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1606933

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	EU Law: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 March (HL6299), what are the (1) names, and (2) titles, of the EU rules for internal UK trade which are disapplied by the operation of the Windsor Framework; and which customs provisions are removed.
tabling member printed	Lord Dodds of Duncairn
uin	HL6788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to taking the necessary steps to uphold the UK's international obligations, including the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework, as set out in the previous answer. As also set out, all of the rules disapplied are set out in the legal texts published as part of the Windsor Framework. By the EU's own calculations, less than 3 percent of EU rules apply - with those that remain only applying to secure maximum free trade and market access for Northern Ireland firms. It should also be recognised that this is not a straightforward list, as some of those rules will be applied in part for the red lane but not applied in the green lane, for example. But, for example:</p><p>- Annex 1 of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary legal text shows that 67 rules on food and drink do not apply in the green lane - covering issues like marketing standards, food supplements and additives, and the production of organic products. It also disapplies the certification requirements in the EU Official Controls Regulation, as well as the prohibitions on various movements set out therein.</p><p>- Requirements in the Union Customs Code (UCC) for rules of origin certificates, tariffs, and commodity codes for each movement do not apply for internal UK trade; nor are there any requirements for customs declarations for consumer parcels, which are classified automatically as &quot;not at risk&quot;. And we have secured unfettered access by removing any need for export declarations or equivalent information for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain as would otherwise have been set out in the UCC.</p><p>- In a similar vein, and as noted previously, the requirements in the VAT Directive which prevented the zero-rating of energy-saving materials has been disapplied, enabling the changes we brought forward in Parliament this week; as have limits on alcohol duty structures in EU rules harmonising excise duty structures.</p><p>- And for medicines we have disapplied any role for the European Medicines Agency in authorising medicines for the UK market, as otherwise set out in EU rules on the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products; and removed packaging any other requirements in the Falsified Medicines Directive.</p><p>These changes have safeguarded Northern Ireland's place in the Union and our internal market, while continuing to support Northern Ireland's businesses by providing them access to the whole UK market as well as the EU market.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL6790 question first answered 06/04/2023 13:12:57 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

1606934

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	Windsor Framework: Parliamentary Scrutiny
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government which statutory instruments have been published to give effect to the Windsor Framework; and what plans they have to ensure that House of Lords select committees have sufficient time to scrutinise those instruments before motions are tabled for their approval.
tabling member printed	Lord Dodds of Duncairn
uin	HL6789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2023 answer text <p>Implementing the Framework expeditiously is essential to providing assurance and certainty as to what the Framework will mean in practice. At present, the Government has laid the Windsor Framework (Democratic Scrutiny) Regulations 2023 and The Value Added Tax (Installation of Energy-Saving Materials) Order 2023.</p><p>The Government will continue to bring forward legislation to give effect to the Windsor Framework in a way that enables scrutiny by Parliament, and to engage with the scrutiny committees of Parliament in order to support their work.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 04/04/2023 16:00:36 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

1606935

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	EU Law: Northern Ireland
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 March (HL6296), what are the (1) names, and (2) titles, of the EU laws which will remain in force in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, which would otherwise be subject to removal under the provisions of the Retained EU Law Bill.
tabling member printed	Lord Dodds of Duncairn
uin	HL6790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to taking the necessary steps to uphold the UK's international obligations, including the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework, as set out in the previous answer. As also set out, all of the rules disapplied are set out in the legal texts published as part of the Windsor Framework. By the EU's own calculations, less than 3 percent of EU rules apply - with those that remain only applying to secure maximum free trade and market access for Northern Ireland firms. It should also be recognised that this is not a straightforward list, as some of those rules will be applied in part for the red lane but not applied in the green lane, for example. But, for example:</p><p>- Annex 1 of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary legal text shows that 67 rules on food and drink do not apply in the green lane - covering issues like marketing standards, food supplements and additives, and the production of organic products. It also disapplies the certification requirements in the EU Official Controls Regulation, as well as the prohibitions on various movements set out therein.</p><p>- Requirements in the Union Customs Code (UCC) for rules of origin certificates, tariffs, and commodity codes for each movement do not apply for internal UK trade; nor are there any requirements for customs declarations for consumer parcels, which are classified automatically as &quot;not at risk&quot;. And we have secured unfettered access by removing any need for export declarations or equivalent information for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain as would otherwise have been set out in the UCC.</p><p>- In a similar vein, and as noted previously, the requirements in the VAT Directive which prevented the zero-rating of energy-saving materials has been disapplied, enabling the changes we brought forward in Parliament this week; as have limits on alcohol duty structures in EU rules harmonising excise duty structures.</p><p>- And for medicines we have disapplied any role for the European Medicines Agency in authorising medicines for the UK market, as otherwise set out in EU rules on the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products; and removed packaging any other requirements in the Falsified Medicines Directive.</p><p>These changes have safeguarded Northern Ireland's place in the Union and our internal market, while continuing to support Northern Ireland's businesses by providing them access to the whole UK market as well as the EU market.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL6788 question first answered 06/04/2023 13:12:57 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

