John Howell

The Charity Commission is the independent regulator and registrar for charities in England and Wales. As an independent non-Ministerial Department, Ministers cannot direct or control the Charity Commission. It is answerable to the courts for its legal decisions.

Disputes and disagreements in charities can be particularly damaging to the public’s confidence in charities. The Charity Commission opened a regulatory compliance case into Christ Church college in January last year and has continued to engage with the charity over a number of issues connected to the dispute at the College. These have included the expenditure of charitable funds on legal expenses connected to the dispute. The Commission has also instructed the trustees to commission an independent governance review. The Commission continues to closely engage with the charity and will do so until the matter is resolved.

The UK remains deeply concerned about the restrictions on movement and access that affect Gaza. DFID is providing £1.3 million (2018-21) to support the UN’s Access Coordination Unit (ACU), which works with all relevant parties to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza for UN and NGO workers. The ACU works with the Egyptian authorities to facilitate access through the Rafah crossing.

We will provide an update on whether the project should continue in due course.

We have no plans to make a specific assessment. Public bodies must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This already requires them to consider how their policies affect people who are protected under the Equality Act 2010, including those with a disability.

We have not made a specific assessment.

We are committed to tackling discrimination. Public authorities, including the Department and all National Health Service providers, must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This requires them to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination when carrying out their activities.

The UK welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 20 May, which is an important step to ending the cycle of violence and loss of civilian life. The UK unequivocally condemns the firing of rockets at Jerusalem and locations within Israel. We strongly condemn these acts of terrorism from Hamas and other terrorist groups. The UK retains a policy of no contact with Hamas in its entirety.

The UK Government welcomes the important work that Lord Blencathra has undertaken as a Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on the need for widespread and achievable electoral reform in Belarus. For too long the Belarusian regime has deprived its people of their democratic and political rights. Since last year's fraudulent Presidential elections, the UK Government has been at the forefront of international efforts to hold the Belarusian authorities to account, including through invoking the OSCE Moscow Mechanism. The UK and our partners have repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to implement all of the recommendations in Professor Benedek's subsequent report into electoral fraud and human rights violations. This includes the holding of new Presidential elections that meet international standards and are subject to unhindered monitoring by credible independent observers, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The UK Government continues to urge the Belarusian authorities to support the calls for urgent electoral and democratic reform and the growth of civil society, to ensure the rightful democratic aspirations of its people are met.

The UK welcomes President Sandu's focus in her 19 April speech on the importance of political, economic and judicial reforms to Moldova's future stability and prosperity. I was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with President Sandu and others during my recent visit to Moldova. During my visit, I underlined the UK's continued support for efforts to combat corruption, and to develop a professional, independent, impartial and transparent judiciary, in line with international rules and norms. This included the announcement of a new UK project, which will provide support to the Presidential Administration on developing anti-corruption and judicial reform strategies and initiatives. The UK's work in this area is well-aligned with the Council of Europe Action Plan for Moldova.

I welcome Minister Roth's address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 April, and wish to thank him for the German Chairmanship's efforts and leadership during this particularly difficult time. The UK advocates strongly for the Council of Europe to remain focussed on the core tasks of promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; we will continue to work with incoming Chairmanships on this important task.

We welcome the intention of EU accession to the ECHR to strengthen and enhance human rights protections in Europe, whilst protecting the integrity of the Council of Europe and the ability of the European Court of Human Rights to operate. The Court is an essential part of the system for protecting human rights across Europe. We will continue to engage proactively in negotiations with these principles in mind.

The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's strategic reflection is a welcome and important one. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is considering the strategic direction of the Council of Europe following the Secretary General's report. I will represent the UK at the Council of Europe Ministerial on 21 May, which will be an opportunity for the Committee of Ministers to determine the medium term direction of the institution. The Assembly's views will of course be included in these considerations. The Assembly plays a vital role as the parliamentary and consultative arm of the Council of Europe, and the UK is proud to contribute a committed and active delegation to this work.

The Government notes the resolution and welcomes the Council’s support for the work of the OECD’s Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS).

The Government has been proactive in pressing for an international solution to the tax challenges posed by digitisation of the economy for a number of years.

It is a Government priority to reach a comprehensive global solution this year which includes outputs on both OECD Pillars: on both reallocation of taxing rights and minimum taxation.

Reaching agreement on this would be a major multilateral achievement that introduces stability into the international tax landscape.

HMT officials are in discussion with the IMF, through the UK’s delegation at the IMF, on the situation in Lebanon and options for IMF economic support. Any new programme needs to be agreed with a new Government, who will succeed the current caretaker arrangement, to ensure that all commitments can be delivered and implemented. No new programme is able to be proposed at this interim stage, so a formal view on the adequacy of safeguards is not possible.

The IMF must establish adequate safeguards for use of its resources, consulting and updating the Board of Directors, as its policy develops. Safeguards can include for example: strengthening auditing or procurement rules, and wider Central Bank reform. The UK uses its seat on the IMF Board, in conjunction with other board members, to help ensure that programme conditions are consistent with the IMF’s mandate.

There have not been formal discussions at the IMF board on Lebanon, though the IMF’s spokesman has said recently that “there is significant scope to strengthen the transparency and accountability of economic policies, and public sector entities.”

For all IMF programmes, the UK uses its seat at the IMF’s Board to engage in the process of programme design and stipulation of conditions on lending. We utilise the expertise of our embassy network to ensure that programme conditions reflect the domestic political situation while remaining consistent with the IMF’s mandate.

IMF programmes in general are subject to strict policies of oversight and monitoring, underpinned by well-established mechanisms.

Under its Articles of Agreement, the IMF must establish adequate safeguards for the use of its resources. IMF lending requires safeguards covering key areas of governance and control to help mitigate the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of data. These safeguards may include limits on how much can be borrowed, conditions on the loans, measures to deal with misreporting or arrears, and safeguard assessments of central banks. The UK also uses its seat at the Board to help shape these policies and ensure that they are applied across all the IMF’s lending arrangements.

The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters, including whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.

We welcome the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s important work in this area. The UK Government continues to take its responsibilities under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities very seriously and does not underestimate the importance and challenge of preserving national minorities.

The UK is committed to creating a fair society in which all people are valued and able to participate fully and realise their own potential. In that respect, we call on all member States who have not done so, to ratify the Framework Convention for National Minorities in a timely manner, as a valuable tool for protecting the rights of minorities across Europe.

My Hon Friend will appreciate that there are a number of competing demands for time in the House of Commons chamber. This includes ensuring adequate time for scrutiny of the government's legislative programme and meeting the standing order requirements to provide opposition and backbench time. While I am not in a position to commit to an annual debate on the Council of Europe, this is the type of subject matter for debate that my Hon Friend may wish to take up with the Backbench Business Committee.