Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt regarding the investigation carried out by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in January 2024 which reported that refugees from Gaza are denied entry to Egypt unless they buy a permit.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Egyptian borders are a matter for the Egyptian government. We maintain a close dialogue with Egypt on a range of issues relating to the conflict in Gaza and strongly support the efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It is a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages and a long-term political solution that offer the best hope of alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza and deliver a permanent and sustainable peace.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the Law Regarding the Asylum of Foreigners (Law No. 164 of 2024), enacted by the Parliament of Egypt in December 2024, on Egypt's obligations under international refugee and human rights laws.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to working with the Government of Egypt to ensure that the application of its new asylum law adheres to international standards when it is implemented. Officials at our Embassy in Cairo are regularly engaging with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to this end. The UK advocates for the implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised concerns with the United National Human Rights Council about the proportionality of its standing agenda item 7 with regard to Israel.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has regularly raised concerns at the Human Rights Council about the proportionality of the standing agenda item 7 with regards to Israel. Most recently, at an Interactive Dialogue on the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 25 February, we said that 'the UK is opposed to the existence of item 7. The UK wants to see all countries face appropriate scrutiny of their human rights record but opposes the disproportionate focus of this item'.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of non-democratic states currently serving on the United Nations Human Rights Council and of their record of upholding human rights.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UN Human Rights Council members are elected by the entire UN membership, based on an equitable geographic distribution of seats. We expect all Human Rights Council members to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 15 April (HL6489), who were the experts consulted on the reliability of the Gaza Ministry of Health's fatality figures.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Over the last 18 months, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has consulted experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Every Casualty Counts, and interrogates relevant research. Experts assess that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 estimated by the Gaza Ministry of Health is a reasonable figure, and likely to be an underestimate.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 26 March (HL5769), what assessment they have made of the implications for the reliability of the death statistics of the Gazan Ministry of Health reportedly removing from their March figures 3,400 deaths which it had previously listed in August and October 2024, including 1080 children.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of a correction to the Gaza Ministry of Health's (MoH) data after a number of deaths were incorrectly reported. Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is often difficult. For example, prior to October 7th 2023, the MoH collected mortality figures from 8 sentinel hospitals across Gaza. Unfortunately, many of these hospitals were struck in the conflict and the capacity to collect the data was reduced. After consulting experts, we believe the MoH data to be largely accurate. Some experts have reached the view that the MoH may have underestimated the numbers of injured and dead.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the reliability of the figures produced as a result of changes of methodology used by the Gazan Ministry of Health since October 2023.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government uses data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the numbers of those killed in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA obtain their figures from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is often difficult. For example, prior to October 7th 2023, the MoH collected mortality figures from 8 sentinel hospitals across the strip. Unfortunately, many of these hospitals were struck in the conflict and the capacity to collect the data was reduced. After consulting experts, we believe the MoH data to be largely accurate. Some experts have reached the view that the MoH may have underestimated the numbers of injured and dead.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the impartiality of the experts to which that answer refers regarding death statistics.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As explained in HL5089, we use data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The United Nations, and its agencies, work under the principle of impartiality. We also consult academic experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine, who have published their research in peer-reviewed publications.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 March (HL5089), what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian combatants killed since 7 October 2023, the ratio of this figure against Palestinian civilians killed during the same period, and how that ratio compares with other urban conflicts.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We use data from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH), which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It is nonetheless clear that the conflict has been devastating for civilians. It is vital that the ceasefire is sustained, all hostages released, and aid and access to essential services including electricity in Gaza resumed.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the development of nuclear weapons and the installation of more advanced centrifuges by Iran, and what steps they are taking in response.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's nuclear escalation, including its recent expansion of uranium enrichment capacity, threatens international peace and security and undermines global non-proliferation. Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon. The United Nations Security Council met to discuss this issue on 12 March. The UK reiterated that we are willing to use all diplomatic options available to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, including triggering UN snapback, if necessary.