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1456996

registered interest
date	06/04/2022
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements: Nigeria
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make the release of Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, a requirement for any future trade deals between the UK and Nigeria.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL7782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2022 answer text <p>HM Government is clear that more trade need not come at the expense of our values. We will continue to work constructively with the Government of Nigeria on trade and other matters.</p><p> </p><p>HM Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has raised, and will continue to raise, Mr Bala’s case with the Nigerian authorities.</p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 19/04/2022 15:35:44 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1452026

registered interest
date	16/03/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Marriage: Humanism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend legal recognition to humanist weddings; and why they did not do so at the same time as extending legal recognition to outdoor weddings.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL7039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/03/2022 answer text <p>In 2014, the Government published a consultation paper and response assessing the potential merits of provision for non-religious belief marriages. This concluded that the matter was complex, and that by allowing Humanists to solemnise marriages in unrestricted locations, the Government would create a provision for Humanists that would not be available to all groups.</p><p> </p><p>To ensure we are considering the implications of changing the law on marriage for all groups, we invited the Law Commission to undertake a review which is currently underway and is expected to report in July of this year. By looking at the law comprehensively, the Law Commission will seek to put forward proposals that would ensure that, insofar as possible, groups and couples are all subject to the same rules and the same level of regulation. That reform is not possible by only authorising Humanist weddings, even on a temporary basis pending the Law Commission report.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations when the final report is published in July, and it is right for us to wait for the outcome of the report before amending marriage law any further.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 30/03/2022 16:28:51 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1439101

registered interest
date	08/03/2022
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	British Indian Ocean Territory
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to hold talks with the government of Mauritius to discuss the next steps for the Chagos Islands, including the restoration of the right of Chagossians to return to and resettle the Islands.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL6777
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2022 answer text <p>In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT.</p><p>The UK is currently delivering an approximately £40 million ($50 million) Chagossian Support Package, over a ten year period, to improve Chagossian livelihoods in the communities where they now live: in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK.</p><p>As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over BIOT, which we have held continuously since 1814.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 22/03/2022 15:31:28 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1421119

registered interest
date	08/02/2022
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Palliative Care: Travellers
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 recommendations identified by the National Institute for Health Research in its article A highly personalised approach to end of life care is needed to help Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities, published on 17 December 2021; and what plans they have to implement them.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL6106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2022 answer text <p>While no formal assessment has been made, we agree with these recommendations on the importance of personalised care and healthcare professionals having discussions with individuals and families on their needs and preferences. The NHS Long Term Plan set out ambitions to improve personalised end of life care, including improving equity of access to services for all under-served populations. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s palliative and end of life care strategic clinical networks work with local systems to support the delivery of this priority, including efforts to reduce health inequalities.</p><p>Care committed to me: Delivering high quality, personalised palliative and end of life care for Gypsies and Travellers, LGBT people and people experiencing homelessness. A resource for commissioners, service providers and health, care and support staff was published in 2018. This resource was produced for commissioners, providers, healthcare professionals and support staff to offer practical guidance on effective approaches to support personalised palliative and end of life care for these communities. A copy is attached.</p> answering member printed Lord Kamall question first answered 24/03/2022 16:06:06 answering member 4909 label Biography information for Lord Kamall attachment 1 file name care_committed_to_me_web.pdf title Care committed to me
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1404715

