Department for International Development<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>Lord Bates2017-07-25HL852HL854HL855false2017-07-25T15:00:41.357Z20International DevelopmentInternational Development2017-07-172House of LordsHer 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.falseLord Alton of LiverpoolHL856Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs<p>The information requested is not held by Defra. Such information may however be held by local authorities for their individual areas.</p>Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park2020-02-06false2020-02-06T16:29:45.337Z13Environment, Food and Rural AffairsEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs2020-01-28Air Pollution2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government how many pollution and smoke complaints it has not been possible to enforce due to the polluter having purchased an exception from the provisions of the Clean Air Act 1993.falseBaroness Jones of MoulsecoombHL856Department of Health and Social Care<p>The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is will conduct a public consultation this summer on the future medical device regulatory regime. This consultation will inform future amendments made to the United Kingdom Medical Device Regulations 2002 as required under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021. The public consultation will cover various aspects of the medical device regulations, including requirements relating to clinical investigations and evidence. The MHRA is committed to ensuring that both pre- and post-market standards are enhanced to protect UK patients whilst supporting innovation with greater alignment with international standards for pre-market clinical data. This will ensure that the domestic medical devices regime remains fit for purpose in an evolving public health environment and facilitates a sector that embraces innovation.</p>Lord Bethell2021-06-22false2021-06-22T12:45:26.887Z17Health and Social CareHealth and Social Care2021-06-08Medical Equipment: Innovation2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to follow the approach of the government of the United States' Food and Drug Administration in adapting regulatory requirements by putting clinical evidence into the post-market approval phase and improving the introduction of medical innovation devices.falseLord Hunt of Kings HeathHL856Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office<p>The Government does not believe the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will bring us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. The UK will not sign or engage with the Treaty. The Government firmly believes that the best way to achieve our collective goal of a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach, under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).</p><p>The effects and consequences of nuclear testing are not part of the NPT. The Treaty related to the cessation of nuclear testing is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The UK has had a moratorium on nuclear testing since 1991, and was one of the first to sign and ratify the CTBT in 1998. We call on all States who are yet to ratify the CTBT to do so as soon as possible, so that it can enter into force.</p>Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon2022-06-27HL857false2022-06-27T16:42:31.237Z208Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office2022-06-13Kiribati: Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are willing to engage on the (1) victim assistance, and (2) environmental remediation, elements of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, including with state parties such as Kiribati.falseBaroness Bennett of Manor CastleHL856Department for International Development<p>According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.</p><p>The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.</p><p>Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.</p>Baroness Verma2016-07-12HL857HL860false2016-07-12T16:33:39.977Z20International DevelopmentInternational Development2016-06-29Iraq: Overseas Aid2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the humanitarian challenges faced by people fleeing Fallujah following the military offensive there, and (2) the views expressed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that fleeing refugees are now facing the "harshest weather" that they have ever encountered, and of the description by the New York Times correspondent that the refugees’ conditions are "apocalyptic".falseLord Alton of LiverpoolHL856Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>Our defence engagement with Burma is focussed on the core principles of democratic accountability, international law and human rights. UK provision of defence training to the Burma Army is limited to non-combat related academic courses. This has included a course entitled “Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context” (MDWSC). The MDWSC covers the UK model of democratic accountability, the importance of good governance in defence and the significance of professionalism in a nation’s Armed Forces, including observation of human rights obligations.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Baroness Warsi2014-07-21false2014-07-21T13:25:37.2453299Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-07-07Burma2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to incorporate discussion of torture, sexual violence and other war crimes and crimes against humanity and other human rights violations in the military training provided to the Burmese army by the United Kingdom.falseLord Alton of LiverpoolHL856Ministry of Justice<p>This review will be carried out internally by the Government. There are no plans either to appoint an independent expert or to review the terms of reference. The review will consider all relevant factors and we intend to announce the outcome later in the year.</p>Lord Faulks2015-07-09HL857HL858HL859false2015-07-09T13:01:42.707Z54JusticeJustice2015-06-25Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges2House of LordsTo ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to appoint an independent expert person or body to evaluate the impact of employment tribunal fees on access to justice for people of limited means.falseLord Lester of Herne HillHL856Cabinet Office<p>There are no current plans to amend the legislation governing ministerial salaries.</p><p>Ministerial salaries are constrained by the Ministerial and other Salaries Act which sets cumulative limits on the total number of salaries that can be allocated to ministers.</p><p>Under successive governments a small number of ministers across the Commons and the Lords have been unpaid. The distribution of salaries between ministers in the House of Commons and the House of Lords is a matter for the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the overall organisation of the Executive.</p><p> </p>Baroness Neville-Rolfe2023-12-19false2023-12-19T13:52:22.587Z53Cabinet OfficeCabinet Office2023-12-05House of Lords: Ministers2House of LordsTo ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 2008 to ensure that holding ministerial office in the House of Lords is not predicated on access to a private income in order to maintain a standard of living commensurate with those roles and responsibilities.falseEarl AttleeHL85610018