Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of redefining criminality rules for British National (Overseas) visa applications.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Part 9 of the Immigration Rules, in relation to criminality and other adverse behaviour, apply to applications to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route. All applications are carefully assessed against the latest country information. Guidance for caseworkers provides flexibility to ensure that overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK do not result in the automatic refusal of an application.
Following representations from stakeholders, we are considering whether the current approach to criminality remains appropriate given the situation in Hong Kong.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Gambia and what discussions they have had with the government of the Gambia in relation to proposed legislation repealing the law banning FGM.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a form of violence and a human rights violation. The UK Government, alongside our international partners, continues to have frank and open conversations with The Gambian Government, including the President and other Ministers, about the Bill to repeal the ban on FGM. On 19 March, the Foreign Secretary issued a tweet reinforcing the UK Government's position that FGM is harmful and should be illegal, and the Minister for Development and Africa spoke to the President about the repercussions of any vote in favour of FGM once again being permitted in The Gambia.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what capacity assistance they are providing to Burundi in support of efforts to ensure justice and accountability for past atrocities, including support for the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission and efforts to strengthen the rule of law.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes the Government of Burundi's stated commitment to strengthening the rule of law. Between 2019 and 2022, the UK's Peace Direct programme delivered £1 million of development assistance to Burundi targeted at building community resilience and strengthening social networks, to consolidate progress that Burundi has made towards reconciliation. We continue to call on the Government of Burundi to implement fully the recommendations made in last year's Universal Periodic Review. We will continue to monitor developments and advocate for improved transparency and accountability in Burundi through the British Embassy Office in Bujumbura and through our network of partners.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Iranian leaders they have sanctioned using Magnitsky-style sanctions since the death of Masha Amini in 2022; and how many sanctions they have imposed on those responsible for the suppression of the rights of women and girls in Iran.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mahsa Amini's death is a shocking reminder of the repression faced by women in Iran. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses under the Iran sanctions regime. This includes senior decision makers responsible for enforcing Iran's mandatory hijab law, the Minister for Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Mayor of Tehran and the Iranian Police spokesperson. Individuals in the Iranian judiciary and Tehran metro were also sanctioned for their involvement in imposing and enforcing the mandatory hijab law. We will continue to raise women and girls' rights issues at all appropriate opportunities with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alignment of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international laws and standards; and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the legislation on British National (Overseas) visa holders, in particular the six exiled Hong Kongers in the UK with arrest warrants and HK$1 million bounties who might be considered “absconders” under the new security legislation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Hong Kong is required to ensure that national security legislation complies with international standards and upholds rights and freedoms, as set out in the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, and international law. The future application of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, implemented under Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, enacted on 23 March is likely incompatible with international human rights law and will have a negative impact on the people of Hong Kong in the exercise of their rights and freedoms. That is why the Foreign Secretary on 19 March urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect rights and freedoms and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December 2023, we will not tolerate any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to impose sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee for his role in the development of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong; and whether they will make representations to HSBC and Standard Chartered to allow Hong Kongers to access to their Mandatory Provident Fund.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF). Financial institutions operating in Hong Kong do so within a strict legal and regulatory framework. British officials in Hong Kong have raised this directly with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong MPF Schemes Authority and will continue to do so. We have also raised the issue with trustee HSBC directly. We will continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities and all relevant bodies to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. We continue to keep sanctions designations under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions measures as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will allow British National (Overseas) visa holders to voluntarily pay up to 15 years' worth of Class 3 national insurance contributions towards a state pension, in cases where such visa holders have been denied access to their Mandatory Provident Fund pension savings by HSBC.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
British National Overseas individuals who live or work abroad (or have previously) are usually able to make backdated voluntary National Insurance contributions payments for the previous six tax years where they have either previously lived in the UK for three years in a row or paid at least three years of contributions.
For the tax years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 the government has extended the deadline for paying voluntary contributions to 5 April 2025.
The deadline has also been extended to 5 April 2025 for eligible customers to pay voluntary contributions for the tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016. Further guidance on the eligibility and deadlines for making voluntary contributions, including for those living or working abroad is published online at https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions(opens in a new tab).
The Government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the call made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture on 8 March that Hong Kong and China investigate the admission of evidence allegedly obtained by torture in the trial of Jimmy Lai, and (2) the statement by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC that evidence which appears to have been procured by torture may be used in proceedings against Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 8 March the UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), UN and Other International Organisations (Geneva) highlighted the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture's comments and noted the allegation that some evidence to be used to prosecute Jimmy Lai had been obtained through the torture of Andy Li. Article 15 of the Convention against Torture, which China has ratified, prohibits the use of statements established to have been made as a result of torture in court proceedings. We are clear that no evidence gained via torture can be valid evidence.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 March (HL2717), whether they will specifically raise with the government of Pakistan why Ahmadi Muslims were not included on the single electoral list with all other voters in the recent elections in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the inclusivity of the elections and the rights of religious minorities. We will continue to raise human rights issues affecting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in engagements with the new government and reaffirm the importance of Pakistan respecting the voting rights of all religious communities.