Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Trussell Trust Hunger in the UK, published in June; whether they intend to publish a response; and if so, when.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has no plans to publish a response to the report by the Trussell Trust on Hunger in the UK. However, we continue to monitor new research and evidence produced by external organisations.
Government takes the issue of food security seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 2019/20. These questions remain in the survey and will allow us to track food security over time
Building on the food insecurity data which this Government first published in 2019/20, we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time. These will, alongside the broad suite of poverty data, help the Government to understand more about the characteristics of people most in need and help shape future policy considerations.
We will continue to work across Government to support the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they consider may be effective means for securing the release of British citizen Mr Vladimir Kara-Murza, currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in Russia, following two previous attempts to poison him, whether by bi-lateral or multi-lateral action.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Vladimir Kara-Murza's conviction stands contrary to Russia's international obligations on human rights and we call for his release. We continue to raise Mr Kara-Murza's case with the Russian authorities in London and Moscow at all appropriate opportunities, including summoning the Russian Ambassador to the FCDO on the day of sentencing. In April, we sanctioned five individuals related to Mr Kara-Murza's detention and treatment. We have also raised Mr Kara-Murza's case in multilateral fora, most recently in sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. We continue to review all available options to raise Mr Kara-Murza's case to hold Russia accountable.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to call for the immediate release by Russia and Ukraine of all medical personnel being held captive.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK consistently calls for Russia to comply fully with International Humanitarian Law, and the need to respect and protect medical personnel in all circumstances. Humanitarian organisations must be given full, safe and unhindered access to populations in need of assistance. No one should be punished for or prevented from providing essential medical treatment. In our public communications and statements we draw attention to Russia's actions in Ukraine, including arbitrary detentions of civilians. In March, the UK led a joint statement on behalf of 40 countries, which called on Russia to release everyone detained in contravention of international law.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that independent persons observe the forthcoming trial in Andrew Tate, a British-American dual national, his brother, and others, who are accused of serious offences in Bucharest.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials do not routinely attend court hearings overseas nor can they instruct independent persons to do so.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to assist with the detailed recording of all cases of torture or inhumane treatment of prisoners by both Russia and Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is mounting evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. We remain committed to ensuring that all parties are held to account for their actions. Investigators from the International Criminal Court and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine are investigating all allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UK is supporting both independent investigations, financially and through capacity building programmes. The UK, the US and the EU established the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group to provide practical and financial support to the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will press for immediate access to all Ukrainian prisoners, whether military or civilian, and whether or not they have been sentenced, for the international Committee of the Red Cross.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK routinely calls for full compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including granting humanitarian access to prisoners of war and civilian detainees. As set out in the Third Geneva Convention, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has the mandate to go wherever prisoners of war and civilian detainees are held and monitor their conditions of detention, their treatment, and share news with their families. ICRC has an ongoing confidential dialogue with Russia and Ukraine on this matter.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, following official US and EU reports that the government of Rwanda is arming and supporting the M23 militia, who are accused of mass killings and rapes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has a long-standing commitment to supporting prosperity, development, and stability in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We continue to monitor the security situation in eastern DRC closely and are deeply concerned by the grave humanitarian consequences. We are one of a few partners who have a permanent presence in Goma, despite the security challenges, and will continue to operate in the east to work with the Government and humanitarian partners. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC with DRC, Rwanda and the region, where we urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda processes, including the withdrawal by armed groups including M23. The UK firmly believes the regional Nairobi and Luanda diplomatic peace processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace in eastern DRC and offer them our full support. We will continue to work with members of the international community to bring an end to the violence.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to locate unaccompanied children who arrived in the UK since July 2021 who were placed in hotels in Kent and Sussex who have subsequently gone missing.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Police forces are responsible for locating missing children, in their region, in line with standard processes for any missing child in the UK.
We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.
Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.
If any child including unaccompanied asylum seeking children, goes missing the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. The local authority will work with multiple agencies to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.