Recent allegations of torture and mistreatment in Egyptian prisons are deeply worrying. A recent Amnesty International report suggests that up to 400 civilians are being held without charge at the Azouli prison, with no access to their lawyers or families.<\/p>
The European Union made a statement on 19 June at the 26th Human Rights Council regarding the treatment of prisoners in Egypt. The statement expressed concern at the continued detention of thousands of Egyptian citizens, many of whom were detained on unclear grounds, and the conditions under which they are detained.<\/p>
Representatives of our Embassy in Cairo raised the issue of Azouli prison with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 June. The British Government condemns the use of torture in all its forms and strongly urges the Egyptian authorities to ensure that all human and legal rights of all detainees are upheld.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3839", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Warsi"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Warsi"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-02T14:05:42.0697013Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Egypt"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the allegations of torture and mistreatment of prisoners at the Azouli prison reported in The Guardian on 23 June; and whether they will make representations to the government of Egypt in relation to them.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4181", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Beecham"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Beecham"} ], "uin" : "HL504"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63096", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63096/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The probation service, under the new operating model from 1 June, continues to operate in line with the agreed probation service budget. This budget includes provision for corporate services, information technology, estates and community payback, which continue to be provided centrally, as they were up to 31 May.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4183", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Faulks"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Faulks"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-07T16:54:12.361227Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Probation"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lords Faulks on 18 June (WA 71), how much of the 2014\u201315 probation budget has been allocated to the provision of services to support the new operating model.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4181", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Beecham"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Beecham"} ], "uin" : "HL505"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63097", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Defence"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63097/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/p>
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) currently holds the remains of 43 British service personnel killed in the First World War. A further eight sets of remains which were recovered with those of British personnel, are now believed to be members of other Commonwealth forces.
The Ministry of Defence has an agreed target with the CWGC to complete investigations and reinter remains, with appropriate honours, within 18 months of discovery.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3428", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Astor of Hever"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Astor of Hever"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-02T15:51:35.2472456Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "11"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "World War I"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government how many bodies of those killed in the First World War are currently unburied; and what are theirplans for theirinterment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2472", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Faulkner of Worcester"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Faulkner of Worcester"} ], "uin" : "HL506"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63098", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63098/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), launched by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in May 2012, is focused on ending impunity for crimes of sexual violence committed in conflict and the provision of greater support to the survivors of these crimes. Where caste based sexual violence and so-called punishment rape are used in conflict they fall within the overarching objectives of the Initiative.<\/p>
PSVI is complemented by wider government activity on tackling violence against women and girls, underpinned by the cross-government action plan, \u2018A Call to End Violence against Women and Girls', which sets out the Government's programme of domestic and international work in this area. This includes working though our network of embassies overseas and with non-governmental organisations to address the full range of violations of women's rights, including sexual and other forms of violence committed against them.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3839", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Warsi"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Warsi"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-02T14:51:39.2363089Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans to stop the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war announced in June 2014 will cover caste-based sexual violence, rape and so-called punishment rape.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1665", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Avebury"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Avebury"} ], "uin" : "HL507"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63099", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/63099/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Discrimination only became an extant category of law covered by the Civil Legal Aid Mandatory Gateway following the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. As such, the only figures available relate to the financial year 2013/14 when 4 certificates for legal representation funding were granted. However, discrimination cases may not always be captured in this record as an alleged contravention of the Equality Act can be recorded in other categories of law, for example, mental health.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Legal Aid Agency routinely publishes legal aid statistics; this information can be found using the link below:<\/p>