Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government of Sudan to prevent or limit atrocities, and protect civilians, while hostilities in that country continue.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our senior diplomats have used meetings with senior decision-makers in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other groups to raise concerns about credible reports of human rights violations and to push the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire, engage in a meaningful peace process, and grant immediate humanitarian access. The UK is also funding open-source investigation experts to use satellite imagery and social media to verify and preserve information relating to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the flow of finance and weapons to Sudan in breach of international sanctions, and what steps they are taking to limit and prevent that flow.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns any actions that fuel the conflict in Sudan and welcomes the findings of the UN Panel of Experts' report on external support in Darfur. The UK expects all countries to comply with existing UN sanctions and continues to work closely with partners at the UN Security Council to enforce these. On 12 July 2023, the Minister for Development and Africa announced sanctions on six Sudanese entities under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. Our sanctions policy is continually under review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) funding, and (2) other support, the UK has provided to the United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Fact-Finding Mission was established by a UK-led resolution at the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council. As an independent mechanism, the UN regular budget funds the mission, which rules out the option of providing UK extra-budgetary funding. The UK provided funds to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): £350,000 between March 2022 and November 2022, and £650,000 from January 2023 to December 2023 to support OHCHR's wider work on Sudan. We will continue to raise the situation in Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of communications blackouts on humanitarian operations, including in (1) Sudan, and (2) Gaza.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly condemns the blackouts in Sudan and calls for an immediate resumption of telecommunications and internet connectivity. The blackouts make it even more difficult for the world to see what is happening in Sudan. They also exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, as millions of people rely on online payments for food and other essentials. We are also deeply concerned about the severely damaged telecommunications and internet networks in Gaza, which are causing repeated near total communications blackouts. This is limiting the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to communicate and greatly hampers the humanitarian response. Officials are in regular contact with Paltel, the leading telecommunications company in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We recognise the strenuous efforts of Paltel's staff in Gaza to make repairs and maintain services, at great risk to themselves.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility of a new United Nations, African Union or other regional peacekeeping force in Sudan.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Neither the UN nor the African Union have suggested peacekeeping as a suitable response to Sudan's conflict at this stage. The UK Government's main objectives remain to pursue all diplomatic avenues to end the violence in Sudan, improving humanitarian access and addressing human rights violations carried out by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. We continue to work closely with the UN, African Union and with counterparts from African and Gulf states as well as our closest allies to achieve these aims, which our partners share.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Nations press release UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls, published on 19 February, concerning findings of reported human rights violations to Palestinian women and girls by Israeli security forces from (1) the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, (2) the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and (3) the Working group on discrimination against women and girls.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK condemns sexual violence unequivocally and without exception. These reports are deeply disturbing. Reports of sexual violence must be fully investigated to ensure justice for survivors and victims.

Through our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict programmes and dedicated funding totalling £60 million, we are leading work internationally to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and strengthen justice and support for all survivors.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to the organisation Remembering Srebrenica in each financial year since its establishment; and what plans they have to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide that was committed there.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Government has provided funding for the Remembering Srebrenica programme as outlined in the table below:

*For the current financial year, £75,000 has been issued so far, with the final £75,000 tranche of funding expected to be released in March. This is subject to progress against key milestones as set out in Remembering Srebrenica’s workplan.

Regarding the 30^th anniversary of the genocide, it is important that such a significant anniversary is appropriately commemorated, including by the UK Government.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the government of Rwanda is supporting the M23 militia and its incursions into and occupation of Congolese territory; what recent discussions they have had with the governments of France and the United States regarding this issue; and what, if any, representations they have made to the government of Rwanda.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is alarmed by further escalations of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and continue to raise this with DRC and Rwandan governments at every appropriate moment. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) met with President Kagame and Foreign Minister Biruta during his visit to Rwanda in late August, where he encouraged de-escalation and emphasised the need for a peaceful political solution. The UK continues to work closely with likeminded countries; our Great Lakes Envoy is currently on a UN-led trip to the region alongside French and US counterparts and will continue to encourage a return to regional political processes over military solutions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the measures relating to hare coursing introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 since they came into force.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official figures are not held on the number of instances of violent crime or intimidation related to hare coursing or poaching. Hare coursing or poaching are not crimes which the police are required to notify to the Home Office. However, where violence or intimidation is used in connection with an incident of hare coursing or poaching this would be recorded under the relevant violence against the person or public order offence classification. However, it is not possible to separately identify those that are connected to hare coursing or poaching in the data held centrally by the Home Office.

It is standard practice for primary legislation to be subject to a post-implementation review after sufficient time has passed to assess its impact.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy aims to target hare coursing through better preventative action, improved intelligence, and enforcement activity.

The Government is committed to driving down rural crime and the Home Office continues to work closely with the National Rural Crime Unit to help ensure an effective police response to rural crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with, and what guidance they have issued to, the National Police Chiefs’ Council about tackling hare coursing.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official figures are not held on the number of instances of violent crime or intimidation related to hare coursing or poaching. Hare coursing or poaching are not crimes which the police are required to notify to the Home Office. However, where violence or intimidation is used in connection with an incident of hare coursing or poaching this would be recorded under the relevant violence against the person or public order offence classification. However, it is not possible to separately identify those that are connected to hare coursing or poaching in the data held centrally by the Home Office.

It is standard practice for primary legislation to be subject to a post-implementation review after sufficient time has passed to assess its impact.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy aims to target hare coursing through better preventative action, improved intelligence, and enforcement activity.

The Government is committed to driving down rural crime and the Home Office continues to work closely with the National Rural Crime Unit to help ensure an effective police response to rural crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many instances of violent crime or intimidation related to hare coursing or poaching were recorded by police in each of the past five years.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official figures are not held on the number of instances of violent crime or intimidation related to hare coursing or poaching. Hare coursing or poaching are not crimes which the police are required to notify to the Home Office. However, where violence or intimidation is used in connection with an incident of hare coursing or poaching this would be recorded under the relevant violence against the person or public order offence classification. However, it is not possible to separately identify those that are connected to hare coursing or poaching in the data held centrally by the Home Office.

It is standard practice for primary legislation to be subject to a post-implementation review after sufficient time has passed to assess its impact.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy aims to target hare coursing through better preventative action, improved intelligence, and enforcement activity.

The Government is committed to driving down rural crime and the Home Office continues to work closely with the National Rural Crime Unit to help ensure an effective police response to rural crime.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to (1) the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and (2) the National Rural Crime Unit, to address hare coursing and poaching.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Official figures are not held on the number of instances of violent crime or intimidation related to hare coursing or poaching. Hare coursing or poaching are not crimes which the police are required to notify to the Home Office. However, where violence or intimidation is used in connection with an incident of hare coursing or poaching this would be recorded under the relevant violence against the person or public order offence classification. However, it is not possible to separately identify those that are connected to hare coursing or poaching in the data held centrally by the Home Office.

It is standard practice for primary legislation to be subject to a post-implementation review after sufficient time has passed to assess its impact.

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy aims to target hare coursing through better preventative action, improved intelligence, and enforcement activity.

The Government is committed to driving down rural crime and the Home Office continues to work closely with the National Rural Crime Unit to help ensure an effective police response to rural crime.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 12 July 2023 (HL9069), which stated that “Introducing a close season for brown hares remains an option”, what indicators they are using to assess the necessity of this option, and how frequently they review it.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The proposal to introduce a close season for the brown hare, referred to in HL9069, was set out in the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare. In terms of the necessity of a close season from a wildlife conservation perspective, the brown hare is one of the indicator species for our legally binding targets in England to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and then reverse declines by 2042. We know that in order to meet these targets we will need large-scale habitat creation and restoration and improved connectivity but this will be supplemented where appropriate by intelligence on individual species. While there are no immediate plans to undertake a national mammal population review as was conducted in 2018, we should get an idea of trends in our brown hare population from published surveys, for example from the British Trust for Ornithology’s mammal recording, which it has been conducting since 1995 with a view to helping improve our knowledge of the distribution and population trends of some of our commoner mammals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the links between hare coursing and organised crime, and what assessment they have made of the economic impact of hare coursing and poaching.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government recognises the impact which hare coursing has on rural communities. The Government has considered evidence from a wide range of stakeholders and the police on the problems caused by hare coursing, including with organised crime.

That is why we have introduced new measures to strengthen law enforcement and increase the powers of the courts through the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act. They have been widely welcomed. The new offences and higher penalties introduced by the Act are all being used and imposed by the courts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific action they have taken to mitigate risk factors, and prevent atrocity crimes, in response to the conclusion of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia in October 2023 that “eight of the Common Risk Factors for atrocity crimes are present in Ethiopia and that there is evidence to suggest that certain indicators of majority of the Specific Risk Factors for atrocity crimes are also present”; and what steps they are taking to support continued international scrutiny and independent investigations into past and ongoing violations in Ethiopia.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has repeatedly called for those responsible for atrocities in Ethiopia to be held to account. The UK was strongly supportive of the establishment of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE). The UK has deployed an expert to support the drafting of Ethiopia's national Transitional Justice Policy and we are working to promote a survivor-centred, gender-sensitive approach. We fund UNOHCHR to deploy international human rights monitors and build early warning networks of CSOs and human rights defenders. Through our Human Rights and Peacebuilding Programme, we are supporting the investigative capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and facilitating dialogue between groups from across Ethiopia.  We regularly convene with likemindeds to coordinate support and ensure accountability for atrocities and human rights violations and to ensure the effective, full implementation of the Tigray peace agreement and the Transitional Justice Policy once finalised.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of efforts since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in November 2022 to achieve justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray, and what support they are providing to those efforts.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence in Ethiopia. We have consistently called for an end to the appalling gender-based violence committed across Ethiopia, including sexual violence, particularly during the Tigray conflict. We therefore welcome the recent agreement to implement a comprehensive national Transitional Justice policy aimed at accountability, redress for victims, reconciliation, and healing. The UK has called for the perpetrators to be held to account and the importance of a victim-centered, gender-sensitive approach. We will work with the Ethiopian Government and civil society in their efforts to hold perpetrators to account, including building the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission through the UK's Human Rights and Peacebuilding programme (HARP).

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative Team of Experts have been deployed to Ethiopia since 2020; for what purposes; how long each deployment lasted; and what assessment they have made of the impact of its work.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), including through the PSVI Team of Experts. Since its launch, the UK has deployed experts over 90 times globally to enhance UK and international efforts.

From June to August 2021, an expert was deployed to Ethiopia to identify opportunities for scaling up the response to CRSV. We worked with partners to implement recommendations, including enhancing support for survivors, commissioning research into the dynamics of CRSV and deploying longer-term Gender expertise. From June to October 2022, another expert provided capacity-building training to civil society on CRSV. These deployments have provided the foundation for the UK's ongoing work on CRSV in country.

Found: Kerr of Kinlochard, Baroness Meacher, Lord Murray of Blidworth, Baroness Meacher, Baroness Hamwee, Baroness

Found: Alongside a colleague of mine, Baroness Helic who was instrumental in establishing this very initiative

Found: Kerr of Kinlochard, Baroness Meacher, Lord Murray of Blidworth, Baroness Meacher, Baroness Hamwee, Baroness