Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the number of internment camps in (1) China, (2) Xinjiang, and (3) Tibet.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government closely monitors the human rights situation in China, where people face widespread restrictions and violations on human rights and fundamental freedoms. With regard to the situation in Xinjiang, in 2018 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination estimated "upwards of a million people were being held in so-called counter-extremism centres and another two million had been forced into what the Chinese refer to as 're-education camps' for political and cultural indoctrination". Regarding Tibet, UN Special Rapporteurs reported in February 2023 that "around a million" Tibetan children had been separated from their families to assimilate them into majority Han culture. The UK Government continues to lead international efforts to hold China to account, including through the UN and bilaterally. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns in his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 16 February.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise the Holodomor in 1932–33 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Holodomor was an horrific, human-made disaster. The UK's long-standing position is that any judgment on whether genocide has taken place is a matter for a competent court, after consideration of all the evidence, rather than a decision for governments or non-judicial parties.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the EU has prevented the use of proceeds from the sale of Chelsea football club to support victims of the war in Ukraine and its wider consequences; and if so, what assessment they have made of the legal basis for the EU to exercise a veto over the use of UK-based assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No, the EU has not prevented the use of proceeds. An independent charitable foundation is being established to manage the proceeds from the sale. Once it has been established, a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation will be required to move the proceeds to the foundation. As set out in the unilateral declaration on 30 May 2022, the government is committed to only issuing a licence which ensures that the proceeds are used for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, and to working closely with the Portuguese Government and the European Commission on this.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, as part of their Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, they are providing support to any victims of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan, whether from the recent violence or from the conflict in Tigray.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There has been an escalation of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls in Sudan since 15 April. The UK has consistently condemned these crimes in our public statements, at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council, and in our diplomatic lobbying. We continue to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising closely with them as they now set up and run their remote working mechanisms. On 4 May, the UK announced a £5 million initial package of humanitarian support to help address the urgent needs of people fleeing violence in Sudan, with £2.5 million allocated to Chad and £2 million to South Sudan. The UK is working with its partners to ensure strong gender and inclusion conflict analyses underpin all aspects of the crisis response.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will support the proposal at the special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Sudan from civil society representatives for the establishment of a special mechanism to document human rights violations in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK has consistently denounced all human rights violations that have taken place since the military coup on 25 October 2021, and the escalation in incidents since 15 April. On 11 May, the UK called for the Special Session on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The HRC voted in favour of the UK-drafted resolution, which condemns the human rights violations and abuses taking place in Sudan. It is the strongest resolution the HRC has passed on Sudan in over a decade. We will continue to work closely with international and civil society actors to monitor the human rights situation. The UK continues to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising closely with them as they now set up and run their remote monitoring mechanisms.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration has been given to broadening the general licence granted in relation to the Syria sanctions (1) beyond the current six-month timeframe, and (2) to cover all humanitarian assistance necessary, in order to address new and existing needs in Syria.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February the UK Government published two General Licences to facilitate earthquake relief efforts in Syria and Turkey. These built on an existing humanitarian exception for UK-funded persons by simplifying licensing for those conducting earthquake relief efforts. The UK will continue to monitor the situation in Syria through regular engagement with Non-Governmental Organisations and financial institutions and is committed to minimising any unintended consequences of sanctions, including through using our humanitarian licensing grounds where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide funding and sustainable support to Ukraine to reform institutional care, including at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Embassy in Kyiv is working closely with the UN, civil society and others to support the Government of Ukraine's approach to institutional care reform - to build a strong, effective child protection system and inclusive societies for children and adults with disabilities. In 2022, we set up a multi-million pound CSSF Civil Society Fund to support Ukrainian civil society organisations, including on deinstitutionalisation reform to ensure all children have a right to a family. The Ukraine Recovery Conference will focus on the role of the private sector, together with governments and civil society, in supporting recovery and reconstruction over the longer term.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the funds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club are urgently made available to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for the highly complex process to establish a foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what medicines and medical products they have given to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the UK's £220 million programme of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region we have delivered over 11 million medical items. This includes 6.8 million doses of medicine - including antibiotics, pain relief and specialist medicines - as well as wound care supplies, personal protective equipment, ventilators, sterile needles, cannulas, bandages, specialist brain and spinal injury equipment, and over 70 ambulances. The UK has provided £300,000 to UK-Med to help train Ukrainian health workers deal with mass casualties and set up mobile health clinics for the most vulnerable civilians.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure the health of the British citizen, Jimmy Lai, since he was incarcerated in Stanley Prison in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain concerned about the targeting of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases carefully. For data protection reasons I cannot share information about an individual without their permission.
Accredited diplomats at our Consulate-General In Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings.
We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society.