Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British children have been repatriated from Syria or from territory that was formerly part of the sovereign states of Syria or Iraq in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
We can confirm that in the last 12 months there have been a small number of British children who have left Syria and returned to the UK via third countries.
The Government does not have a consular presence within Syria from which to provide consular assistance. FCO Travel Advice advises against all travel to Syria, and that British Nationals should leave by any practical means. We will not put British officials’ lives at risk to assist those who have left the UK to join a proscribed terrorist organisation.
If a British child who has been in Syria is able to seek consular assistance outside of Syria, then we would work with local and UK authorities to facilitate their return if requested.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made to the government of China about reports that babies have been born in China with edited genes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
There are conflicting media reports on claims of genetic modification in China. We shall continue to monitor the situation. We have had no discussion with the Chinese Government regarding the ethical issues and risks associated with the gene-edited babies born in China. The procedure alleged to have been carried out by Prof He Jiankui in China would be illegal in the UK. It would be an offence under the 1990 Human Fertilisation & Embryology Act (1990 Act), punishable, on conviction, by a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine or both.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the World Health Organisation about the ethical issues and potential long-term risks associated with gene-edited babies born in China.
Answered by Baroness Manzoor
There are conflicting media reports on claims of genetic modification in China. We will continue to monitor the situation. We have had no discussion with the Chinese Government or World Health Organization regarding the ethical issues and risks associated with the gene-edited babies born in China. The procedure alleged to have been carried out by Prof He Jiankui in China would be illegal in the United Kingdom. It would be an offence under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, punishable, on conviction, by a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine or both.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for enacting legislation to provide financial relief under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 to victims of forced marriages whose religious marriages are not binding under UK law as outlined in section 121(4) of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The Government is clear that forced marriage is a terrible form of abuse and that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling it.
However, the purpose of Part II of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is to set out how the Court orders financial provision on the legal ending of marriage.
Since forced marriage was made a criminal offence in England and Wales in 2014, the Government has continued to introduce measures to protect victims, including lifelong anonymity in 2017. Last month, the Home Secretary launched a consultation to seek views on whether it is necessary to introduce a new legal mandatory reporting duty relating to cases of forced marriage. That consultation also seeks views on how the current guidance on forced marriage could be improved and strengthened.
The Government is committed to keeping this area of family justice under review.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Bangladesh following recent security forces' responses to the road safety protests in Dhaka.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I was deeply concerned by the violence we saw in Dhaka in response to road safety protests by students following the tragic deaths of two school age students on 29 July. In a statement on 7 August, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Alison Blake, together with other EU Heads of Mission, called on government to investigate incidents of unlawful or disproportionate violence or action against protestors and journalists and to hold perpetrators to account. Subsequently, Joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development Minister Alistair Burt expressed our concern regarding the response to the road safety protests with the Government of Bangladesh, during his visit to Bangladesh from 28-31 August. Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We raised freedom of expression as a key concern in Bangladesh during the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Bangladeshi authorities about the arrest of Shahidul Alam following comments he made about the road safety protests in Dhaka.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I was deeply concerned by the violence we saw in Dhaka in response to road safety protests by students following the tragic deaths of two school age students on 29 July, and the subsequent arrest of Mr. Shahidul Alam. In a statement on 7 August, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Alison Blake, together with other EU Heads of Mission, called on government to investigate incidents of unlawful or disproportionate violence or action against protestors and journalists and to hold perpetrators to account. Subsequently, Joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development Minister Alistair Burt expressed our concern regarding the response to the road safety protests, and raised Mr Alam's case, with the Government of Bangladesh, during his visit to Bangladesh from 28-31 August. Bangladesh remains a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We raised freedom of expression as a key concern in Bangladesh during the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the government of Nigeria to return Leah Sharibu safely from Boko Haram.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Foreign Secretary spoke to Vice President Osinbajo on 26 February and extended an offer of additional UK assistance following the abductions from Dapchi. We continue to call for the release of the remaining Chibok girls, and all those abducted by Boko Haram. Attacks on schools and abductions of children are abhorrent and must stop. It is important that all abductees released or recovered receive appropriate support, including for their families. The UK remains resolute in its support for Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.
The UK provides a substantial and growing package of intelligence, military and development support to help Nigeria fight terrorism. This includes training and advice for Nigerian armed forces deploying against Boko Haram and £5 million to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional taskforce against Boko Haram.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of collusion between Boko Haram and armed Fulani Herders in Nigeria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Boko Haram is known to cooperate with criminal gangs and use illicit networks to facilitate the movement of weapons and people. However, there is no evidence to show collusion between insurgent groups and Fulani Herders.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK visas have been issued to persons living in Myanmar in each visa category since January 2016; and how many they estimate were to (1) Christians, and (2) Muslims.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.
Asked by: Baroness Berridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current levels of violence between religious groups in Nigeria, and of an estimate by the 2017 Global Terrorism Index which states that 60,000 people have been killed in clashes between predominantly Muslim Fulani Herders and predominantly Christian farmers; and what representations have been made to the government of Nigeria about the levels of religious violence in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned by recurrent clashes involving pastoralists and local farmers over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water. They have a serious impact on lives and communities of all faiths and are a major barrier to Nigeria's economic development. We discuss the issue with Federal and State Governments and encourage them to work with the affected populations on all sides of the conflict to develop a solution. We welcome President Buhari's commitment to focus on assisting the affected communities, bringing perpetrators to justice and examining longer term peaceful solutions to the conflict.