Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they used to determine which state's candidacy to support in the recent election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK reaches decisions on votes on the basis of candidates’ human rights records, and their cooperation with Human Rights Council (HRC) mechanisms. The UK also considers candidates’ engagement and voting record at HRC, broader UK Government priorities, standing obligations, and whether a reciprocal deal can be made. The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions in international elections, nor how we voted in the past.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes in how the BBC World Service is funded on its coverage of the situation in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
No assessment has been made of how the changes to BBC World Service funding have impacted on its coverage of the situation in the Ukraine. The BBC is operationally, editorially and managerially independent and it is therefore for the BBC Trust to comment on and manage the funding and operation of the World Service. In a June 2013 statement the then Chair of the Trust, Lord Patten, confirmed that the funding for 2014-15, the first year of Licence fee funding, would be £245 million – representing an increase of £5 million on the previous year of (Foreign Office) funding.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether personality disorder services remain a priority commitment for the National Health Service; and if so, what guidance is provided to NHS England to ensure that quality services continue to be commissioned.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Personality disorder services remain a priority commitment for the National Health Service. In 2011 the Government published No health, without mental health, a cross Government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which remains the Government's vision for improving services for people with mental health problems; this specifically includes people with personality disorders. The Mandate to NHS England makes clear that by March 2015, we expect NHS England to make measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem between mental and physical health and that everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence-based services.