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1309903

	registered interest
	date	16/04/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Voluntary Service Overseas: Grants
	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 impact of the expiry of the bridging grant for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on (1) international volunteering, and (2) VSO's, programmes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL14991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has announced that we will provide funding to Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) this year in his statement on ODA allocations to Parliament on 21 April. We have offered VSO funding for the V4D programme for 2021/22.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/04/2021 12:42:41 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1309902

	registered interest
	date	16/04/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Voluntary Service Overseas: Finance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to make a long-term decision on the funding for Voluntary Service Overseas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL14990
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary announced that we would provide funding to <strong>Voluntary Service Overseas</strong> (VSO) this year in his statement on ODA allocations to Parliament on 21 April. We have offered VSO funding for the V4D programme until the end of this financial year 2021/22. Officials have also started discussions with VSO on our future relationship.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/04/2021 12:17:42 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1645494

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2023
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Mexico
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have set a date for beginning the dialogue on human rights between the UK and Mexico which both Governments agreed should be conducted in parallel with negotiations towards a Free Trade Agreement.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL8592
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>We have not yet set a date for a formal bilateral human rights dialogue with Mexico, however we continue to engage regularly on human rights and related issues with Mexican authorities at ministerial and official level. Most recently, on 19 June, the Minister for the Americas, David Rutley MP, spoke with the Mexican Undersecretary for Human Rights and Multilateral Affairs, Eduardo Jaramillo, and reiterated the UK's desire to formalise these conversations through the inaugural human rights dialogue.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 26/06/2023 11:23:44 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1275424

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Slavery
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to ask British embassies to designate an official with special responsibility for modern slavery, focussing on supply chains for exports to the UK and the operations of UK companies overseas.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL11972
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>Many British Embassies and High Commissions already have a focus on modern slavery including supply chain aspects where appropriate. This Government is committed to eliminating modern slavery from our communities and the global economy, and in 2019 appointed the UK's first International Modern Slavery and Migration Envoy to help drive forwards our efforts in partnership with other Governments and multilateral organisations. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses to report on how they are tackling modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Section 54 was designed to empower consumers, investors, civil society and others to scrutinise the action that businesses are taking to identify and address modern slavery in their supply chains.</p><p>The Government has committed to strengthening the legislation. Our response to the transparency in supply chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, announced an ambitious package of changes to Section 54, including introducing specific reporting topics and requiring statements to be published by a single reporting deadline on a central Government-run registry, to enable the Government and others to continuously monitor compliance. In addition, the Government announced in the week of 11 January that it will introduce financial penalties for organisations that do not comply with the reporting requirements under the Modern Slavery Act. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 25/01/2021 16:57:55 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1568372

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2023
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Peru: Politics and Government
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of protests in Peru following the dismissal of President Castillo; and whether they (1) have made, and (2) will make, representations to the government of Peru about the 46 deaths related to the protests.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL4844
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2023 answer text <p>The UK supports the Peruvian Government and constitutional order. We welcome initiatives to strengthen democracy, as well as dialogue to calm the ongoing protests. In light of reports of abuses and the deaths of protestors, it is important that the Peruvian Government does all it can to protect lives, and that there is greater transparency of how the Peruvian Government is ensuring the protection of rights. Our Embassy in Lima has raised this with senior Peruvian Government politicians. Minister Rutley also raised concerns in my meeting with the Peruvian ambassador recently on the 25th January 2023, as did our trade minister in his recent meeting with the Peruvian Minister of Finance.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 02/02/2023 14:02:39 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1385178

