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1305402

registered interest
date	23/03/2021
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	Jerusalem: Palestinians
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel is planning to remove 37 Palestinian households from the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan areas of East Jerusalem; and what action are they taking, both unilaterally and multilaterally, to prevent any such removals.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL14507
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2021 answer text <p>We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity.</p><p>The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli Authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners on 25 February 2021. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 01/04/2021 15:24:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1302055

registered interest
date	11/03/2021
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) (1) to continue its overseas development work, and (2) to offer voluntary opportunities; and what assessment they have made of the contribution of the experience gained by returning VSO volunteers to wider society in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL14146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2021 answer text <p>The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce our aid budget. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes, including for the Volunteering for Development grant. No decisions have yet been made. We understand the need to communicate with VSO in a timely manner regarding this grant.</p><p>The UK Government is proud of the outstanding contribution of returned volunteers to their home communities in the UK, particularly during the UK's Covid-19 pandemic response.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 25/03/2021 17:02:04 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1300444

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
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	Yemen: Armed Conflict
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 President of the United States' statement on 4 February that the conflict in Yemen has created a "humanitarian and strategic catastrophe"; and what steps they are taking in partnership with the government of the United States (1) to press for an end to the conflict, and (2) to avoid further acute food and medicine shortages in Yemen.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13975
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2021 answer text <p>Yemen remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with two thirds of the entire population, requiring some form of humanitarian assistance. The recent fighting during February and March has already displaced thousands of civilians, and many more are at risk. The UK is playing a leading role in responding to the crisis in Yemen by contributing over £1 billion to the humanitarian response and through our diplomatic influence.</p><p>The Government welcomes the focus of the US administration on Yemen. We are working closely with them, and newly appointed Special Envoy Lenderking in particular, to help make quick progress towards a nationwide ceasefire. The Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa spoke with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on 1 March to discuss how the UK can best support the UN-led peace process. Ministers and officials regularly engage with all our international partners including the US to ensure life-saving humanitarian aid reaches the millions of Yemenis in need.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/03/2021 17:06:37 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1300445

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
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	Houthis
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to review the designation of the Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13976
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2021 answer text <p>We have no plans to proscribe the Houthis, but we keep the use of sanctions under review. We welcomed the US announcement to revoke the previous administration's designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. The UK had engaged closely with the US administration on this matter, sharing our concerns that designation would disrupt humanitarian operations in Yemen. However, we cannot ignore Houthi actions. We have condemned the Houthis' dangerous military escalation, including cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and their renewed offensive on Marib. In addition, the UN Security Council recently adopted a UK drafted resolution sanctioning Houthi official Sultan Zabin for the use of sexual violence as a tool of war. We must address the Houthi sense of impunity to make progress on the peace process.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/03/2021 16:48:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1300448

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
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	Lake Chad Basin: Humanitarian Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) bilateral and (2) multilateral plans they have to avert a humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region; and what assessment they have made of (1) the short-term, and (2) the long-term impacts of (i) water shortages, (ii) scarcity of arable land, and (iii) conflict and terrorism, on migration in the Lake Chad region.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13979
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2021 answer text <p>The UK Government is deeply concerned by the conflict in North East Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin, which continues to drive instability, acute food insecurity and malnutrition in the region. We support governments and organisations across the region to address these issues. The UK Government is a leading humanitarian donor and supports the United Nations and non-governmental organisations to provide assistance to people with humanitarian needs. We continue to raise concerns over the humanitarian situation in multilateral fora, most recently by me on 11 March in a food security event at the United Nations.</p><p>Conflict also remains the primary driver of displacement and irregular migration across the region, compounded by the effects of climate change, disease outbreaks and the impact of coronavirus. To address these combined challenges, the UK Government provides development and stabilisation assistance to improve civilians' access to healthcare and improve livelihoods. We will also continue to work with countries of the Lake Chad Basin to address climate change. These countries are invited to attend COP26 later this year.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/03/2021 17:39:30 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1300449

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
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	Yemen: Development Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are reducing the amount of aid they provide to Yemen.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13980
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2021 answer text <p>The UK is facing the worst economic contraction in over 300 years, and a budget deficit of close to £400 billion. As announced last year, given the impact of this global pandemic on the economy and, as a result, the public finances, we will move to a target of spending 0.5% of Gross National Income as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2021.</p><p>On 1 March, the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa announced that the UK will provide at least £87 million to Yemen over the course of our next financial year (2021/22), with the UK contributing over £1 billion since the conflict began. Our funding will feed an additional 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month, support 400 healthcare clinics and provide clean water for 1.6 million people. We will also provide one-off cash support to 1.5 million of Yemen's poorest households to help them buy food and basic supplies.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/03/2021 16:46:55 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1288508

registered interest
date	22/02/2021
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	Michael Smith
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 the United Arab Emirates about the (1) continued detention, and (2) treatment, of Michael Smith; and when they last made any such representations.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2021 answer text <p>The British Embassy Dubai sent a Note Verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August 2019 to clarify the terms of Mr Smith's continued detention. The FCDO Director of Consular Services also raised Mr Smith's detention in August 2019. We continue to speak with the local authorities regarding Mr Smith's welfare. Consular staff most recently spoke to the prison doctor on 28 January 2021.</p><p>Consular staff work incredibly hard and do all they can to assist people who ask for our help. We offer tailored support based on an assessment of a person's specific needs and circumstances.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 09/03/2021 16:17:34 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1285844

registered interest
date	10/02/2021
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	Developing Countries: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from (1) NGOs, and (2) others, about (a) the World Trade Organization’s proposed ‘Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19’ (IP/C/W/669), and (b) the need of developing countries for immediate access to the COVID-19 vaccines currently available; what assessment they have made of any such representations; and what assessment they have made of (i) the humanitarian needs of people in developing countries, and (ii) the need to avoid new opportunities for the development and spread of COVID-19 mutations.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL13272
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2021 answer text <p>The UK is committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, and has committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to ensure COVID-19 vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries. We do not consider waiving intellectual property (IP) rights to be an appropriate course of action in boosting the manufacturing of safe, effective, and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies to detect, treat, and defend against COVID-19.</p><p>According to the UN Global Humanitarian Overview, 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2021. Humanitarian needs are the largest on record, driven in large part by the direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK is a major humanitarian donor, providing over £2 billion in assistance to humanitarian crises in the last financial year. The emergence of new COVID-19 variants serves as a powerful reminder that viruses mutate by their very nature. As a result, over 4000 SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified across the globe. The UK's world-leading genomic sequencing continues to monitor these variants as they arise and develop, and we will offer this expertise to identify new variants to countries who do not have the resources to do so.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 24/02/2021 16:06:19 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1283743

registered interest
date	03/02/2021
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	Gaza: Development Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the health situation in Gaza; and how much financial assistance they intend to provide to that region to meet any health-related need.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL12968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2021 answer text <p>The UK remains concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and the impact of COVID-19 on an already fragile healthcare system. We are pleased that the OPTs will be among the first to benefit from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines, with delivery of a first batch of more than 37,000 doses of the of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine anticipated in mid-February.</p><p>The UK was one of the first donors to provide funding to support the health and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the OPTs. We have provided £1.25m funding (WHO with £630,000 and UNICEF with £620,000) to purchase and co-ordinate delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline health workers and scale up laboratory testing capacity - mainly in Gaza. The FCDO is currently running a prioritisation exercise across all its programmes, to ensure that every pound we spend goes as far as possible. The Foreign Secretary will communicate the outcome shortly.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 15/02/2021 15:34:02 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1281902

registered interest
date	28/01/2021
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	Kenya: Somalia
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether any UK-trained Somali National Army units were involved in clashes on the Kenya–Somalia border between 24 and 26 January.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL12720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2021 answer text <p>The UK works closely with both Somalia and Kenya on matters of security and regional stability. The Secretary of State for Defence visited Kenya and Somalia from 25 to 27 January and urged both countries to focus on their many shared interests in these areas and work together to reduce border tensions.</p><p>In response to the reported recent clashes near the Kenya-Somalia border we have also encouraged regional institutions, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to conduct independent fact-finding missions and promote conflict resolution measures. We have no basis on which to believe that UK-trained troops were involved. The UK provides training to Somali National Army units in Somalia's South West State, to support internal stability and counter Al-Shabaab, but not in the state of Jubaland where the clashes were reported.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL12721 HL12722 question first answered 10/02/2021 15:38:54 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd