Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to tackle image-based sexual abuse among teenagers.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to intervening as early as possible to prevent vulnerable children and young people from experiencing all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes education and awareness raising initiatives and equipping frontline professionals and safeguarding partners with the tools and training to identify child sexual abuse and provide support to children and young people.
We are working to implement the groundbreaking Online Safety Act, which places clear legal duties on tech companies to identify, report and remove child sexual abuse material and proactively combat the threat on their platforms. Alongside this, it is crucial that all sectors, including tech, step up their efforts in going further and faster in keeping children safe online.
We are also working to tackle the rise in harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people. This includes supporting the Shore website, run by the Lucy Faithful Foundation, which provides resources and a helpline that provides confidential help, support and information to young people concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviour to prevent abuse and victimisation Children. Young people are also able to access the Report Remove tool, run by the IWF and NSPCC, that enables children whose images have been shared online to remove those images from public platforms.
We are committed to using all available levers to us and call on all sectors to work to keep children safe online and across our communities in the UK and around the world.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to their counterparts in Sudan about ending the civil war and ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns in the strongest terms atrocities being committed across Sudan, including in Darfur. Reports of ongoing attacks on innocent civilians including by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are abhorrent and must stop immediately. As part of our diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, we speak to all parties. We have used our exchanges with the warring parties to strongly condemn atrocities they have perpetrated and to urge them to commit to a permanent ceasefire and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce sanctions on vessels that are part of the Russian shadow fleet and on the international shipping companies that own and operate them.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has sanctioned over 2000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime, including those who support Russia's efforts to circumvent UK and G7 oil sanctions. We will build on this action by enhancing our power to sanction individual vessels under the Russia sanctions regime. The enhanced power will allow us to be even more targeted and will increase Russia's costs further, including where Russia uses the shadow fleet to export its oil by sea.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing level of hunger and disease in Latin America due to extreme climate conditions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains alert to increasing health risks in Latin America due to exposure to heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and severe flooding, as well as rising food insecurity and malnutrition. These extreme conditions are affecting the geographical distribution of infectious diseases, with climate suitability for dengue transmission reaching its highest level in recent years. The FCDO helps countries in the region address these challenges by exchanging knowledge and expertise and through our contributions to the Start Fund for humanitarian response.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Human Rights Watch report "The Boot on my Neck": Iranian Authorities' Crime of Persecution Against Baha'is in Iran, published on 1 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the work of Human Rights Watch to highlight how Iran continues to deny Baha'is their fundamental rights in their report, "The Boot on my Neck". At the 55th Human Rights Council, we issued a statement highlighting the scale and severity of freedom of religion or belief abuses globally, including against Baha'is in Iran. We co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution at UNGA 78, which called on Iran to eliminate, in law and practice, all forms of discrimination, on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to promoting religious freedom and will continue to work with partners, and the UK Baha'i community, to promote the rights of Baha'is in Iran.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 29 April (HL3804), (1) when the feasibility report on prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published, and (2) when they will publish their response to those findings.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
We have now received the final report on the feasibility study. We are currently considering the findings of the report carefully and engaging with the police and other partners. We will confirm our next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index which indicated that British women are sadder and more stressed than their European counterparts, what steps they are taking to improve women's health and wellbeing.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the Government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women.
Achievements since the launch of the strategy include: appointing the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England; investing £25 million of funding into the expansion of women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to services and to create efficiencies for the National Health Service; reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through the launch of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate; and creating a women’s health area on the NHS website, to bring together women’s health content and create a first port of call for women seeking information.
We are focused on delivering our priorities for 2024, which include improving care for menstrual problems, including endometriosis, and maternity care, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, and boosting research. Recent progress includes launching baby loss certificates to support patients who have experienced a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, and running a national media campaign on periods and menopause to encourage women to contact their general practice, if symptoms are affecting their life.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of reports that slingshots are being used to cause damage to vehicles and local wildlife in rural areas. We have been made aware by the National Wildlife Crime Unit of a perceived increase in the use of catapults against animals. The Government takes wildlife crime seriously and it is a matter of concern. Under provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. We expect all crime to be reported to police and investigated appropriately.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Resolution Foundation report Firm foundations: Understanding why employers use flexible contracts, published on 25 April; and what steps they will take to improve situations for zero-hours contract workers.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Flexible contracts are an important part of the UK’s labour market, for both employers with fluctuations in demand, and for individuals who need to balance work around other commitments such as childcare and study.
2022 research from the CIPD found that 62% of zero hours contract workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, only a slightly lower fraction than the 66% for other employees.
The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 will give workers – including those on zero hours contracts - the right to make a request to their employer for a more predictable working pattern.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) level, and (2) geographical distribution, of drug shortages in pharmacies.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department monitors and manages medicine supply issues at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. We receive notifications of supply issues from United Kingdom medicine license holders. In 2022 and 2023, the number of notifications of supply issues remained broadly stable, at approximately 1,600 per year.