Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 56 of the Concluding Observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the UK to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, published on 22 June 2023, whether he plans to accept the recommendation that an enlisted child should not be subject to a longer minimum service period than an enlisted adult.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Under 18 recruits are able to leave up to the day before their 18th birthday via a variety of mechanisms such as Discharge As Of Right or Discharge Under 18. Prior to their 18th birthday, they make an informed choice as to whether to remain in service beyond this age. These rights are exclusive to those Under 18, providing additional safeguards appropriate to their age. Subsequent adult service is only committed to having completed this period of enhanced rights and having attained the age of 18. Individuals who decide to leave the Armed Forces are supported for up to two years post discharge to gain a route into further education, training or employment.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 56 of the Concluding Observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the UK to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, published on 22 June 2023, whether he plans to accept the recommendation that a child from a separated family should not be enlisted if only one parent gives consent.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Applicants under the age of 18 are only accepted with the written consent by all appropriate persons – that is to say those with legal parental responsibility or a legal guardian. If an agreement cannot be reached, a parent can apply for a Specific Issue Order or Prohibited Steps Order. A judge will then make a decision based on the applicant’s best interests.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations included in the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime report entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report, published in 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We welcomed the UN Office of Drugs and Crime report and the fact that it recognised the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment.
We have carefully considered all the recommendations of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).
Many of the resourcing recommendations fall outside of Defra's remit but progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU to £1.2 million for the three-year period from 2022 to 2025, compared to £495,000 in the three years previous. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in their team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following the publication of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality on 22 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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. We recognise the pivotal role the UNRWA play in support of Palestinians in Gaza and neighbouring countries.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps with international partners to (a) press Pakistan to stop deportation of Afghan people and (b) develop a longer-term strategy on the situation in Afghanistan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is closely monitoring Pakistan's policy on the deportation of Afghans and ministers have raised it most recently with Pakistan's Minister of Human Rights and Deputy Prime Minister. We are working with a number of international partners, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the World Bank to ensure Pakistan adheres to its international human rights obligations with respect to those affected. Since September 2023, we have committed £18.5m to the IOM to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable returnees in Afghanistan. We are also grateful for Pakistan's continued co-operation over our Afghan resettlement schemes.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take action following reported cases of self-immolation and suicide among Tibetan Monks protesting against the government of China; and in particular whether they have made representations to that government, including in relation to the death of monk Tenzin Dorjee.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently raises human rights issues with the Chinese authorities, including in relation to Tibet. The Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific raised human rights during her visit to China in April, and the Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting in February with China's Foreign Minister. We also regularly raise concerns about China's actions in Tibet in multilateral fora, for example, in January at China's Universal Periodic Review, and in March as part of our Item 4 statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people receive adequate financial support through the benefit system; and with reference to the advance unedited report from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entitled Report on follow-up to the inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 22 March 2024, if he will take steps to implement human rights-based cumulative impact assessments of the potential impact of welfare reforms on disabled people.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As requested by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will submit a report by March 2029 with information on how we are implementing the Committee’s recommendations outlined in their latest report published in April 2024. The Government, through the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office, has already begun considering the recommendations from this report.
The Government continues to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Committee’s 2016 inquiry recommendations through many policies that improve disabled people’s lives.
These include the Disability Action Plan, the National Disability Strategy and providing unprecedented health and employment support through our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan as well as our Chance to Work Guarantee.
We are also improving the health and disability benefits system, enhancing the accessibility of homes and transport, and continuing other work outlined in our various published follow-up reports and in our dialogue with the Committee.
The Government is providing an unprecedented cost of living support package worth £108 billion over 2022 to 2025 which included £20 billion for two rounds of Cost of Living Payments. This support importantly helped to shield people from the impact of inflation, preventing 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23.
Since 2010, the Government has overseen significant falls in poverty with 1.1 million fewer people in absolute low income after housing costs in 2022/23 compared to 2009/10
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the advance unedited report from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entitled Report on follow-up to the inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 22 March 2024, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure non-regression of the Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (a) principles and (b) standards.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As requested by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will submit a report by March 2029 with information on how we are implementing the Committee’s recommendations outlined in their latest report published in April 2024. The Government, through the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office, has already begun considering the recommendations from this report.
The Government continues to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Committee’s 2016 inquiry recommendations through many policies that improve disabled people’s lives.
These include the Disability Action Plan, the National Disability Strategy and providing unprecedented health and employment support through our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan as well as our Chance to Work Guarantee.
We are also improving the health and disability benefits system, enhancing the accessibility of homes and transport, and continuing other work outlined in our various published follow-up reports and in our dialogue with the Committee.
The Government is providing an unprecedented cost of living support package worth £108 billion over 2022 to 2025 which included £20 billion for two rounds of Cost of Living Payments. This support importantly helped to shield people from the impact of inflation, preventing 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23.
Since 2010, the Government has overseen significant falls in poverty with 1.1 million fewer people in absolute low income after housing costs in 2022/23 compared to 2009/10
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to accept the recommendations of the advance unedited report from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entitled Report on follow-up to the inquiry concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 22 March 2024.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As requested by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will submit a report by March 2029 with information on how we are implementing the Committee’s recommendations outlined in their latest report published in April 2024. The Government, through the Disability Unit in the Cabinet Office, has already begun considering the recommendations from this report.
The Government continues to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Committee’s 2016 inquiry recommendations through many policies that improve disabled people’s lives.
These include the Disability Action Plan, the National Disability Strategy and providing unprecedented health and employment support through our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan as well as our Chance to Work Guarantee.
We are also improving the health and disability benefits system, enhancing the accessibility of homes and transport, and continuing other work outlined in our various published follow-up reports and in our dialogue with the Committee.
The Government is providing an unprecedented cost of living support package worth £108 billion over 2022 to 2025 which included £20 billion for two rounds of Cost of Living Payments. This support importantly helped to shield people from the impact of inflation, preventing 1.3 million people from falling into absolute poverty after housing costs in 2022/23.
Since 2010, the Government has overseen significant falls in poverty with 1.1 million fewer people in absolute low income after housing costs in 2022/23 compared to 2009/10
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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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.