Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister will participate in the high-level debate at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly; and what policy priorities they plan to promote there.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 8 September in response to Question 19958, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The Foreign Secretary plans to attend the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his visit, the Foreign Secretary expects to meet a range of international counterparts and other interlocutors. Details of his programme are being finalised in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to appoint the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Chris Elmore MP was appointed as UK Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict on 19th June 2026 and retains this role in the new government.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen the rights of victims to participate in decisions relating to offenders' release and supervision.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that victims are properly informed and able to have their views considered where relevant to decisions relating to an offender's management.
Through the Victims and Courts Act 2026, we are modernising the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS). Once commenced, the updated scheme will make it easier for eligible victims to receive information about their offender's release and to make representations about victim-related licence conditions or supervision requirements, which will then be forwarded to the decision maker which could be a prison governor, Probation or the Parole Board. The Act also expands eligibility for VCS services to additional cohorts of victims, including victims of stalking, harassment and controlling or coercive behaviour offences, and provides greater flexibility to extend the scheme in the future.
In addition, the Act introduces a new route for other victims to request information about their offender, which will be delivered through a dedicated victim helpline within HMPPS, helping more victims access the information they need to understand and engage with relevant post-conviction processes.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I meet regularly with the Chair of the Inquiry to monitor progress.The final Terms of Reference were published for the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs on 31 March and the Inquiry was formally established on 13 April 2026, under the Inquiries Act 2005. The Inquiry is time-limited for 3 years and a budget of £65 million. It has powers to compel witnesses and will run a series of local investigations, examining failings in historic and current practices at both local and national levels.
On 24 June 2026, the Inquiry published its Victims and Survivors Charter, setting out how it will engage with victims and survivors throughout its work, alongside its local area selection criteria, which explain how areas are chosen for investigation. It also confirmed Bradford and Keighley, and London as the first areas for local investigation, alongside Oldham, announced in December 2025. The Inquiry publishes updates on its website: www.grooming-gangs.independent-inquiry.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy to support de-mining work in the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and France continue to lead the Multinational Military Mission to coordinate international efforts to support restoration of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. This includes mine clearance operations that can only begin once there is a stable security environment.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is an absolute right and cannot be balanced against the public interest.
Over time, the interpretation of “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” has been expanded. We have seen that Article 3 can create a barrier to return - including in medical cases, extradition and foreign national offenders excluded from protection.
In line with The Chisinau Political Declaration, adopted by consensus by the Council of Europe, the Government will ensure that Article 3 must remain tightly applied, with a high threshold.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Article 8, the right to private and family life, is a qualified right, meaning interference can be justified where proportionate to the public interest. The government considers that Article 8 has been applied too broadly in some immigration and deportation cases, including where individuals cannot meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.
Article 8 is intended as a safeguard. Yet with 77,000 applications granted on the basis of Article 8 in the past year alone, it is having a significant impact on our ability to enforce the Immigration Rules and tackle illegal migration.
The Government has therefore introduced provisions in the Immigration and Asylum Bill to clarify the application of Article 8 by strengthening the weight given to effective immigration control, compliance with immigration rules and the public interest in deportation decisions. The Bill will also make clear that deporting foreign criminals is in the public interest and will always be appropriate unless the individual impact cannot be justified by that public interest.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 17 March (HL15425), whether the letter is available online; if so, what is its URL; and what plans they have to publish the next annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
It is for the Foreign Affairs Committee to decide whether to publish letters that they have received from ministers, but if the Noble Baroness has been unable to access the letter in question from the library, I will arrange for a copy to be sent to her personally.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current humanitarian and security situation in Sudan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided on 9 March in response to Questions HL14828-30.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 9 March (HL14650), which British embassies currently fund projects supporting the work of the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The UK funds numerous projects in support of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) through our central programme and posts overseas, including a strong focus on our current PSVI focus countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, South Sudan, and Ukraine - and on current major conflicts in which conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) has become a significant issue. For example, in February, the Foreign Secretary announced £20 million of new UK funding to support survivors of CRSV in Sudan, to be delivered through the British Office Sudan.