The UK opposes actions which raise tensions and increase the risk of miscalculation in the South China Sea. Minister Trevelyan made the UK's position clear in her speech at the South China Sea conference in Vietnam in October, where she raised the serious risks posed by recent instances of unsafe conduct against Filipino vessels. Senior officials have raised the risks of miscalculation directly with China, and our Ambassador in Manila has raised the UK's objection to the harassment of Filipino vessels around Second Thomas Shoal and reiterated our support for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UK will continue to support regional partners through an enhanced programme of maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia which provides training and funding to strengthen regional capacity on maritime law and security.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-11-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-11-21T15:42:29.91Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-11-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "South China Sea: Shipping"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in the South China Sea, following the recent shipping incident between a Chinese and a Philippine vessel in the Spratly Islands; and what steps they are taking to help to defuse tensions and prevent escalation in the area.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/259", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "The Marquess of Lothian"} ], "uin" : "HL47"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1461082", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1461082/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Minister for Africa is concerned at recent violence in Abyei, including reports of gender-based violence and missing children. We expressed our concerns at the violence at the UN Security Council on 21 April and underscored the continued need for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), mandated to provide protection of civilians and facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid. Over the past year, the UN Security Council has ensured that UNISFA's mandate better equips the mission to respond quickly to security incidents and to place greater emphasis on community engagement.<\/p>
We are working with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address humanitarian needs in Abyei. As part of this, in 2021 we contributed £27 million to the humanitarian response in Sudan via partners, including the World Food Programme. This year in South Sudan we will reach 2 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance and support 400,000 girls to access education, including in the Abyei region. We also continue to call on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to allow humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need in all parts of Abyei, without hindrance.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4062", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-06-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL48"} , {"_value" : "HL49"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-06-13T13:31:15.91Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "208"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "South Sudan: Armed Conflict"} , "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 escalation of conflict in the Abyei Administrative Area since March.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3364", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Cox"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Cox"} ], "uin" : "HL47"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1313655", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1313655/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are deciding cases within published service standard, unless there is a specific reason we cannot, in which case we will contact the customer. Our service standard for the processing of Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) cases remains six months.<\/p>
Performance against service standards for ILR applications are included in the Migration Transparency data which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4311", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Williams of Trafford"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-05-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-05-25T16:23:48.653Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-05-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Immigration"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current time delay from application to granting indefinite leave to remain for those who qualify for this status.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/248", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} ], "uin" : "HL47"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1168589", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1168589/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
\u200bWe are aware that Turkey and Libya signed a Memorandum of Understanding in late November on the "delimitation of maritime jurisdictional areas in the Mediterranean". It has been our consistent position that maritime boundary disputes should be resolved in accordance with international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4210", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-01-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-01-07T15:56:02.757Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-12-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Mediterranean Sea: Offshore Drilling"} , "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 reported agreement between Turkey and Libya concerning undersea resources in the Mediterranean; and what plans they have to propose that any such agreement is submitted for international arbitration.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2018", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hylton"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hylton"} ], "uin" : "HL47"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1149754", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1149754/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The calculation of the final cost to the taxpayer of repatriating Monarch Airlines passengers will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. As such, the Department for Transport has not appointed independent accountants nor given them access to associated paper work at this time.<\/p>
<\/p>
Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4580", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Vere of Norbiton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-10-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-10-28T11:37:18.217Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Monarch Airlines: Insolvency"} , "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 matters are outstanding in calculating the cost to taxpayers of repatriating Monarch Airlines passengers to the United Kingdom; whether independent accountants have been appointed and given access to papers in order to assist in calculating that cost; and what enquiries have been made to Greybull and its associates in the last year about the collapse of that airline.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3869", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Myners"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Myners"} ], "uin" : "HL47"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/731039", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/731039/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
A crime that is motivated by hostility on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity can be classed as a hate crime. Our hate crime laws recognise everyone's right to believe and practice their chosen religion, free from targeted abuse. This same right extends to those who have no religion and those targeted for intra-religious hostility.<\/p>
The guidance to the application of our laws is covered in the Hate Crime Operational Guidance (attached) issued by the College of Policing in 2014 (http://report-it.org.uk/files/hate_crime_operational_guidance.pdf<\/a>) which guides the police on the application of our laws.<\/p>