Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 April, how much of the 2021–22 Overseas Development Assistance will be allocated to (1) Gavi, the vaccine alliance, (2) the Global Fund, and (3) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will spend £1,305 million of Official Development Assistance on global health in 2021/22. This will focus on the UK's position at the forefront of the international response to COVID-19 through our commitments to COVAX, Gavi, and the World Health Organisation, and through bilateral spend where the need is greatest, including in Africa. FCDO will now work through what this means for individual programmes in line with the priorities we have outlined.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have had with (1) community and civil society organisations, (2) UNAIDS Programme Committee Members, and (3) other donors, about the proposal to reduce their funding to UNAIDS.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
HMG has communicated with UNAIDS as well as the Programme Coordinating Board on which other donors are represented, regarding UNAID's provisional funding allocation for 21/22. The UK regularly consults with civil society organisations, and shares their determination in advocating for the rights and needs of the most marginalised groups affected by HIV. The UK remains committed to addressing HIV and AIDS through our commitments to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and malaria, and our work in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). We remain committed to a strong UNAIDS, and are fully engaged in the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability for UNAIDS to influence policy reforms that strengthen the rights of marginalised people, including (1) the decriminalisation, and (2) destigmatisation, of LGBTQI communities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK provides funding to UNAIDS to support its leadership role in the HIV response. Through our programme partnership agreement, the UK assesses the work of UNAIDS against agreed indicators, including those relating to its work on strengthening the rights of marginalised people.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the 2021–22 Overseas Development Assistance will be allocated to (1) Gavi, the vaccine alliance, (2) the Global Fund, and (3) the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the 2021–22 Overseas Development Assistance will be allocated to bilateral nutrition programmes.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Information about our nutrition spend in financial year 2021-22 will be publicly available through Development Tracker in due course.
The portfolio, agreed by the Foreign Secretary, will focus our investment and expertise on issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum strategic coherence, impact, and value for money.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Minister for Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 1 March (158190 and 158191), whether a UK Government representative attended Sayed Hasan Ameen's hearing in Bahrain (1) on 4 March, and (2) on 11 March.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Covid restrictions prevented Embassy staff from attending the hearings in person. Sayed Hasan Ameen was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, which was replaced with a rehabilitation program under alternative sentencing arrangements within the spirit of the new Child Reform Justice Act. We welcome the retroactive application of the new law's content and purpose, and will monitor its implementation.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 5 March (158193), what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain about securing the early release of Abdulhadi Mushaima from prison.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Abdulhadi Mushaima was released on 11 March 2021. He served 3 weeks of a 3 month prison sentence. He was released under alternative sentencing measures.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the news release by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and Human Rights Watch Bahrain: Police Beat, Threaten Children, published on 10 March; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain about the human rights concerns raised in that article.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have read the news release, along with the Bahraini Ombudsman's response to the Human Rights Watch report which provides important clarification and invites Human Rights Watch to provide further details of the cases in question. We believe the recent ratification of the Correctional Justice Act is a positive development for the protection of children in Bahrain, and will monitor its implementation.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision to bring forward the termination of the BBC World Service Sinhalese service; and whether they plan to make representations to prevent its termination.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The BBC announced in September 2020 their decision to close the Sinhala radio service, and we understand that plans for the closure are proceeding on the planned schedule. The BBC are maintaining their newsgathering presence in Sri Lanka and will focus on developing digital output. The BBC are operationally and editorially independent from Government, and the FCDO cannot dictate where changes to services may fall. The Sinhala service is also outside of the FCDO-funded World2020 programme.
Asked by: Lord Collins of Highbury (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the meeting that took place between Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Ministers and the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 7 September, whether they discussed (1) the cases of death row inmates and torture victims Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa, (2) political prisoners in Bahrain, (3) medical negligence in Bahraini prisons, (4) prison conditions in Bahrain, and (5) the UK’s technical assistance programme to Bahrain.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I raised the cases of Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa during my recent meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The Minister for the Middle East and I raised the use of the death penalty in Bahrain with the Foreign Minister, reiterating that the UK opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. The UK also provides technical assistance in support of Bahrain's ongoing reform agenda. Any technical assistance we provide is kept under regular review to ensure compliance with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process
The Government of Bahrain has made clear that access to appropriate medical care for those in detention continues to be guaranteed, which means under normal circumstances that any prisoner wishing to see a doctor is taken to the prison clinic, with referral to specialist facilities where required; but that as part of Bahrain's COVID-19 precautions, all initial medical consultations now take place via video calls. Where necessary, physical appointments with external medical specialists continue to be available, although, in line with guidance issued by the World Health Organization, prisoners seeing external specialists are required to isolate for 10 days in a separate detention facility before returning to prison ensuring the safety of both patients and medical staff. We welcome these assurances from the Government of Bahrain, urge continued transparency and would encourage those with any concerns about treatment in detention to raise them with the appropriate Bahraini human rights oversight body.