Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent pro-war demonstrations held in Baku, Azerbaijan; and what steps they have taken to promote de-escalation of tensions.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is deeply concerned by the recent ceasefire violations on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and regrets the loss of life. We continue to monitor the situation closely. The Government supports the negotiations facilitated by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at securing a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement of 14 July called for both sides to respect the ceasefire, engage in dialogue and refrain from rhetoric that could increase tensions. In our conversations with both governments we will continue to stress the need for a return to substantive talks and the importance of building confidence in the peacebuilding process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Coventry (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the mass arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on 18 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned by the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue. Officials have raised our concerns with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. We are continuing to follow these cases closely and will not hesitate to raise further concerns if necessary.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the arrest of 15 pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong, including the founder of the Democratic Party.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.
The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrest of 15 pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong; and what steps they are taking, as a co-signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration 1984, to (1) defend the freedom to protest; (2) protect the autonomy of the Legislative Council; and (3) ensure that Article 22 of Hong Kong's Basic Law is upheld and respected, in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.
The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of China about the assault and arrests of pro-democracy leaders and lawmakers, including Martin Lee and Jimmy Lai; and what assessment they have made of the freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.
The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Chinese authorities and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit and retain service personnel.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Government is committed to maintaining the overall size of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces continue to meet all their current commitments, keeping the country and its interests safe. They are fully funded to meet their target strength and we continue to increase funding to Defence year on year.
The Armed Forces have active and targeted recruitment campaigns which are proving effective; intake to the UK Regular Armed Forces was 13,520 in the 12 months to 1 July 2019, an increase of 13.4% compared with the same period in 2018.
Outflow from the Regular Armed Forces was 14,880 in the 12 months to July 2019, remaining constant with the same period last year. However, we are not complacent; we closely monitor the impact of Service life on individuals, particularly in areas where there are shortages. Each Service has developed plans to manage this and the proportion of personnel who breach their Service harmony guidelines has reduced across all Services and ranks for the last five years, reflecting the innovative approaches and pro-active management of this issue.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with pro-life groups in Northern Ireland on the legislation to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Julian Smith
There are a range of sensitive policy issues to carefully work through in order to deliver regulations to provide access to abortion services in Northern Ireland by 31 March 2020 in Northern Ireland. This duty will come into effect if the Northern Ireland Executive is not restored by 21 October 2019.
Government officials including from the NIO have met some representatives of the medical profession and other stakeholders and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead.
There will also be a period of consultation throughout this process for individuals in Northern Ireland as well as relevant organisations to provide input and views. I will continue to keep the House updated on these plans at the appropriate opportunities through the Executive Formation Act reporting requirements.
The Government's preference remains seeing the Stormont institutions back up and running so they can take forward any issues of reform on these types of sensitive devolved issues, as a matter of priority.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials were responsible for drafting (i) Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education in England Government consultation and (ii) the draft statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, teachers; and which (i) organisations and (ii) individuals were consulted on the draft guidelines; known to his Department to take a (A) pro-life and (B) pro-choice view on abortion.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Sex education has been compulsory in all maintained secondary schools since 1993. When teaching sex education, schools are required to have regard to the statutory sex and relationships education guidance, which was last updated in 2000. This states that maintained schools must have an up-to-date policy, that sets out the school’s approach to sex education, that they should consult their pupils’ parents and make the policy available to parents. Governors and head teachers should discuss with parents and take on board concerns, on sensitive material to be used in the classroom.
We have recently consulted on updated guidance for sex education alongside the introduction of relationships education at primary and secondary schools. On its introduction, all schools will be required to have in place a written policy for relationships education and relationships and sex education (RSE). Schools must consult parents in developing and reviewing their policy. Schools should ensure that the policy meets the needs of pupils and parents and reflects the community they serve. Schools should also ensure that the policy sets out the content of the subjects, how the content is taught and who is responsible for teaching it. The draft guidance is also clear that schools should ensure that, when they consult parents, they provide examples of the resources they plan to use, as this can be reassuring for parents, and enables them to continue the conversations started in class at home. Schools should assess each resource that they propose to use to ensure that it is appropriate for the age and maturity of pupils, and sensitive to their needs. The Department does not provide guidance to schools on what they place in school libraries as the Department believes schools are best placed to determine this.
The Department conducted a consultation on the draft regulations, statutory guidance and regulatory impact assessment for relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education between July and November 2018. The drafting of the consultation and draft statutory guidance was led by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I, with support from a small team of policy officials and an experienced Headteacher, Ian Bauckham CBE.
The Department was contacted by over 40,000 individuals and organisations during the consultation process. Prior to the consultation, the key decisions were informed by a thorough engagement process. The public call for evidence received over 23,000 responses and the Department engaged directly with 90 organisations, including parents, young people, headteachers, teachers, governors, subject specialists, teaching unions, charities and faith groups. The Department has not made an assessment of their views on abortion specifically. These stakeholders can be found in the Government response to the Call for Evidence at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/pshe/relationships-education-rse-health-education/supporting_documents/180718%20Consultation_call%20for%20evidence%20response_policy%20statement.pdf.
From time-to-time the Department does also receive correspondence on materials used in the current delivery of sex education and this can be due to a variety of reasons. The Department encourages correspondents to contact their school to discuss this and ensure that they are aware of the current sex and relationships education guidance. The Department would take seriously any concern regarding inappropriate materials. The Department has also received a recent petition which raised concerns about RSE resources being produced by lobby groups and external organisations. The draft guidance is clear that schools should ask to see the materials visitors will use as well as a lesson plan in advance, so that they can ensure it meets the full range of pupils’ needs (e.g. special educational needs). The Department also recognises that schools use resources from representative bodies (e.g. many Catholic and other schools draw on the model curricula provided by the Catholic Education Service.) The guidance encourages schools to draw on the expertise of the main subject associations which often quality assure third party resources.
The Department is committed to supporting schools through training, further advice to improve practice and sharing of best practice, including examples of successful parental engagement. This will include advice on using quality assured, age-appropriate resources.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve data transparency amongst large tech companies in order to support competition in the digital services sector.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The 2018 Data Protection Act, which applies the EU’s GDPR standards, ensures data transparency amongst all those who process personal data, including large tech companies. Under the GDPR, companies “must be able to demonstrate that personal data are processed in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject.” These transparency obligations begin at the data collection stage and apply “throughout the life cycle of processing.
This Government is committed to promoting competition in digital markets, to boost competition and innovation for the benefit of consumers and businesses. As such, we commissioned an independent panel, led by Jason Furman to report on the state of competition in digital markets. In its report, published on 13 March, the Panel makes recommendations for changes to the UK’s competition framework in order to face the economic challenges posed by digital markets, in the UK and internationally. Their report includes a bold set of pro-competition measures to open up digital markets, including measures to improve data openness and data mobility. Government is reviewing these recommendations and will issue a response shortly.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether, as a result of the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, he has plans to review the role and scope of the Accelerated Access Collaborative.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Improving the innovation ecosystem in the United Kingdom is key to delivering maximum benefits to patients, the National Health Service and wider economy. The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) are key elements in making the NHS one of the most pro-innovation health systems.
The NHS Long Term Plan and the Second Life Sciences Sector Deal both committed to expanding the AAC to become the umbrella organisation for health innovation. It will set the strategy and priorities for a more effective innovation ecosystem, including streamlining and simplifying the funding and support landscape for the NHS and innovators.
The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and expanded remit of the AAC are complementary, and share commitments to supporting innovation, improving horizon scanning and improving patient access to the best value innovations.