Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will seek to expand partnerships with ethnic community-based organisations in Myanmar to ensure the provision of cross-border aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since the February 2021 coup, the UK has provided over £120 million in humanitarian and development assistance in Myanmar, focussed on life-saving assistance, emergency healthcare, water, hygiene and sanitation services, and education. We provided a further £2 million in response to Cyclone Mocha in May. We are increasingly supporting local civil society networks with access to vulnerable communities, including in ethnic community areas, as the first responders to the crisis. This has ensured UK aid continues to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in the most remote and hard to reach places.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report on National Level Anti-Conversion Laws Around the World, published on 28 November.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a top priority for the UK.
The UK welcomes the recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. We note its findings documenting anti-conversion laws, as we monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally.
We have made our position clear: no one should be forced to denounce their beliefs or be discriminated against because of their religion or belief. In 2022, we sanctioned Mian Abdul Haq, a cleric responsible for the forced conversions of girls and women in Pakistan. The UK continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and hold those accountable for human rights violations and abuses.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since October to bring the Myanmar military junta before the International Criminal Court.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. To support the preservation of evidence for future prosecution, we have provided over £600,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar Witness project. We condemn the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Armed Forces, as well as previous atrocities against the Rohingya. These actions require further scrutiny and the UK is supportive, in principle, of any attempts to bring these issues before the International Criminal Court. We support the ICC Prosecutor's initiative to investigate acts committed against the Rohingya.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to encourage (1) UK corporations, (2) and corporations which contract with the Government, to adopt Faith-and-Belief Friendly workplaces as part of Diversity and Inclusion standards.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To support employers to create faith and belief friendly workplaces, Acas has produced Guide on Religion or belief discrimination: key points for the workplace. This guide offers employers, managers, HR professionals, employees, employee/trade union representatives and job applicants a grounding in how to reduce the chance of religion or belief discrimination happening in the workplace, how it might still occur and how it should be dealt with if it does happen.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent rise in Islamophobia (1) in Europe, and (2) globally; and what discussions they have had with EU counterparts to prevent Islamophobia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally and work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, including with our EU partners. The UK condemned the incidents of Quran burning in Europe earlier this year, recognising the deep hurt felt by Muslims across the world, and we unequivocally denounce hatred and incitement of violence on the basis of religion or belief. We are committed to both freedom of expression and FoRB and will continue to promote mutual respect between different communities.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the compliance of the Marriage Act 1949 and other marriage law with the right to freedom of religion or belief, when Church of England and Church in Wales marriage ceremonies fulfil legal requirements and are legally recognised, while other religious ceremonies may not be.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The law makes provision for couples to marry in registered places of worship in a way that gives them legal rights and protections. Couples may choose instead to have a religious-only celebration alongside a legally binding civil ceremony.
However, the Government does share the concern that some people may have a wedding ceremony that does not give them legal rights and protections, without appreciating the consequences.
As part of its review, the Law Commission made recommendations which seek to ensure that, insofar as possible, couples are provided the same opportunities to legally marry in a way that reflects their beliefs. This would mean fewer ceremonies conducted according to religious rites result in a marriage that the law does not recognise.
The Government is considering its report carefully and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current marriage law in an inclusive multi-faith society.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The law makes provision for couples to marry in registered places of worship in a way that gives them legal rights and protections. Couples may choose instead to have a religious-only celebration alongside a legally binding civil ceremony.
However, the Government does share the concern that some people may have a wedding ceremony that does not give them legal rights and protections, without appreciating the consequences.
As part of its review, the Law Commission made recommendations which seek to ensure that, insofar as possible, couples are provided the same opportunities to legally marry in a way that reflects their beliefs. This would mean fewer ceremonies conducted according to religious rites result in a marriage that the law does not recognise.
The Government is considering its report carefully and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the urgency of the need for marriage law reform, with particular reference to protection and prevention for women whose religious marriage ceremonies do not comply with legal requirements and may not be legally recognised.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government shares the concern that some people, and disproportionately women, may have a religious wedding that is not legally binding, and does not provide legal protections, without appreciating the consequences.
We are carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations on weddings reform. As part of its review, the Law Commission has considered ways of ensuring there are fewer religious wedding ceremonies that result in a marriage which the law does not recognise.
Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We are now taking the time to consider the report’s recommendations and will publish a response shortly.