Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have made of the October 2022 report by Médecins Sans Frontières alleging violent maltreatment of refugees on the island of Lesbos, including abductions, and also deprivation of food and basic care.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life. We have made no specific assessment in relation to these reports. We regularly discuss migration and treatment of refugees with all of our partners.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to government of Russia to secure the return of 27,000 adult Ukrainians allegedly held in captivity by that government, and any remaining children following the reported return of 371 children.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the forced transfer of Ukrainian civilians, including children, to Russia. The UK has repeatedly called on Russia to stop this practice, provide information on the whereabouts of these civilians and facilitate their safe return. We have raised this issue directly with the Russian Government and are urging them to allow unhindered access for humanitarian organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to provide assistance to those affected populations in Russia, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the increase from £425,000 in 2021–22 to £3 million in 2023–24 in the grant to Turkey for "return & re-integration assistance", which was diverted from the Overseas Development Assistance budget to Home Office International Operations; and what guarantees they have received that this grant will not be used for compulsory repatriation or refoulement.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The £3 million spend in Turkey in 2022 to 2023 was used to deliver training and equipment and exchange visits in relation to border security and detection of narcotics and illicit cash. An additional spend was utilised to support return and reintegration assistance.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to support any deep geothermal pilot projects to provide power and heating, whether by tax relief, indirect investment or otherwise.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Geothermal technologies that generate electricity are eligible for the Contracts for Difference scheme, which is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting low carbon electricity generation. The application window for the next Allocation Round opened on 30th March 2023 and concludes in Summer.
Funding support is available for heat network projects using deep geothermal from The Green Heat Network Fund which offers capital grants to support the commercialisation and construction of new low and zero carbon heat networks. It has recently awarded Cornwall Council £22 million for the Langarth Deep Geothermal Heat Network which is the UK’s first deep geothermal project.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Hungary about (1) the state of emergency imposed since March 2020, (2) the endowment of $1.7 million given by the Hungarian state to the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, and (3) the closure of Hungary's principal universities during the 2022–23 winter; and whether they will place copies of any responses in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has made no representations to the Hungarian Government about the two states of emergency imposed since 2020. The UK respects Hungary's right to determine its own constitutional arrangements, but expects alignment with international norms. UK officials from British Embassy Budapest regularly raise a variety of topics with the Hungarian Government, including education.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the UNICEF reports (1) Fighting the Odds, Catalyzing Change: A Strategic Approach to Ending the Global Problem of Child Marriage, published in September 2022, and (2) Ending Child Marriage: A profile of progress in Bangladesh, published in October 2020, that 51 per cent of girls in Bangladesh marry before the age of 18; and what plans they have to provide funding to ensure that underage girls in that country are protected and able to complete their education.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK aid in Bangladesh tackles the root causes and consequences of child marriage. Through our recently concluded Excluded People's Rights in Bangladesh programme, we supported a range of civil society organisations that worked to raise awareness of child marriage to students, parents and communities. As a result of our support, 15,000 child marriages were stopped. The programme also helped enrol over 900 girls back to school. Going forward, through the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, the UK is also supporting girls at risk of child marriage in Bangladesh. We have helped 48,500 girls to continue their education and will invest up to £54.5 million over eight years (2022-2029) to improve girls' retention in education.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will match the grant recently made by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for relief and reconstruction in the war-damaged province of Tigray.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Since the war in Tigray broke out in 2019, the UK has allocated more than £400 million in humanitarian support to Ethiopia. In May 2023 the UK co-chaired a pledging event for the Horn of Africa that raised around £1.9 billion for nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. £42 million of this is additional support the UK has pledged for Ethiopia, which will be allocated according to need through trusted partners.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to (1) the governments of (a) Greece, and (b) Turkey, (2) the European Commission, and (3) the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, concerning reports of the (a) expulsion from Lesbos Island on 11 April, and (b) subsequent detention in Turkey, of 12 asylum applicants.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has discussed this case with the Greek and Turkish authorities. Greece has rejected allegations that it has acted illegally in protecting its maritime border. I understand that Greece's independent authority for transparency will investigate the reports, following a request from the EU.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Tunisia following the sentencing of (1) imprisonment, and (2) a fine, of Mr Rached Ghannouchi, leader of that country’s largest political party.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely. On 18 April, I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] made clear the UK's view that the recent wave of arrests, including of Rached Ghannouchi and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia were eroding the space for plurality. I reiterated this message during my meeting with the Tunisian Foreign Minister on 4 May. The UK continues to urge the Tunisian Government to respect the principles and values of an open and democratic society at every available opportunity.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the Recommendations from the High Level Officials Meeting of 2021 following the Global Refugee Forum in 2019, they consider not to apply to the UK; and, in each case, what is their primary reason for this assessment.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has not made a specific assessment of the recommendations made in 2021. However, the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in his previous role as Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, addressed the meeting in the following speech: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/minister-cleverly-intervention-at-global-compact-on-refugees-high-level-officials-meeting