) the UK’s position on the recommendations for the UN Security Council (para 1225(a)) and our commitment to ensuring that the international community takes action in response to the Commission’s report (para 1225(f)). The recommendations in para 1225 (b) and (c) have been taken forward through the UN Human Rights Council and those in (d), (e) and (g) are primarily for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Secretariat. We are currently exploring the prospects for taking forward para 1225(h), which recommends forming a human rights contact group. Para 1225(i) relates to provision of humanitarian assistance. The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme in the DPRK, but agrees fully with points made in this recommendation about how such assistance should be provided. Para 1225(j) recommends the convening of a high-level political conference to consider a final peaceful settlement to the Korean War. A comprehensive resolution of the situation on the Korean peninsula will require the DPRK to address the international community's legitimate security concerns.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 18/08/2014 10:02:12 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

77795

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	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 29 August 2013 (WA 315–16) and 24 January 2014 (WA 170–71), what progress the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has made over the past year in implementing its action plan in response to the McCracken Report recommendations; what were the detailed policy outcomes of discussions between the Executive and Authority members described in paragraph 6.18 of the Minutes of the HFEA’s meeting on 11 September 2013; and what specific changes the HFEA has introduced to mitigate the risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in accordance with Recommendations 10 and 11 of the McCracken Report and in the light of paragraphs 4.40 and 4.44 therein.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2014 answer text <p>The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that progress on implementing the McCracken Report recommendations was last reported to the Authority in March 2014. Papers for that meeting are published on the HFEA’s website at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.hfea.gov.uk/8782.html" target="_blank">www.hfea.gov.uk/8782.html</a></p><p> </p><p>The HFEA has also advised that in July 2014, the Authority agreed a new strategy for 2014-2017, which sets out its regulatory focus. Also at its meeting in July, Authority members agreed to give consideration to the collection of additional data when a case of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome is reported. The HFEA will take expert scientific and medical advice on whether such data collection would be of value and on the feasibility of collecting reliable information. The papers for the July 2014 meeting are published on the HFEA’s website at:</p><p> </p><p>www.hfea.gov.uk/Authority-July-2014.html</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 28/07/2014 16:36:37 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

77277

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 9 July (WA 49), whether they consider that the inability of three reviews to find evidence to suggest any of the techniques evaluated are unsafe constitutes evidence that such techniques are safe; and if so, what is the purpose of the recommended experiments that should be completed before the techniques could be used in clinical practice.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1011
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2014 answer text <p>All three reviews have found no evidence to suggest any of the techniques evaluated are unsafe.</p><p> </p><p>The experiments recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority convened Expert Panel’s June 2014 report are designed to contribute towards the decision as to when mitochondrial donation should be offered in treatment.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 24/07/2014 14:29:24 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

89919

	registered interest
	date	01/09/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	IVF
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 July (HL1011), what is the proposed timetable of steps in deciding when mitochondrial donation should be offered in treatment; and what impact each of the separate experiments recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Expert Panel will have on that timetable.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2014 answer text <p>The Government has decided to proceed with putting regulations before Parliament, subject to giving further consideration to the Expert Panel’s recommendations, refining the draft regulations to take account of changes identified during the consultation, and discussion with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority about an appropriate approval process. The Government will consider the timing of the regulations in the light of these actions. We aim to provide an update about this soon.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 15/09/2014 11:19:57 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

65927

	registered interest
	date	07/07/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Hereditary Diseases
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 April (WA 178), whether they intend to issue a clarification of the differences between the figures for the number of babies born with mitochondrial disorders in their press releases on 28 June 2013 and 27 February 2014; whether the updated disease estimate for the United Kingdom based both on data from the 2011 census and observational epidemiological studies from the north-east of England is closer to their stated figure of one in 6,500 or one in 200; what was the corresponding frequency of children in either the north-east of England or the United Kingdom as a whole that were diagnosed with each of the mitochondrial diseases listed in Annex D of the consultation document entitled "Mitochondrial Donation" over the last ten years for which data are available; and how those figures compare to available data on population frequencies for mutations within the nuclear POLG1 and POLG2 genes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2014 answer text <p>The Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University have estimated that there are initially 10-20 women per year, of child-bearing age, who carry faulty mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and who might decide that mitochondrial donation is the best reproductive option, as noted in my Written Answer of 1 April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>It is estimated that at least 1 in 200 children in the United Kingdom are born with faulty mtDNA, as stated in the consultation documentation released 27 February 2014. Whereas the figure of 1 in 6,500 babies, as stated in the press release of 28 June 2013, is an estimation of those thought to go on to develop a more serious mitochondrial disorder. Serious cases can result in fatal liver failure, stroke-like episodes, blindness, muscle disease, diabetes and deafness.</p><p> </p><p>Calculating the overall incidence of mitochondrial disease is extremely difficult. The figure of 1 in 200 is based on epidemiological data from the UK and Australia. This disease estimate in the UK is based on observational epidemiological studies from the north east of England which are currently being updated using the data from the 2011 census.</p><p> </p><p>The table of disorders caused by unhealthy mtDNA attached as Annex D in the consultation document ‘Mitochondrial Donation’ was derived from existing published tables, such as the 2011 report by the Expert Panel convened by The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to review safety and efficacy of mitochondrial donation techniques. There is currently no published information of the exact numbers of cases of each of the conditions in Annex D.</p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 21/07/2014 16:51:16 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool