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1489768

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Hong Kong: Human Rights
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 view of experts from the United Nations Human Rights Committee that Hong Kong's national security law (1) undermines the right to a fair trial, and (2) expands the power of law to law enforcement; and what steps they intend to take in response.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The UK has been clear that the National Security Law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have used the National Security Law and its related institutions to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society.</p><p>We have followed closely the United Nations Human Rights Committee review of Hong Kong's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the evidence submitted by Non Governmental Organisations regarding the use of the National Security Law to erode Hong Kong's rights and freedoms. We look forward to seeing the recommendations from the Committee and will review accordingly.</p><p>The UN experts' views are for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to respond to and address. The UK has taken a number of measures already in response to the National Security Law. These include introducing a new immigration path for British National (Overseas) passport holders, suspending our extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:51:31 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1489769

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Hong Kong: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the remarks by the United Nations Human Rights Committee during the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights review on Hong Kong that the national security law has hindered the fundamental rights in Hong Kong, what plans they have to implement individual sanctions against Hong Kong officials.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The UK is deeply concerned that actions by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including the imposition of the National Security Law, have eroded rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.</p><p>We note the concerns expressed by the United Nations Human Rights Committee's review of Hong Kong's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights about the National Security Law and the restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, association and participation in political affairs. We look forward to seeing the recommendations from the Committee and will review accordingly.</p><p>We will continue to consider designations under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations. We do not normally speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:52:38 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1489770

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Hong Kong: Human Rights
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 opinion of Carlos Gomez Martinez, of the United Nations Human Rights Committee that the national security law undermines Hong Kong's judicial independence and the right to a fair trial; and what discussions they plan to have with British judges who serve in Hong Kong.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>China has continued to use the National Security Law and its related institutions to undermine rights and freedoms promised in the Joint Declaration. As National Security Law cases proceed through the Courts, we are seeing the implications of this sweeping legislation, including the chilling effect on freedom of expression, the stifling of opposition voices, and the criminalising of dissent.</p><p>It was against this backdrop that the President of the Supreme Court, in consultation with the Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Prime Minister, decided that it was no longer tenable for serving UK judges to sit on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.</p><p>The UK judges that remain in the Court of Final Appeal are retired from UK judicial service. It is for them to make their own personal decisions on their continued service in Hong Kong.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:55:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1489771

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Natural Gas: Kurds
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 potential for gas from the Kurdistan region to diversify the supply of gas to the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Austin of Dudley
uin	HL1783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>Great Britain has highly diverse sources of gas supply. These include pipelines from the UK and Norwegian continental shelves (UKCS &amp; NCS), interconnection with the European continent, and three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals, providing the UK with one of the largest LNG import infrastructures in Europe.</p><p> </p><p>The UK’s diverse range of sources of gas supply is a strength to the Government’s approach to energy security. The integrated nature of the global gas market, and the fact that it is an internationally traded commodity, ensures that the UK continues to work closely with all its international partners.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 26/07/2022 13:37:41 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

1489772

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Iraq: Kurds
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 potential for cooperation on education between the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Austin of Dudley
uin	HL1784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The UK supports the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's education sector and recently hosted the Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Kurdistan Regional Government and discussed opportunities for collaboration in education. In discussions with the Secretary of State for the Department for Education we agreed to work closely to further expand our collaboration. Our Consulate in Erbil continues to identify opportunities for and work with UK institutions that offer both academic and vocational training programmes, including City and Guilds who now have established an office in Iraq.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:56:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

1489773

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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: Sustainable Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to undertake a second Voluntary National Review at the UN High-Level Political Forum on the sustainable development goals.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The International Development Strategy and Integrated Review reaffirm the UK's commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.</p><p>The UK brings powerful economic and political tools to our development partnerships: aid, diplomacy, trade, investment, expertise and influence. Our programme of activity at this year's High Level Political Forum demonstrated how we will use these to meet the evolving needs of our partners and support achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.</p><p>The UK's first Voluntary National Review (VNR) provided a comprehensive account of actions being taken across the UK by government and other actors. No decision has been made about a follow-up to the 2019 VNR.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:57:48 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1489774

