Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reported deaths of Palestinian individuals while trying to access distribution points for humanitarian aid.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are horrified by repeated reports of mass casualty incidents in Gaza, with desperate civilians killed when trying to access aid. The UK calls for urgent investigations to establish what has happened and to ensure accountability. We have been clear that the Government of Israel must allow the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza and facilitate the UN and aid partners to deliver aid safely and with dignity to Gazans wherever they are.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposals by the government of Israel to build a "humanitarian city" in southern Gaza.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are appalled by Defence Minister Katz's proposal to create a new "humanitarian city", which would displace Gaza's entire population to Rafah. We have been clear that Palestinian territory must not be reduced, and Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild their lives. The Government of Israel must allow the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza and facilitate the UN and aid partners to deliver aid safely and effectively to the population across the Gaza Strip.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current availability and supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Not enough aid is getting in and vital services such as water supplies, ambulances and hospitals are at risk of shutting down due to fuel shortages. On 12 July, the UN stated that fuel shortages in Gaza had reached a critical level. We continue to call on Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid into Gaza and to allow the UN and humanitarian partners to operate in line with humanitarian principles. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 12 July, where he reiterated our concerns about the situation on the ground and pressed for a return to a ceasefire. On 16 July, the UK co-called a session of the UN Security Council where we called on Israel to urgently open all access routes and allow fuel into Gaza.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which (1) public bodies, (2) initiatives, and (3) programmes, on the governance of artificial intelligence have provided advice to Chief Constables on the use of artificial intelligence in policing.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Where artificial intelligence tools are used, or plan to be used, in policing they must comply with existing legal standards and principles. The Government is supporting the College of Policing and Police Chief Scientific Advisor to create guidance which will advise police forces on how to approach the adoption of new data driven technologies including AI. This will include sections on transparency and accountability. Where AI is used, the Government is enabling collaboration between police forces and independent experts to build trust in its performance. On 5 April 2023 the NPL published independent research, funded by the Government, looking at the performance of facial recognition algorithms in police operational settings.
The Government’s consultation on its AI regulation white paper closed on 21 June. The white paper proposed five cross-cutting principles - which included transparency and accountability - and, following an initial non-statutory period, proposed introducing a statutory duty requiring regulators to have due regard to the principles. The Government will update on the proposals in its response to the white paper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they will give to Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners on the use of artificial intelligence by police Chief Scientific Advisers.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Where artificial intelligence tools are used, or plan to be used, in policing they must comply with existing legal standards and principles. The Government is supporting the College of Policing and Police Chief Scientific Advisor to create guidance which will advise police forces on how to approach the adoption of new data driven technologies including AI. This will include sections on transparency and accountability. Where AI is used, the Government is enabling collaboration between police forces and independent experts to build trust in its performance. On 5 April 2023 the NPL published independent research, funded by the Government, looking at the performance of facial recognition algorithms in police operational settings.
The Government’s consultation on its AI regulation white paper closed on 21 June. The white paper proposed five cross-cutting principles - which included transparency and accountability - and, following an initial non-statutory period, proposed introducing a statutory duty requiring regulators to have due regard to the principles. The Government will update on the proposals in its response to the white paper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence by the police; and what rules, if any, they plan to introduce to achieve this.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Where artificial intelligence tools are used, or plan to be used, in policing they must comply with existing legal standards and principles. The Government is supporting the College of Policing and Police Chief Scientific Advisor to create guidance which will advise police forces on how to approach the adoption of new data driven technologies including AI. This will include sections on transparency and accountability. Where AI is used, the Government is enabling collaboration between police forces and independent experts to build trust in its performance. On 5 April 2023 the NPL published independent research, funded by the Government, looking at the performance of facial recognition algorithms in police operational settings.
The Government’s consultation on its AI regulation white paper closed on 21 June. The white paper proposed five cross-cutting principles - which included transparency and accountability - and, following an initial non-statutory period, proposed introducing a statutory duty requiring regulators to have due regard to the principles. The Government will update on the proposals in its response to the white paper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure proper scrutiny of the technical and ethical issues arising from the use of artificial intelligence by the police.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Where artificial intelligence tools are used, or plan to be used, in policing they must comply with existing legal standards and principles. The Government is supporting the College of Policing and Police Chief Scientific Advisor to create guidance which will advise police forces on how to approach the adoption of new data driven technologies including AI. This will include sections on transparency and accountability. Where AI is used, the Government is enabling collaboration between police forces and independent experts to build trust in its performance. On 5 April 2023 the NPL published independent research, funded by the Government, looking at the performance of facial recognition algorithms in police operational settings.
The Government’s consultation on its AI regulation white paper closed on 21 June. The white paper proposed five cross-cutting principles - which included transparency and accountability - and, following an initial non-statutory period, proposed introducing a statutory duty requiring regulators to have due regard to the principles. The Government will update on the proposals in its response to the white paper consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of the benefit cap on levels of child poverty.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of the benefit cap policy on levels of child poverty.
The benefit cap provides a strong work incentive, which reflects our long-term focus of continuing to support parents into, and to progress in, work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects.
Official child poverty statistics, covering the period 2020/21 will be published in March 2022, as part of the Department’s (a) ‘Children In Low Income Families’ and (b) ‘Households Below Average Income’ publications, subject to the usual checks on data quality.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the ratification of International Labour Organisation Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No.190).
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
As of 15 December 2021, the Violence and Harassment Convention Command Paper has cleared without objection which indicates that the Government can proceed to ratification.
The Instrument of Ratification will be drawn up for signature by the Foreign Secretary and deposited at the International Labour Organization as soon as is practicable in the new year. The Convention would enter into force for the UK one year after the date of the UK’s ratification.
Asked by: Baroness Primarolo (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what objections they have received, if any, to their Command Paper declaring their intention to ratify the International Labour Organisation Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No.190).
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
As of 15 December 2021, the Violence and Harassment Convention Command Paper has cleared without objection which indicates that the Government can proceed to ratification.
The Instrument of Ratification will be drawn up for signature by the Foreign Secretary and deposited at the International Labour Organization as soon as is practicable in the new year. The Convention would enter into force for the UK one year after the date of the UK’s ratification.