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Peru: Indigenous Peoples
	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 challenges faced by (1) indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon who are campaigning for their human rights, and (2) non-indigenous people supporting them.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL4707
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government is aware of the challenges faced by indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon, and their supporters. We regret that nine indigenous leaders have been killed between 2020-2021. We monitor the threats that indigenous people face from groups linked to serious and organised crime, and the Peruvian Government's actions in protecting them. The Peruvian Government has taken steps to introduce a multisector mechanism for the protection of human rights' defenders, but a volatile political situation is slowing progress.</p><p>Through the British Embassy in Lima, we deliver a range of projects aimed at upholding indigenous people's rights, collaborating with Peruvian authorities, the private sector, and civil society organisations. We have actively supported the development of Peru's first action plan on business and human rights, including the voices of traditionally marginalised sectors, such as indigenous communities, human rights' defenders, and women. We are supporting the economic empowerment of indigenous communities in Ucayali and Madre de Dios through projects funded by UK International Climate Finance. HMG's Combating Illicit Economies Programme (CIEP) is implementing a regional project across Brazil, Colombia, and Peru to reduce environmental crimes in the Amazon, aiming to improve the quality of data on environmental crimes to facilitate evidence-based decision-making, as well as mapping victimisation and risks directed at defenders of indigenous rights and the environment.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 10/12/2021 13:55:13 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1385179

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Peru: Indigenous Peoples
	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 Peru further to reports of attacks against indigenous communities and human rights defenders (1) in Ucayali, and (2) elsewhere; and if they have not made such representations, what plans they have to do so.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL4708
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>Senior officials from the British Embassy in Lima have met representatives of some of the affected communities, and facilitated dialogues between these groups and representatives from the Peruvian Government (Minister of Justice and Human Rights), in collaboration with charities and NGOs. The UK Ambassador in Lima has raised concerns about attacks against human rights' defenders with the Minister of Justice, and on social media.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 10/12/2021 13:56:21 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1385180

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2021
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Peru: Indigenous Peoples
	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 threat to the security of indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon, particularly the (1) Flor de Ucayali, and (2) Shipibo-Conibo communities.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL4709
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2021 answer text <p>The British Embassy in Lima closely monitors the situation of human rights' defenders (HRDs) in Peru, and is concerned at reports of attacks on indigenous communities in Ucayali and elsewhere. Following reports of threats to the Flor de Ucayali community in November 2021, Embassy officials met representatives of the Ministries of Justice and Interior to relay our concerns to the Peruvian authorities, and gather information about the actions being taken. This complemented an in-person meeting in September 2021 between the UK Deputy Head of Mission and representatives from the Flor de Ucayali community, who shared first-hand experiences about challenges related to land tenure, legal support, access to basic public services, and threats from criminal groups.</p><p>We understand that the new Peruvian Government is committed to the improvement of protocols, and related protection mechanisms for communities facing such threats.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 10/12/2021 13:56:00 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1581394

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2023
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Interpreters and Translation Services
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the draft UN Security Council Resolution on the protection of interpreters and translators working in high-risk settings, circulated by the Swiss Mission in December 2022, and (2) the Open Letter from the NGO Red T to Volker Turk of the UN HCHR asking that his office establish a translator/interpreter incident database; and what steps they are planning to take in response as a member of the UN Group of Friends for the Protection of Civilians.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL5126
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2023 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is committed to international action to protect civilians in conflict; we consistently use the influence provided by our permanent seat on the UN Security Council to urge all states to improve the protection of civilians in conflict situations. We recognise the vital role that interpreters and translators play in conflicts and the particular threats faced by this group. We believe the most effective way to protect them is through implementation of International Humanitarian Law and previous Security Council resolutions 1265 (1999), 1296 (2000), 1674 (2006), and 1894 (2009). We have taken note of the contents of the open letters from Red T but do not at present believe that an additional resolution focusing on translators and interpreters would make a significant difference to their protection.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/02/2023 16:49:31 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418910

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2022
	answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept id	208
	answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
	hansard heading	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Russian Language
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British nationals who are Russian speakers were employed in each of the last five years by (1) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, (2) the Diplomatic Service, and (3) the Security Services.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
	uin	HL5829
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2022 answer text <p>Almost 60 FCDO staff members have passed Russian examinations at C1 (operational) level in the last five years, mostly Diplomatic Service staff on postings to Russian-speaking countries. It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on intelligence matters.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 14/02/2022 15:02:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins