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753907

registered interest
date	19/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Middle East: Internally Displaced People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they have received evidence that those working for (1) the UNHCR, and (2) other UN agencies, are failing to protect internally displaced (a) Christians, (b) Syriacs, and (c) Chaldeans, in Northern Iraq and Syria; and if so, what was their response.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1053
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh. We have not received evidence indicating that staff of UN agencies are failing to discharge their protection mandates with regard to these minorities in Northern Iraq and Syria. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN agencies, including in discharging their protection mandates. DFID takes any allegations that they are not being applied effectively very seriously, and stands ready to follow up specific allegations with the partners concerned.</p><p>Lord Bates and Minister Burt have arranged a joint meeting with Lord Alton and interested parties to discuss this important issue.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:52:29 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753908

registered interest
date	19/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Syria: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of (1) the written evidence submitted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief to the International Development Committee on 20 October 2015 that local workers employed by UNHCR were giving preferential access to aid and food resources to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey who shared the religious beliefs of those workers, and (2) the extent to which such practices are continuing.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1054
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>The Government takes extremely seriously any allegations that UN staff are giving preferential access to aid on the basis of the religious affiliation of beneficiaries. This would contravene international humanitarian principles and the UN’s own guidelines. Lord Bates and Minister Burt have arranged a joint meeting with Lord Alton and interested parties to discuss this important issue.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:44:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753934

registered interest
date	19/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Snakes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what priority the Department for International Development plans to give to the issue of snakebite envenoming, given that the WHO considers it to be a category A neglected tropical disease.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1080
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the importance of snakebite envenoming (the act of being poisoned) and is carrying out research in this area. DFID and the Medical Research Council are currently funding the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to develop a new ‘universal anti-venom’ to treat victims of any of 21 of the most venomous snakes that threaten human health in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>In addition, DFID launched a call for expressions of interest for the development of new technologies in March this year. New anti-venoms to treat snake bites were highlighted as one of the areas where research is needed. The intent is to develop anti-venom that can be stored safely at ambient temperature, avoiding the need for refrigeration.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:49:00 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753935

registered interest
date	19/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Tropical Diseases
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development intends only to focus on eradicable neglected tropical diseases.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL1081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2017 answer text <p>DFID is tackling a range of neglected tropical diseases. One of these, Guinea Worm, is close to eradication. On others – for example schistosomiasis, trachoma and lymphatic filariasis – we are part of a global effort to control and eliminate infections. DFID support to action against these diseases is determined by disease burden, value for money, and the impact on the poor and vulnerable populations they affect.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 27/07/2017 15:43:58 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

753264

registered interest
date	18/07/2017
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 response to the decision by the High Court of Hong Kong to disqualify four democratically elected members of the Legislative Council; and what representations they are making to the government of China regarding that case.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2017 answer text <p>In November 2016 the Government expressed concern at the decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee to express its interpretation of the Basic Law before the conclusion of legal proceedings in Hong Kong against two legislators-elect regarding the validity of their oath-taking<strong>.</strong></p><p>The four cases referred to are a matter for the Hong Kong Courts. We understand that the legislators may appeal against this judgement. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on what is an ongoing legal matter. We will continue to follow developments closely.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 02/08/2017 10:06:41 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752406

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the freedom of information response issued by the Department for International Development (DfID) on 13 March which stated that “whoever needs our help the most gets it first”, what assessment they have made of the needs of religious minorities in Northern Iraq and Syria; whether those minorities fall within the definition of humanitarian assistance applied by UN agencies; what assessment they have made of claims by NGOs that religious identity is the basis for human rights abuses including abduction and murder; what data DfID collect about the ethnic and religious diversity of those receiving its aid in those regions; and if such data is not collected, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL854 HL855 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752407

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to call for ethnic and religious minorities to be added to the UN’s diversity approach to humanitarian assistance; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which UN agencies have (1) protected religious freedom, (2) guaranteed the safety of religious minorities within their remits, and (3) provided equal and impartial support and access to services.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK’s humanitarian aid operates under International Humanitarian Law and is provided based on need. It must be available to people of all faiths and of none. All UN agencies are required to carry out comprehensive vulnerability assessments to ensure aid is reaching those most in need, including those from religious minorities. We do not intend to call for ethnic and religious minorities to be added. The Multilateral Development Review restated our vision of building open societies, where no-one is held back by their gender, ethnic group, sexual orientation, disability or belief system.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 20/07/2017 16:23:54 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752408

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UN agencies have operated impartially and neutrally in responding to the needs of religious minorities facing persecution and genocide in Northern Iraq and Syria; and on what evidence they base that assessment.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL855 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752409

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the freedom of information response issued by the Department for International Development (DfID) on 13 March which stated that “the vast majority of Syrian refugees across the Middle East, as well as internally displaced persons in Iraq and Syria, live in host communities rather than in camps” and that DfID is active in providing them with support, what funds have been made available to Yazidis and Christians living outside the camps; how much will be provided for (1) urgent humanitarian assistance, and (2) the rebuilding of those communities; and how much DfID funding is provided through the Bishops Emergency Committee.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL856 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

752410

registered interest
date	17/07/2017
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government (1) what contact they have had with, and (2) what support they intend to provide to, the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee, regarding (a) the rebuilding of 13,000 homes on the Nineveh Plains, and (b) the need to ensure that those Christians internally displaced from the Plains are provided with adequate food supplies.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2017 answer text <p>The UK Government recognises the specific risks such as abduction and murder faced by religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including those who have suffered so horrifically at the hands of Daesh, and is deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses motivated by religious or ethnic identity.</p><p>All people in need, from any community, irrespective of religious affiliation, are eligible for humanitarian assistance. DFID’s humanitarian implementing partners, including the UN, consider a wide range of issues when assessing an individual’s vulnerability such as the impact of physical or mental disabilities, income, age, missing family members, and whether individuals are already receiving assistance from other sources.</p><p>The organisations through which we channel our support do not identify or record beneficiaries by their religion. The reason for this is because there is a risk that collecting information about the ethnicity or religion of people receiving aid could be obtained by others, including extremist groups, and used to persecute them.</p><p>We do not therefore hold information on how much UK-funded support is channelled to Yezidis and Christians either inside or outside camps. This year the UK will provide £40 million for urgent humanitarian assistance in Iraq and £4 million for the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS) to help rebuild communities affected by Daesh, including for minority communities in newly liberated areas in Iraq. The UK is also providing £500 million to support people, including refugees and internally displaced Syrians, affected by the Syria crisis in 2017. DFID does not fund the Bishops Emergency Committee.</p><p>The Nineveh Reconstruction Committee comprised of Church representatives has not contacted the UK Government or submitted a proposal for UK support for the construction of homes on the Nineveh Plains.</p><p>The UK is funding the UN’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS), which is supporting 152 projects in mainly Christian communities in the Ninewa Plains and 70 projects in Yezidi communities in Sinjar, Rabia and Sinuni.</p><p>UN agencies are obliged to operate by the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality which aim to ensure that no one is excluded or discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, or religion; and to also ensure that the specific risks facing minorities are addressed and that assistance reaches those who need it most. DFID considers reports from a wide range of sources, including field visits by UK officials where these are possible, to assess the effectiveness of UN operations and their compliance with humanitarian principles. The UN carries out vital work in both Syria and Iraq, and UN staff frequently risk their lives to deliver assistance to people in need, including to areas where Daesh or the Assad regime seek to prevent aid being delivered.</p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL852 HL854 HL855 question first answered 25/07/2017 15:00:41 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool