Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have spoken to Israeli authorities concerning the incident on 18 March when Philippe Lazzarini, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Commissioner-General of UNRWA, was denied entry to Gaza; and what assessment they have made of the incident.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the situation referenced in the question.
The UK Government continues to press Israel for increased access for aid, an expansion of the types of aid allowed into Gaza, and for increased capacity inside Gaza.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton in a press release on 19 March that the new Article 23 National Security Legislation in Hong Kong "undermines Hong Kong’s implementation of binding international obligations including the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights", what steps they are taking to ensure that human rights and civil liberties in Hong Kong are protected.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will continue to raise our strong opposition to the continued erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and China's ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration in international fora and at the highest levels of government. The Foreign Secretary last did so with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 16 February. Our Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva also set out our concerns at the Human Rights Council on 20 March, noting the view of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the law was likely incompatible with international law. We will monitor the application of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance in Hong Kong closely and not hesitate to speak out in defence of international rights and norms.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to liaise with the new US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, and to further develop a coordinated international response to help to bring an end to the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK welcomes Tom Perriello's appointment as the US Special Envoy for Sudan. Minister Mitchell spoke to him on 12 March. They discussed international efforts to secure a ceasefire in Sudan. We will continue to work with the wider international community to press the warring parties to end the violence, secure urgently needed humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Department for Education’s teacher training recruitment targets for (1) secondary school teachers, and (2) primary school teachers, will be met this year.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The number of teachers remains high, with more than 468,000 working in state-funded schools across the country, 27,000 more than in 2010.
Performance against target is reported in the Initial Teacher Training Census official statistics, in which the department publishes information on the numbers and characteristics of new entrants to ITT.
The recruitment cycle is still ongoing. Final data and headlines will be published in the Census in December 2024.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report Famine Review Committee: Gaza Strip, March 2024, published on 18 March, what steps they are taking to prevent famine in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis.
On 20 March, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK has funded WFP to provide 2000 tons of food aid, enough to feed 275,000 people in Gaza.
On 25 March, the Royal Air Force airdropped 10 tonnes of food aid - including water, rice and baby food - directly to civilians in Gaza.
We have trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
We continue to call for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of flooded and saturated farmland on farming and food production, following recent data from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which show that soil moisture levels at most of the sites it monitors were at high or above capacity in December 2023 and January 2024.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the impact flooded and saturated farmland has on farming and food production and sympathises with those affected.
On 6 January, we announced we would set up the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by exceptional flooding. The focus of the Fund is in those local authority areas where the Flood Recovery Framework has been activated. Farmers who have been impacted by flooding in these areas will be written to by the Rural Payments Agency inviting them to apply for a grant of up to £25,000 to support them in restoring agricultural land to the conditions it was in before the flooding.
The Government has recently announced £75 million funding for Internal Drainage Boards to protect agricultural land and rural communities from flooding, helping areas recover from recent flooding events and modernising infrastructure to lower costs for farmers and increase their resilience to climate change.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised with the government of the United States the number of weapons packages to Israel it has approved since October 2023; and whether these include (1) precision-guided munitions, (2) small-diameter bombs, (3) bunker busters, (4) small arms, and (5) other lethal aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The US has its own domestic export licensing criteria and processes. We have been clear that all parties to the conflict in Gaza must respect International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians. We have regular engagement with our allies, included the US, on the conflict.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister discussed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with the Prime Minister of India before or since the Prime Minister of India’s visit there on 7 March, including when he expects the regional polls ordered by the Supreme Court of India to take place.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister spoke with Prime Minister Modi on 12 March. Although the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was not discussed, the UK's long-standing position remains that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people. Elections in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir are a matter for the Government of India.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the political and security situation in Haiti; and what action they are taking with international partners to help stabilise the country and end the violence there.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to supporting a Haitian-led political solution to the escalating violence in Haiti and supporting the efforts of Caribbean partners to achieve a return to security and stability. The UK government assists Haiti through our financial contributions to UN agencies and the World Bank.
Ensuring the safety and security of people in the neighbouring UK overseas territory of Turks and Caicos Islands is vital and the UK government has increased its support for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to secure their borders. Minister Rutley, as Minister for the Caribbean, attended the Caribbean Heads of Government meeting (CARICOM) in Guyana on 26 February and heard their concerns on the security situation in Haiti.