Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) commitments, and (2) reassurances, they have made to the government of Gibraltar in the event that there is no negotiated outcome to the issues raised by the UK–EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to work alongside the Government of Gibraltar to secure a treaty with the EU, in respect of Gibraltar's relationship with the EU. Following meetings on 14 and 15 December the Foreign Secretary, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, EU Vice President and Spanish Foreign Minister all reiterated their commitment to that outcome. The UK Government is working alongside the Government of Gibraltar to prepare for the possibility of no negotiated outcome. This includes projects to increase infrastructure resilience at the land border and port, and sharing of expertise. The UK will stand fully behind Gibraltar in any scenario.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), how many dengue fever infections there were in the UK in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021, based on data held by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in (a) England, (b) Wales, and (c) Northern Ireland, comprised of laboratory reports from the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of imported cases of dengue cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2020 and 2021.
| 2020 | 2021 |
England | 101 | 93 |
Wales | 1 | 1 |
Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 |
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 11 November (HL3016), how much Official Development Assistance (ODA) support they provided to the Global Financing Facility in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, and (4) 2021; and how much ODA was specifically for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) to bilateral priority countries in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, and (c) 2021.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has committed a total of £95 million of Official Development Assistance to the Global Financing Facility from 2017 to 2025 in two phases. The payments made to date are 1) £18 million in 2018, 2) £8 million in 2019, 3) £3 million in 2020 and 4) £6 million in 2021.
Overall the UK spent the following amount of bilateral Official Development Assistance on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights over the last three years. 1) £515 million in 2019, 2) £372 million in 2020 and 3) £242 million in 2021. This data is calculated using the methodology outlined in the Donor Delivering Report and the Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for Development and Africa on 14 November that he was "pleased to confirm new UK Government funding to the Global Family Partnership FP2030", whether they will provide a breakdown of that funding.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK plays a leading role in advancing voluntary family planning globally, as part of our longstanding commitment to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. New UK funding to the Global Family Planning Partnership 'FP2030' will accelerate country leadership in regions including North, West, and Central Africa; East and Southern Africa; Asia and the Pacific; and Latin America and the Caribbean.
We are not able to give a yearly funding breakdown until ODA funding allocations are confirmed over the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how initial safeguarding judgments are used by (1) Home Office staff, and (2) contractors, when deciding on the treatment of asylum-seekers, in particular of unaccompanied children.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Home Office and its accommodation providers have robust processes in place to ensure that where someone is at risk they are referred to the appropriate statutory agencies of police, NHS and social services to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions.
All contingency sites have security staff and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents. However, the statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.
We have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in emergency interim hotels are as safe and supported as possible whilst we seek urgent placements with a local authority. Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), what measures they have in place to monitor for an increase in dengue fever cases; how many cases would be sufficient to warrant further investigation; and what such investigations may involve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dengue fever cases reported in the United Kingdom have been acquired as a result of travelling to endemic areas, such as South and South East Asia, South and Central America, Africa and the Caribbean. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises health professionals to be alert to the possibility of dengue fever in returning travellers. Where a case is suspected, health professionals should contact the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory for advice and diagnosis.
There is no pre-determined threshold for the number of cases which would warrant a response. Laboratory clinical and epidemiological teams monitor changes in the pattern of diagnosis and respond as appropriate, such as updating current advice for travellers and the National Health Service, increasing diagnostic testing and reporting in accordance with international health regulations. The UKHSA also works with local authorities, port health and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to monitor points of entry for the invasive mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue in France.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what fiscal steps they are taking to support women and girls' (1) sexual, and (2) reproductive, (a) health, and (b) rights, in countries on which their funding is targeted.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This is demonstrated by our success in securing a landmark statement at the UN General Assembly third committee and the publication of the UK approach to Ending the Preventable Deaths of mothers, babies and children. We also provide funding to key organisations working on SRHR such as the Reproductive Health Supplies partnership.
Aid prioritisation decisions will be guided by the UK International Development Strategy that includes support to women and girls and global health. The UK also supports countries to mobilise their own resources through policy input and support to programmes such as the Global Financing Facility.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2370), whether the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will provide an update on the progress made in the areas of mutual interest for cooperation under its Memorandum of Understanding with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on matters of communicable diseases prevention and control.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
These discussions are continuing. However, the United Kingdom has a nominated EpiPulse Focal Point to oversee and manage access as a non-European Union country within the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) co-operation framework. EpiPulse was launched on 22 June 2021 and integrates several surveillance systems, provides new functionalities and access to data in a single platform. The platform facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and connects users from different sectors through which the ECDC aims to strengthen the prevention and control of infectious diseases by enhancing early threat detection and assessment.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Minister of State for Climate will no longer be attending Cabinet.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy formally represents climate in Cabinet, ensuring it is included in any relevant policy discussions. Attendance at Cabinet is the prerogative of the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change last met; and whether it will be chaired by the Prime Minister.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
GOV.UK is updated regularly with the terms of reference and membership of Cabinet Committees.