1606940

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	Religious Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards fulfilling recommendation six of the Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review into the support for persecuted Christians to make the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief a permanent role.
tabling member printed	Lord Jackson of Peterborough
uin	HL6795
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The FCDO welcomes the findings of the Independent Review of our work to take forward the Bishop of Truro's recommendations, which noted that establishing the role of the position of Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) was at an advanced stage of delivery. The Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, works with the Minister for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and through the Foreign Secretary to the Prime Minister. We continue to ensure that progress made on the Truro recommendations is embedded and that FoRB is central to our wider human rights work.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 11:01:42 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1551 label Biography information for Lord Jackson of Peterborough

1606944

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	BBC Arabic Service
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they had any metrics in place to quantify the soft power advantage of the BBC Arabic radio service during its 85 years of broadcasting; what assessment they have made of any loss of soft power to the UK following its closure on 27 January; and whether they have had any discussions on the matter with the BBC in 2023.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL6799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">The FCDO values the work of the BBC World Service in promoting UK values globally. As the world's most trusted international broadcaster, it is a vital tool in providing accurate and impartial news to 365 million people globally each week. The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC and the Foreign Secretary periodically agrees with the BBC their objectives, priorities and targets, which include metrics relating to audience reach. However, the BBC remains operationally and editorially independent of Government, decisions about delivery of services are for them to take.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">Though BBC Arabic radio has closed, the service remains available on TV and digital platforms, which are fast becoming the most popular form of engagement. BBC Arabic is funded by the Licence Fee, with some additional support from the FCDO through the 'World2020 programme'. As stated in the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK Government is working to bring soft power into its broader foreign policy approach. This includes providing a one-off £20 million uplift to the World Service to protect all 42 language services, recognising its crucial role in supporting UK soft power and countering harmful disinformation.</del></p><p> </p><p><ins class="ministerial">The FCDO strongly values the important work of the BBC World Service in providing accurate and impartial news to 365 million people globally each week.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC. The BBC and the Foreign Secretary periodically agree objectives, priorities and targets, which include audience reach metrics. However, the BBC remains operationally and editorially independent of Government and service delivery decisions are for them to take. Though BBC Arabic radio broadcasting has ceased, the service remains available via TV and digital platforms, reflecting audience trends. BBC Arabic is funded by the Licence Fee, with some additional support via the FCDO-funded 'World2020 programme'.</ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">As stated in the Integrated Review Refresh, the UK Government is working to bring soft power into its broader foreign policy approach. This includes providing a one-off £20 million uplift to the World Service to protect all 42 language services, recognising its crucial role in supporting UK soft power and countering harmful disinformation.</ins></p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 10:35:10 question first ministerially corrected 06/04/2023 10:52:41 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon previous answer version 67663 answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1606945

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	Syria: Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, what discussions they have had with international partners about the possibility of opening a channel of communication to the insurgent group Hei’at Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib, in order to be able to combat the threat from ISIS in north western Syria more effectively.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL6800
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Daesh are both proscribed by the UK Government under the Terrorism Act 2000. We are closely monitoring the security situation in north west Syria, including the actions of Daesh and maintain a regular dialogue with our international counterparts. The UK is a leading member of the Global Coalition and we are committed to making sure they cannot resurge in the region.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 10:13:49 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1606946

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	India: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they last raised human rights issues with the government of India; and, further to the US State Department’s annual country report on human rights practices in India, published on 20 March, what assessment they have made of any increase in significant human rights issues in that country, including the reported targeting of religious minorities, dissidents and journalists.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL6801
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship. We remain committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, media freedom and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level.  I, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, regularly speak to the High Commissioner of India. Human rights forms part of that dialogue. Our networks across India regularly meet civil society groups and run projects promoting human rights.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 10:31:05 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1606947

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	Jagtar Singh Johal
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current situation of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal, detained in India since 2017 on charges of terrorism; and when they last raised his case with the government of that country.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL6802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government has consistently raised Mr Johal's case with the Government of India and is committed to doing what it can to assist him. The Foreign Secretary most recently discussed Mr Johal's case with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Delhi on 1 March. Consular staff visit Mr Johal regularly to check on his welfare and did so most recently on 7 March. Consular staff also continue to attend relevant court hearings in an observer capacity.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 14:45:33 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1606948

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
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	Israel: Palestinians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Israel following the remarks on 19 March by the Finance Minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, concerning Palestinian history and culture; and whether they have made any assessment of the potential impact resulting from the Minister’s remarks on peace and stability in the region.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL6803
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK condemned the Israeli Finance Minister's comments calling for the Palestinian village of Huwara to be &quot;wiped out&quot; and his recent comments that deny the existence of the Palestinian people, their right to self-determination and their history and culture. Such rhetoric serves no purpose other than to stoke tensions further.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/04/2023 10:09:05 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian