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1202057

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
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	UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many military personnel are involved in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA); how many of MINUSMA military personnel are from the UK; where in Mali MINUSMA is deployed; what is the total cost of MINUSMA; and how the effectiveness and success of MINUSMA will be assessed.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2020 answer text <p>MINUSMA's mandate in Mali is country-wide. Further information on the forthcoming UK deployment to MINUSMA can be found at GOV.UK/Government/News/uk-to-deploy-250-troops-to-mali-on-peacekeeping-operations and at peacekeeping.un.org.en.mission/minusma.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/07/2020 14:02:10 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1202058

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
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	UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks made to the International Relations and Defence Committee by General Sir Richard Barrons on 12 March that the UK's role with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission was "not in support of a strategy of any kind other than "We should do a bit more UN peacekeeping"."
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5447
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>We do not recognise General Sir Richard Barrons' characterisation of the UK's forthcoming deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA. The deployment, to one of the UN's largest and most complex Peacekeeping operations, supports UK priorities for peacekeeping reform. It also forms part of our strategic approach to the increasing instability in the Sahel region, which brings together our development, diplomacy and defence expertise to help tackle the underlying causes of poverty and conflict in the region. Fulfilling a capability gap communicated by the UN, UK troops will deliver a long-range reconnaissance capability that will provide greater awareness of possible threats. This will enable the mission to be more responsive and will contribute to the delivery of MINUSMA's mandate, including protection of civilians, as well as supporting the safety and security of UN peacekeepers. This deployment broadly maintains the UK's level of commitment to peacekeeping following the drawdown of the engineer task force from South Sudan earlier this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 17/06/2020 10:48:46 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1202061

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	North Korea: Humanitarian Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea following reports by the United Nations of food shortages and malnutrition; what steps they are taking to provide humanitarian assistance which reaches those in urgent need; and what discussions they have had with the government of that country to urge it to use its resources to prioritise the feeding of its people.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5450
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>We assess that North Korea’s humanitarian need is likely increasing as a result of the country’s border lockdown in response to COVID-19. The lockdown has prevented most aid shipments from entering the country since January and restrictions on internal movement, including for UN agencies and NGOs, has severely impacted the distribution of aid and support. The UN estimates that 10.1 million people suffer from food insecurity and are in urgent need of food assistance.</p><p>DFID is providing multilateral funds to the UN and other international organisations providing humanitarian assistance in North Korea, including the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) in response to COVID-19. As a country of concern in the GHRP, North Korea is receiving funds from this global appeal. We continue to make clear to the North Korean government that international support is available, and urge them to restore international access and monitoring for humanitarian assistance. The UK has also repeatedly called on North Korea to prioritise the well-being of its people over the development of illegal weapons programmes, through our bilateral relationship and in multilateral fora.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/06/2020 15:03:16 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1200998

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Palestinians: Development Aid
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money of aid sent to the Palestinian Authority, following reports that it spends seven per cent of its budget, and up to 40 per cent of its foreign aid receipts, on payments to terrorists and their families.
tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
uin	HL5340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>No UK aid is used for payments to prisoners or their families or the so called Martyrs Fund. Our financial support to the Palestinian Authority health and education sectors goes into a dedicated bank account and is only paid to individual workers carefully vetted through the PEGASE mechanism (Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism). Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been received by the intended recipient.</p><p>As is standard practice for all DFID programmes, we assess value for money for the UK taxpayer annually through our review process. Last year UK aid enabled 26,000 young Palestinians in the West Bank to get an education, delivered 3,300 MMR vaccinations for children and enabled 111,000 medical consultations. This is an important contribution towards supporting a stable Palestinian Authority (PA) that can deliver essential services to Palestinians and act as an effective partner for peace with Israel.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/06/2020 15:38:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

