Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether asylum seekers arriving in the UK unlawfully from the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be subject to removal to the Republic of Rwanda, under the provisions of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Anyone in the UK illegally, including those who arrived through illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary means, may be in scope for removal to Rwanda.
Only those who face a real and imminent risk of serious and irreversible harm based on their individual circumstances will be able to appeal decisions in the UK.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children are currently homeless in temporary accommodation in England and Wales, and how these figures compare to 2010; what is the average length of time that homeless children spend in temporary accommodation; and what action they are taking in this regard.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The statutory homelessness statistics for England publish quarterly data from local authorities containing information on families in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter. Data can be found at Statutory homelessness in England: October to December 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Details of the length of time families with children are housed in temporary accommodation are published annually and can be found at Statutory homelessness in England: financial year 2022-23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In terms of the action the government is taking, I refer the Noble Lord to the response provided to UIN 14761 on 26 February 2024.
Housing is devolved and quarterly statistics for Wales can be found on the Welsh Government’s website.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with international partners on implementing the recommendations for a common approach among relevant political, humanitarian and development actors, contained in the UN Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioğlu’s independent assessment on Afghanistan, dated 8 November 2023.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is supportive of the recommendations within the UN Special Coordinator's Independent Assessment, viewing them as the best path for an Afghanistan at peace with itself and the international community. We engage regularly with international partners on this issue, including hosting a meeting in London of G7+ Special Representatives for Afghanistan in January to discuss the report in detail. Senior officials also attend the UN-convened meetings in Doha for Special Representatives as part of this process. Ministers and officials regularly discuss the report's recommendations with international partners, including during the Foreign Secretary's recent trip to Central Asia.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have on the progress of the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the Situation in the State of Palestine, announced by the Prosecutor on 3 March 2021 and covering crimes alleged to have been committed since 13 June 2014.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Our position on the ICC's investigation into the situation in the OPTs has not changed.
The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court and we fully respect the independence of the Court.
As a State Party to the Geneva Conventions, 1949, the Israeli Government is obliged to take action against Israeli nationals accused of grave breaches of International Humanitarian Law. It is for the Israeli domestic judicial system to try or extradite those accused of grave breaches.
We continue to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected and civilians to be protected. It is vital that all parties ensure that their actions are proportionate, necessary and minimise harm to civilians.
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 current political and security situation in Haiti; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to provide urgent humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister Rutley has engaged significantly on this issue, discussing it with regional and international partners over many months. I most recently engaged with Caribbean partners during my attendance at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government meeting in Guyana on 26 February, where I discussed concerns about - and options to respond to - the security situation in Haiti. The UK welcomes the recent swearing in of the Transitional Presidential Council. This is an important step on the journey to restoring much needed political stability in Haiti. It is clear that the climate of insecurity is driving Haiti's humanitarian needs, and we hope that deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti, to which the Foreign Secretary announced a £5 million ODA contribution on 9 April, will improve this. The difficult security situation within Haiti has impeded humanitarian access but we will continue to work with our international partners to build a coordinated and coherent response so that international support can reach people in need.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many river habitats in England have good ecological status; how many are polluted by chemical waste, including raw sewage and agricultural waste; and what steps they are taking to ensure the existing regulatory framework for managing the water environment in the UK is more effectively applied.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The last Water Framework Directive (WFD) full water body classification results in 2019 showed 16% of all surface water bodies (14% for river water bodies), in England achieved good ecological status (GES) (or good ecological potential for artificial and heavily modified water bodies), and 64% of surface water bodies achieved moderate ecological status (or potential).
The next full results will be published by the Environment Agency (EA) in 2025. The headline reporting for WFD creates a simplified picture and is just one way of understanding the water environment. For example, the last classification results for England showed the 79% of elements the EA test for GES were classed at Good.
Most water bodies failing to reach GES are subject to multiple pressures. The top three pressures are physical modification of water bodies, diffuse agricultural pollution and waste water management. More detailed information on water body reasons for not achieving good are publicly available on the EA’s Catchment Data Explorer.
The EA has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern to assess their presence and quantities in our rivers. This allows the Agency to prioritise suitable management. Additionally, EA has developed a list of priority chemicals of concern which are regularly monitored alongside appropriate measures to protect aquatic wildlife and human health.
The government is committed to achieving the goals of the Environment Improvement Plan to bring 75% of our water to as close to its natural state as soon as practicable. Our Plan for Water, published last year will go further and faster towards that goal and deliver a safe, reliable, resilient supply of clean and plentiful water underpinned by increased investment in infrastructure, increased regulation and stronger enforcement.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 April of an increase in defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5 per cent GDP by 2030 differs from the pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030 given by the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022; and whether a spending review will be required.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Prime Minister's announcement is for a fully funded commitment to reach 2.5% of GDP in financial year (FY)2030-31. It is supported by a commitment not to increase borrowing or debt.
The current spending review period concludes at the end of FY2024-25, and a future Spending Review will formalise spending plans for the following period.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to the Prime Minister of Israel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Prime Minister last spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister on 30 April 2024.
They discussed the current hostage negotiations, the importance of getting much more aid into Gaza, including via vital land routes, and Israel's commitment to achieving this. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's support for Israel's security and made clear that our focus is on de-escalation, which is essential and in everyone's interest.
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 report by the Independent Review Group on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, published on 22 April; and what assessment they have made of the implications of the findings in that report on the UK's funding of UNRWA.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent reports by the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Human Rights Watch, what discussions they have had with the government of Rwanda concerning (1) whether that government are providing logistical support to the M23 rebels to operate inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and (2) whether Rwandan troops are reinforcing or fighting alongside the M23.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We continue to raise the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the governments of DRC and Rwanda to urge for an end to the violence, human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups including M23. On 9 April, the Prime Minister met with President Kagame and underlined the importance of a political process to resolve the situation. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) also raised this issue with President Kagame during his visit to Rwanda on 6 April. We continue to emphasise to all parties that recent mediation efforts of the Angola-led Luanda peace process should be followed with further tangible action.