registered interest
date	19/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Wealth: Taxation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the letter from 102 millionaires and billionaires to attendees to the World Economic Forum in Davos, calling for the introduction of wealth taxes.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL5569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>The Government has noted the open letter and the suggestion of an annual wealth tax.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to a fair tax system in which those with the most contribute the most. For example, the UK’s progressive Income Tax system means the top 1 per cent of Income Taxpayers are projected to pay 28 per cent of all Income Tax, and the top 5 per cent are projected to pay 49 per cent in the year 2021-22.</p><p>The UK does not have a single wealth tax, but it does have several taxes on assets and wealth. The UK already taxes assets and wealth across many different economic activities, including the acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of assets, and income derived from assets.</p><p> </p><p>Notably, in 2020 the Wealth Tax Commission, which has no connection or link to the Government, found that if considering Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duty, and Stamp Duty Land Tax, the UK is among the top of the G7 countries for wealth taxes as a percentage of total wealth.</p><p> </p><p>The Wealth Tax Commission also concluded that an annual wealth tax, reportedly suggested by the UK branch of the group behind the letter, would not be effective because of high administrative costs relative to revenue and ease of avoidance. It is also clear that the Wealth Tax Commission’s suggestion of a potential one-off wealth tax in the UK would be a complex undertaking and the amount of revenue raised would be highly dependent on the final design of the tax.</p><p>It is also the case that any individual or private business wishing to make a greater contribution to the Exchequer can make voluntary payments to HM Government. More information about how to do so is available on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 31/01/2022 17:19:34 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1382488

registered interest
date	25/11/2021
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners: Ethnic Groups
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (HL3924) on 24 November, what plans they have, if any, to introduce an ethnic group for those in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in statistics related to people in prisons.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL4443
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>There are no current plans to alter the ethnic groups for the regular quarterly published data on the prison population which formed the basis of the answer to HL3924. The broad categories included in the information released are in line with current guidance from the Race Disparity Unit of the Cabinet Office.</p><p> </p><p>Numbers self-designating as ‘Irish Traveller or Gypsy’ are published as part of a more detailed data set which are released annually as part of the series Offender Management Statistics Quarterly. The most recent release of this data formed part of the January to March 2021 issue, published in July 2021. Figures were included in Table A1.9ii of the Annual Prison Population: 2021 document. This showed that as of 30 June 2021 1,365 prisoners self-designated as Irish Traveller or Gypsy. This number was further broken to show that 1,337 were male and 28 were female.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 09/12/2021 17:47:43 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1362040

registered interest
date	20/10/2021
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Dhofar War: Disclosure of Information
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish correspondence between Harold Wilson and Edward Heath about the Dhofar war which is due to be released this year.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL3261
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2021 answer text <p>The file containing these records was reviewed recently and it was concluded that, owing to their continuing sensitivity, they should remain closed for a further 10 years in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958.</p> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 01/11/2021 16:43:38 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1358986

registered interest
date	13/10/2021
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	Iran: Baha'i Faith
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 human rights implications of the exclusion of Baháʼí students from universities in Iran as a consequence of policies set by the Iranian Education Monitoring and Evaluation Organization; and what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Iran in relation to such exclusions.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL3085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.</p><p>The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. The education ministry's reported policies are another example of this discrimination. All religious or ethnic minorities should be allowed to participate fully in society and, together with the international community, we have pressed Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. We call on President Raisi to set Iran on a different course and commit to improving human rights in Iran, including for all religious minorities.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 25/10/2021 12:51:53 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1358987

registered interest
date	13/10/2021
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	British Indian Ocean Territory: Postage Stamps
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Resolution C15/2021 of the Universal Postal Union that stamps from the Chagos Islands must be issued by the government of Mauritius to be valid, what assessment they have made of the continued sale of British Indian Ocean Territory postage stamps.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL3086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>We are disappointed by the Universal Postal Union's resolution C15/2021. The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Adoption of this resolution means that the Universal Postal Union will no longer register, distribute, or forward BIOT stamps issued by the Territory. However UK stamps continue to be used for the UK military postal service, accessible to UK military and civilian contractors.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 27/10/2021 16:05:12 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker

1358988

registered interest
date	13/10/2021
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	British Indian Ocean Territory: Military Bases and Sovereignty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold discussions with the government of Mauritius in relation to a settlement concerning the future of the Chagos Islands which will (1) allow Chagossians to return to the islands, and (2) safeguard the future of the UK military base on Diego Garcia.
tabling member printed	Baroness Whitaker
uin	HL3087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2021 answer text <p>There are no current plans for discussions with the Government of Mauritius on the future of BIOT which will allow Chagossians to return to the islands. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The defence facilities on BIOT help to keep people here in the United Kingdom and around the world safe. The UK will cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 27/10/2021 16:04:41 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	2510 label Biography information for Baroness Whitaker