1200999

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
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	China and Hong Kong: Press Freedom
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how they are using their Defend Media Freedom campaign to raise and address the curtailing of media freedom and attacks on journalists in China and Hong Kong; and what plans they have to introduce Magnitsky-like sanctions against those responsible for abuse of journalists in China and Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5342
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Media freedom is vital to open societies and journalists must be able to investigate and report without undue interference. We must oppose attempts by any state to restrict press freedom, silence debate, abuse journalists, or spread misinformation. We are monitoring individual cases of concern around the world, and we are working with international partners on how best to support media freedom, including raising our concerns where appropriate.</p><p>The UK has publicly raised the issue of media freedom in China, including priority cases such as the sentencing of citizen journalist and rights activist Huang Qi in 2019. British diplomats have attempted to attend trials of civilian journalists and rights activists in China to show support.</p><p>In Hong Kong, media freedom is guaranteed under the Joint Declaration and Basic Law. In our six-monthly reports to Parliament on Hong Kong, we have regularly highlighted the importance of freedom of the press and set out our views on specific incidents of concern. We did so in the most recent report on 11 June. We will continue to raise the need to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, as the Foreign Secretary did with State Councillor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 8 June.</p><p>We have announced our intention to establish a UK autonomous Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky-style') sanctions regime. The regulations will come into force in the coming months. It is not appropriate to confirm who might be designated under the sanctions regime before the designations are in place. To do this could reduce the impact of the designations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2020 12:46:22 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1201008

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
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	Syria: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of sanctions on Syria on the pharmaceutical industry in that country and any subsequent impact on that country’s ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK and European partners regularly review sanctions, including in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have taken significant steps to mitigate against the wider impact of sanctions on Syrian civilians. The EU does not sanction medicine, medical equipment and medical assistance. As such, medical equipment, including oxygen, respirators (except powered respirators), personal protective equipment and ventilators as well as medicines and other medical items required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are not subject to direct restrictions on export, supply, financing or use in Syria. Humanitarian exemptions apply in relation to other equipment required by the Syrian pharmaceutical industry. We assess that applying for a licence or authorisation may slightly delay the provision of goods to Syria's pharmaceutical industry, as may over-compliance by certain operators' unwillingness to engage in transactions related to Syria, for fear of accidentally violating the sanctions. But the sanctions do not prevent the delivery of items needed to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2020 12:44:40 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1201010

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
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	Syria: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 2 June (HL4567), whether EU or UK restrictions prohibit the delivery of supplies required to deal with COVID-19 through (1) the ports of Latakia and Tartous, and (2) Damascus Airport, in Syria.
tabling member printed	Baroness Cox
uin	HL5356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>EU sanctions do not prohibit medical supplies from being delivered into Syria regardless of the means of transport, including through Latakia, Tartous or Damascus. The EU Syria sanctions do not prohibit the supply, export, transfer or finance of food, medicines, medical equipment, disinfectants and other medical products required to deal with COVID-19 when used by international humanitarian organisations to provide humanitarian assistance. There are also humanitarian exemptions that apply in relation to certain dual-use goods. EU sanctions will continue to apply in the UK during the Transition Period.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2020 12:44:19 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3364 label Biography information for Baroness Cox

1201014

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
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	Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government which work streams were identified for the upcoming Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy before it was paused.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hodgson of Abinger
uin	HL5360
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>Following the Chancellor's announcement that the Comprehensive Spending Review is being delayed, the Integrated Review has been paused given the pressing need to focus on COVID-19. We will return to the Integrated Review when appropriate to do so, aligned with the CSR, ensuring that we engage with all relevant stakeholders.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/06/2020 11:29:06 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4301 label Biography information for Baroness Hodgson of Abinger

1201016

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
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	Israeli Settlements
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) end visa-free entry to the UK for Israeli citizens, and (2) consider other sanctions, in response to the annexation of new areas of land by Israel.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL5374
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We will not discuss possible responses to hypothetical situations. The Foreign Secretary made clear our concerns about reports that the new Israeli Government coalition has reached an agreement, which may pave the way for annexation of parts of the West Bank, during a call with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 2 June. We also reiterated our concerns at the UN Security Council remote meeting on the Middle East Peace Process on 20 May. The UK position is clear: any unilateral moves towards annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel would be damaging to efforts to restart peace negotiations and contrary to international law.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 18/06/2020 12:45:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1201019

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Development Aid: Conflict Resolution
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to ensure that at least 50 per cent of their overseas aid budget remains committed to fragile and conflict afflicted states; and what proportion of that budget is earmarked for conflict resolution and peace building.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL5381
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>DFID’s work on addressing the underlying drivers of fragility, conflict and instability in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) is vital. This is why the UK is pursuing a strong and co-ordinated global response to COVID-19, particularly for the most vulnerable countries. DFID is taking steps to ensure that both our immediate responses to COVID-19 and long-term recovery efforts do not exacerbate conflict and instead help to build peace and improve governance, especially in FCAS.</p><p>DFID has consistently spent at least 50% of its Official Development Assistance in fragile and conflict affected states from 2015 to 2017. Figures for 2018 will be published in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/06/2020 15:38:58 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd