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47771

registered interest
date	08/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to instigate an inquiry into possible links between the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia and the incidence of leukaemia and cancer in that country.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>We do not plan to instigate an inquiry into possible links between the 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air operation in the former Republic of Yugoslavia and any incidence of leukaemia and cancer in Serbia. An assessment by the UN Environment Programme in 2002 found no evidence of harm by depleted uranium weapons.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

47772

registered interest
date	08/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 2 April (WA 195), whether either they, or the European Union, employ a formal definition of the word "Europe".
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL6720
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>The UK does not employ a formal definition of the word “Europe” and we are not aware of the EU Institutions employing a formal definition of the word “Europe” either.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

47803

registered interest
date	08/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of death sentences handed down so far during 2014 in Egypt; and whether they have discussed the issue with the government of Egypt.
tabling member printed	Lord Patten
uin	HL6751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>The British Government is aware of 559 people who have been sentenced to death in Egypt during 2014, including 529 by a court in Minya on 24 March. We are deeply concerned by these sentences. We have raised this issue with the Egyptian government, most recently during the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)'s meeting with Foreign Minister Fahmy on 2 April. The Foreign Secretary asked the Egyptian government to review these sentences as a matter of urgency and to ensure that the individuals' human and legal rights were properly upheld. The Foreign Secretary also made a statement on 24 March in which he expressed his concern over the sentences.</p><p>It is the long-standing policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

47399

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their evaluation of the situation in Venezuela as regards the rule of law, freedom of speech and the protection of human rights.
tabling member printed	Lord Lester of Herne Hill
uin	HL6631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>Anti-government protests have been taking place in Caracas and other cities in Venezuela since early February. Around 40 people have died, and over 500 injured. About half the victims are anti-government protestors and the rest pro-government supporters, security forces and bystanders. More than 2,000 people have been detained in relation to the protests, although most have been released on parole. <br><br>We are concerned by reports of excessive use of force in protests, and reports of armed groups using violence. We condemn all acts of violence and call on all sides to show restraint. It is important that the Venezuelan government respects the right to protest peacefully and freedom of speech, and ensures that those detained are afforded due process. We have called for all sides to avoid confrontation, reduce tensions and to create the right conditions for genuine dialogue to take place. <br><br>The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has written to the Venezuelan government emphasising the importance of respecting peaceful protest and the importance of dialogue taking place between the parties. He has offered the UK's assistance in the reconciliation process and asked to speak to his Venezuelan opposite number. Our Embassy in Caracas urges peaceful dialogue through its contacts with a range of actors in Venezuelan society.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	2037 label Biography information for Lord Lester of Herne Hill

47411

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
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 of the removal of crosses from churches in the province of Zhejiang including the cities of Hangzhou and Zhoushan; when they last raised the issue of religious freedom and, in particular, the detention and imprisonment of the Bishop of Shanghai, with the government of China; and what response they received.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL6643
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/04/2014 answer text <p>We have concerns about restrictions on freedom of religious belief in China, and raise them regularly with Chinese counterparts. We are aware of particular cases such as that of Bishop Ma Deqin, who is reportedly being kept under house arrest at the Sheshan seminary in Shanghai, and raise them publicly through our Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 14/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

47418

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to propose a European Union working-party to discuss and make proposals for assisting Bosnia-Herzegovina to draw up an appropriate constitution that would make possible the ending of various forms of international supervision.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL6650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>The challenges that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) faces are regularly discussed in the EU working group on the western Balkans. However these discussions have not focussed on constitutional change. The UK fully supports BiH's aspiration to join the EU but they must meet the conditions. We continue to call on BiH's leaders to make the necessary decisions to progress on the EU accession path, namely through aligning their Constitution with the European Court of Human Rights' judgement in the Sejdic-Finci case. The onus is on BiH's leaders to work collectively to resolve the issue. <br><br>Until real progress is made, the international community must remain closely engaged in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UK fully supports the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the European Union Force (EUFOR) Operation Althea and their work to ensure implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Closure of the OHR will occur once the BiH authorities have met the agreed five objectives and fulfilled the agreed two conditions. Disagreement among the main political parties has prevented the agenda's full implementation. The UK is committed to EUFOR's maintenance of a safe and secure environment in BiH, and is proud of its own contributions, including through a reserve company, 1 Scots. Recent protests have demonstrated the fragility of the security situation in BiH. Therefore, it is vital that EUFOR continues to be able to fulfil its role in country. The UK will continue to support EUFOR's presence in BiH until conditions on the ground change sufficiently to merit its withdrawal.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

47419

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture visits the United Arab Emirates.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL6651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>The British Government supports the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, and encourages an interactive dialogue with all states. Thus, the UK extends a “standing invitation” to all Special Rapporteurs and commits to full cooperation should they wish to visit. We encourage other states to do the same. At the same time, we respect the independence of Rapporteurs, so do not plan to request a specific visit to the United Arab Emirates.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

47420

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of Pakistan about the personal security and protection needs of Christians, Hindus, Shias and Ismailis; and what responses they received.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL6652
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>It is vital that the Government of Pakistan protects and guarantees the rights of all its citizens, regardless of their faith or ethnicity, as laid down in the Constitution and in accordance with international standards. As Senior Minister of State for Faith and Communities with a personal commitment to freedom of religious belief, I had frank discussions with the Pakistani Prime Minister and other ministers during my most recent visit to Pakistan and during the UN General Assembly. I will continue to press the Pakistani government to meet these commitments. The British Government also remains fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle terrorism and violent extremism in all forms which threatens the people of both our countries and the security of all communities in Pakistan. Our concerns are documented in the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual Human Rights report launched on 10 April.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

47423

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.
tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
uin	HL6655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/04/2014 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Management Board reviews forecast expenditure each month through the Finance Key Performance Report. There is no formal cost overrun percentage threshold that triggers a review of specific budgets. The FCO Board does however examine potential material overspending each month that represents a significant risk to the FCO's overall Resource and Capital budgets.</p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 14/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

47434

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
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
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to request European Union monitoring at the border between Gibraltar and Spain.
tabling member printed	Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
uin	HL6666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2014 answer text <p>The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised the border delays with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, last August, making clear that the Spanish checks were unjustified, politically motivated and therefore unlawful. This led to the European Commission sending a border monitoring mission to Gibraltar on 25 September. As a result, the Commission made a number of concrete recommendations to both Spain and Gibraltar and requested an update within six months. The Government of Gibraltar has taken action to implement the recommendations made to them and we fully expect Spain to do the same. In December the Prime Minister reminded Mr Barroso of the Commission's commitment to review the situation.</p><p>We remain in frequent contact with the European Commission about the ongoing delays, including on the need for the Spanish authorities to implement the EU's recommendations. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials discussed border issues with European Commission officials in January and February this year. The Commission has reserved the right to pay another visit to the border in the future if appropriate and we will support them in doing so.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Warsi question first answered 23/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3839 label Biography information for Baroness Warsi
tabling member	4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth