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747964

registered interest
date	04/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the claims included in a press release issued by Amnesty International on 4 July concerning (1) forcible displacement in the Equatorial region of South Sudan, (2) war crimes against civilians, (3) abduction and gang-rape, and (4) food shortages and starvation resulting from conflict.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2017 answer text <p>​We are deeply concerned about the violence, and forced relocation of populations along ethnic lines in South Sudan, along with the blocking of humanitarian access. We take very seriously the UN reports which suggest that civilian populations have been deliberately targeted on the basis of their ethnic identity.</p><p>We are working through the UN, EU, and with regional partners to make clear our concerns about the insecurity, and to try to prevent an increase in violence. The UK Government urges all parties to show restraint, to end the fighting, and to return to an inclusive political process.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 13/07/2017 15:24:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

747353

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government when was the last time that FCO Ministers discussed religious persecution in Turkey, in particular the persecution of religious minorities, with Turkish officials; and at what level did these discussions take place.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers hold regular discussions with their Turkish counterparts on human rights matters. We strongly support religious freedom in Turkey and are supporting a civil society project that addresses hate speech towards religious minorities. We will continue to raise these important subjects with the Turkish authorities.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:51:44 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

747355

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government whether the UK embassy in Ankara has made any contacts with the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation in relation to the government of Turkey's seizure of Christian properties.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>Our Embassy in Ankara has not been in contact with the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation. Legal changes to local government structures in Mardin, where many important Assyrian religious sites are found, resulted in 2012 in the transfer of the title deeds to some religious sites from local bodies to central government. They were eventually transferred to the Government's Directorate for Religious Affairs. Assyrian organisations are making legal appeals against these decisions. The British Embassy in Ankara regularly raises human rights issues with the Turkish authorities and will be closely following this legal process.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:50:17 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

747357

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Algeria about the six Ahmadis sentenced on 28 June to up to four years in prison for charges relating to the exercise of their religion; and when they last discussed with the government of Algeria its obligations under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which requires states to guarantee freedom of religion and belief.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>On the issue of the 28 June sentencing, we have raised this with the Algerian Embassy in London. We noted that the constitution protects freedom of conscience and religion but that domestic law might limit these rights. During Algeria's last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in May, we raised the question of whether domestic law was to be changed to allow full freedom of religion as per the constitution. Algeria will consider the recommendations of the UPR and reply by September.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:51:10 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

747373

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Indonesia that Indonesia's blasphemy laws will not be applied in a discriminatory manner, including against those who do not practise one of the six religions recognised under Indonesian law.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL337
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>We raise these issues regularly and appropriately with the Indonesian government. We supported the EU statement, issued following the conviction of the former governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as 'Ahok') on blasphemy charges. This called on the Indonesian government, its institutions and its people to continue the long standing tradition of tolerance and pluralism in Indonesia and stated that laws criminalising blasphemy when applied in a discriminatory manner can have a serious inhibiting effect on freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Our Ambassador to Indonesia also publicly expressed concern about the blasphemy verdict against 'Ahok' on social media. More generally, and in meetings with political and religious leaders, the Ambassador and Embassy officials have actively cautioned against mixing issues of race, ethnicity and religion with politics.</p><p>In addition, we are also supporting the Indonesian parliament in their ongoing revision of the Indonesian Penal Code to encourage respect for human rights, including freedom of religion.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:52:25 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747374

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of Indonesia in strengthening Indonesia's resilience to violent extremism.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
uin	HL338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>The British Government has provided resilience assistance to the Indonesian government since the appalling terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002. Since then, the UK has supported Indonesian efforts to improve its capabilities in disrupting terrorist activity in Indonesia, particularly through the work of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) which provides training to law enforcement officials and enables sharing of UK expertise. We remain concerned by current trends in violent extremism in Indonesia, including terrorist attacks such as in central Jakarta in January 2016. We are supporting work to increase community resilience to extremism as well as continuing efforts with the Indonesian authorities to counter violent extremism. This includes support for legal reform as well as the promotion of human rights.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:56:39 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

747376

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role of the Syrian Civil Defence group, commonly referred to as The White Helmets, in the Syrian conflict.
tabling member printed	Lord Eames
uin	HL340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2017 answer text <p>Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as the White Helmets, play an invaluable role in rescuing people from the devastation caused by Syrian regime and Russian air strikes. Over 3100 volunteer women and men, deliver community-based services to approximately seven million Syrian civilians living in opposition-controlled areas. To date they have saved over 95,000 lives and conducted extensive mine risk awareness campaigns to help civilians protect themselves from unexploded ordnance. Additionally, SCD provides other important services, including fire fighting, light infrastructure repair and first responder medical care. So far 91 SCD volunteers have been killed and hundreds more injured while carrying out their work. The White Helmets’ have attracted positive international recognition, which is the key reason why the Syrian regime and Russia are trying to discredit them through a concerted disinformation campaign.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 12/07/2017 15:13:59 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2793 label Biography information for Lord Eames

747396

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for working together with other world leaders in relation to the role of the UN Security Council.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL360
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>As a ​permanent member of the Security Council, the Government routinely engages with world leaders on the top issues at the Council's agenda, such as Syria, DPRK, Somalia and peacekeeping. One such opportunity is the UN General Assembly Ministerial week, every September. The Government has also been working with the new UN Secretary-General on his priorities, since he took up the role on 1 January. One of these priorities is UN reform, to build a more effective and efficient UN.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:49:32 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747397

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that the requirements of the Arms Trade Treaty are fully implemented, including that the potential that arms could be used to commit war crimes and human rights violations is taken into account when arms exports decisions are being made; and how they are applying the Treaty provisions to Saudi Arabia, with particular reference to that state's activities in Yemen.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL361
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU &amp; National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the 'Consolidated Criteria'), taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application.</p><p>The Consolidated Criteria were updated in March 2014 following the signing of the Arms Trade Treaty. Criterion 1(b) says that the Government will not grant a licence if to do so would be inconsistent with &quot;the UK's obligations under the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty&quot;. Criterion 2(a) states that the Government will &quot;not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression&quot; and Criterion 2(c) states that the Government will &quot;not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law&quot;.</p><p>A licence will not be issued for any items, including those destined for an end user in Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria. We welcome the Divisional Court's judgment of 10 July recognising the rigorous and robust processes we have in relation to decisions about exports to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 17/07/2017 16:53:34 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

747411

registered interest
date	03/07/2017
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	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which other 27 Member States in the European Union have conscription into their military forces.
tabling member printed	Lord Kilclooney
uin	HL375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2017 answer text <p>No assessment has been made of which other 27 Member States in the European Union have conscription into their military forces.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 17/07/2017 11:27:38 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	657 label Biography information for Lord Kilclooney