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Written Question
NATO: Gender
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have nominated a candidate to sit on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives Executive Committee.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Although the UK has not nominated a candidate to the Executive Committee this year, we are represented on the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives (NCGP) and are working closely with the Chair to formulate the programme of work for the next two years. The UK has been instrumental in updating the NCGP Terms of Reference to increase its influence and strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda at NATO.


Written Question
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government why they will not nominate a candidate to the elections for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and what assessment they have made of the risk for the United Kingdom's reputation as a champion for women.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Ministers consider a range of factors when deciding whether to nominate a UK candidate for election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, including the time and resources to mount a campaign, the potential benefits and the impact on other international elections.

This Government is committed to championing the rights of women and girls both domestically and internationally. Our leadership is demonstrated through the progress we have made on tackling violence against women and girls, launching the Women's Health Strategy and our International Women and Girls Strategy, published last year.


Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the safety of UK and international non-governmental organisations delivering humanitarian aid and medical help in safe zones in Gaza.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to be respected. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities during his visit to Israel on 24 January.


Written Question
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that four UK medical staff were injured in a bombing of the facilities of International Rescue Committee and Medical Aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to be respected. Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.

The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities during his visit to Israel on 24 January.


Written Question
Gaza: Armed Conflict
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the protection of civilians during the Gaza conflict.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated the vital steps needed for a sustainable, permanent ceasefire in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January. There must be a reduction in civilian casualties. All parties must act within International Humanitarian Law. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.


Written Question
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be nominating a candidate to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in the forthcoming elections.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The next election for members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women will take place in June 2024. The Government has not put forward a candidate.

Ministers consider a range of factors when deciding whether to nominate an independent candidate for election to an international body such as the CEDAW Committee, including the time and resources to mount a campaign, the potential benefits and the impact on other international elections.


Written Question
UN Commission on the Status of Women
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be sending a civil society representative to the Commission on the Status of Women in March; and if so, how they will be selected.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The UK government does not include civil society representatives on the delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The Government works closely with civil society representatives before, during and after CSW. We held our pre-CSW consultation event on 25 January which was attended by approximately 40 civil society representatives. The relationship that the Government delegation has with civil society representatives at CSW is often held up as a model of good practice.


Written Question
UN Commission on the Status of Women
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be sending a youth delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women in March; and if so, how they will be selected.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The UK government does not include youth representatives on the delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The Government works closely with civil society representatives before, during and after CSW. We held our pre-CSW consultation event on 25 January which was attended by approximately 40 civil society representatives. The relationship that the Government delegation has with civil society representatives at CSW is often held up as a model of good practice.


Written Question
UN Commission on the Status of Women
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Women will be attending the Commission on the Status of Women in March.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Government delegation attending the Commission on the Status of Women has not yet been decided.


Written Question
Palliative Care: Children and Young People
Friday 19th January 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects of equitable access to hospice care for all children and young people who need palliative and end of life care in 2024.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that access to high-quality, palliative and end of life care can make all the difference to individuals and their loved ones. Funding for children’s and young people’s palliative and end of life care is made available locally through integrated care boards (ICBs), which are responsible for commissioning services in response to the needs of their local population.

In addition, NHS England has confirmed that it will be renewing the Children and Young People’s hospice grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices. NHS England is reprioritising budgets for 2024/25, in light of the revised assessment of financial position and, whilst it is holding funding aside for the children and young people’s hospice sector, it cannot confirm further details, including the distribution mechanism, until 2024/25 financial planning is concluded.

Children and young people’s palliative and end of life care is provided by a range of services and providers from across the statutory and voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors. The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, but we recognise that the voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play a very vital part in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

The Government has not made a direct assessment of the prospects of equitable access to hospice care for all children and young people who need palliative and end of life care in 2024. However, NHS England’s palliative and end of life care team has recently engaged with 24 ICBs to understand how to better support commissioners and has also reviewed all 42 ICB Joint Forward Plans for their inclusion of palliative and end of life care, with 69% making a specific mention. Further analysis is ongoing, but the intention is to use this to help shape and focus support to ICBs.