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase monitoring of wild bird populations in light of the influx of H5N1 avian flu infections; and what steps they are taking to protect (1) vulnerable, and (2) threatened, populations.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1786
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2022 answer text <p>Defra is working with Devolved Administrations, Arm’s Length Bodies and NGOs to monitor and respond to the effect of avian influenza on wild birds. This includes providing advice on mitigation measures that can be put in place to both protect public health and the impact on wild birds where possible. However, avian influenza is a natural transmission process in wild birds and there is limited evidence that mitigation measures are effective at reducing transmission of avian influenza between wild birds.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the existing avian influenza biosecurity stakeholder meetings that have been running since 2020 and have included ornithological NGO participation, Defra will convene a stakeholder working group to consider additional actions that can be taken to support the recovery of wild bird populations that have been significantly impacted by the disease. Defra is also engaging with OSPAR Heads of Delegation to share best practice, mitigation measures and lessons learnt from current and previous outbreaks.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) operates a robust programme of wild bird surveillance across Great Britain and engages in year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds submitted via public reports and warden patrols. Between 25 October 2021 and 8 July 2022, over 3,000 wild birds have been tested. Of these, 1422 have tested positive for H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). There have been findings in 343 different locations in 61 different species in 78 different counties. A report (updated weekly) of findings of HPAI in wild birds is published on GOV.UK together with <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Favian-influenza-bird-flu-in-europe&amp;data=05%7C01%7CRichard.Pullen%40defra.gov.uk%7C481955d105ad4ae6bea208da6f110dfc%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C637944416295240616%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=z%2FrMkDnNu9VQaH17PVjfy1X52a2QbrL%2BnnRFpLPgV8Q%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">outbreak and risk assessments</a>. A copy of the 18 July assessment is attached to this answer.</p><p> </p><p>Last month a new consortium was launched, led by Defra and APHA, to fund research to look into how avian influenza viruses are emerging in wild populations and help us understand the risk posed to both domestic and wild birds.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, Defra has commissioned Natural England to assess the vulnerability of seabird species in light of the pressures they are facing, including avian influenza, and propose actions to address them.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 28/07/2022 13:37:00 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon attachment 1 file name Updated Outbreak Assessment #30 HPAI in the UK and Europe 18 July 2022.pdf title HPAI outbreak assessment 18 July 2022
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1489775

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Pakistan: Females
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they (1) are implementing, or (2) plan to implement, to use (a) Official Development Assistance, or (b) other policies, to address the issues of (i) child and maternal mortality and ill health, (ii) low levels of girls' education, and (iii) other gender issues, in Balochistan.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The FCDO remains committed to targeting future aid to Pakistan's marginalised groups and have developed a Pakistan Network Gender Strategy (2022-27) to increase our focus on women and girls. We regularly raise at a senior level our concerns about the human rights situation in Pakistan, including gender equality, at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. In February 2022, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan visited Balochistan, where he met the Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, and discussed the protection of human rights.</p><p>The UK also has a proud track record of delivering effective development assistance to Pakistan. During the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government worked with the World Food Programme to deliver life-saving nutrition assistance for children and pregnant and lactating women in Balochistan. We also scaled up water, sanitation and hygiene interventions. The UK continues to fund education programmes in the refugee-hosting areas of Balochistan which support both Pakistani and Afghan refugee children.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:57:07 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1489776

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
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	Pakistan: Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take in response to human rights abuses in Pakistan, particularly against the people of Balochistan; and whether those plans will include the use of Magnitsky-style sanctions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2022 answer text <p>The UK is concerned about reports of human rights abuses and violations in Pakistan, including in the province of Balochistan. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. I, did so most recently on 23 June, when I met Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar. In February 2022, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan visited Balochistan, where he met the Chief Minister, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, and discussed the protection of human rights. It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated under the sanctions regime in the future. To do this could reduce the impact of the designations.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 29/07/2022 11:59:09 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1489777

registered interest
date	15/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Economic Situation
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 effects of total global debt reaching 352 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter of this year; and what steps they will take in response.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL1789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2022 answer text <p>HM Government continually monitors developments in the global economy, including public and private debt levels, interest rates and the growth outlook, among other macroeconomic indicators.</p><p> </p><p>Total global debt increased following the onset of the pandemic in 2020, reflecting a rise in public and private debt. Public debt increased as governments introduced fiscal support to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on livelihoods, whilst revenues fell in line with the broader decline in economic activity. This fiscal support helped maintain living standards and support global growth. Private debt has also increased, with government policies helping to maintain private access to credit to mitigate a more severe downturn.</p><p> </p><p>Higher global debt levels can increase financial fragilities and lower growth by reducing investment. Against a backdrop of higher debt levels, rapidly rising global interest rates and higher energy and food prices may worsen balance of payment and fiscal pressures and increase risks of debt distress, particularly for some emerging and developing economies.</p><p> </p><p>HMG works closely with major international organisations, including the IMF, World Bank, to understand how debt levels are changing, and on necessary international policy responses, including appropriate support for economies experiencing debt distress. For example, the UK has committed to channelling circa up to 20% of its allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from the IMF’s 2021 general allocation of SDRs to those countries most in need; and is driving forward the implementation of the G20/Paris Club Common Framework for debt treatment to support eligible low-income countries with unsustainable debt.</p><p> </p><p>In the April World Economic Outlook the IMF emphasised the need for guaranteeing an orderly system for resolving debt, including the continued application of the Common Framework, where liquidity support alone is not sufficient. In the UK, public debt increased during the pandemic, in line with other countries around the world. In recognition of the risks of high debt, the UK government has already made responsible decisions which return public debt levels to a sustainable path, supported by fiscal rules which require debt to fall as a proportion of GDP over the medium-term.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 22/07/2022 09:55:38 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle