Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the British Armed Forces have (1) been injured, and (2) died, while on (a) training exercises, and (b) combat duty, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018, 23 UK Armed Forces personnel have died on training or exercise. There were a further 17,403 UK Armed Forces personnel injured in 21,822 incidents.
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018, 15 UK Armed Forces personnel have died whilst on combat duty, of which one was due to hostile action. 506 UK Armed Forces personnel were injured on combat duty, of which 28 were battle injuries.
The attached table shows the data broken down by the last five calendar years:
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to raise the profile of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Throughout the year, we will take opportunities to raise the profile of the UDHR, including Article 18 which enshrines the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Promoting and defending FoRB is a priority of Her Majesty’s Government’s foreign policy. By pursuing this priority in 2018 we will continue to raise the profile of Article 18
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will check, and address, any delay or obstruction by the authorities in Misrata of the transfer to Sirte and Benghazi of UK de-mining equipment.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The provision of this equipment is to support a training programme in Misrata for Libyan Government of National Accord military and police units clearing mines and ordnance in Sirte. The equipment was delivered to Sirte on 27 October 2017. This will enable the return of families and allow other reconstruction and development activities to take place in safety following the removal of Daesh from that city. The training programme is being funded by the Governments of Germany and the United States, and is being delivered by a contractor. The British Embassy in Tripoli is closely following progress: our Defence Attaché has visited Misrata to inspect the equipment and view the training, as well as meeting with the local authorities in Sirte. We have also provided £1 million so far this year leading to training for more than 60 Explosive Ordnance Disposal operators from Benghazi, including police officers and National Safety Authority staff, and we will fund a £200,000 mine risk education project in Benghazi to start in December.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time they raised through the Commonwealth the problems facing First Nation peoples.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, including indigenous people. We have not recently raised issues affecting indigenous people in a Commonwealth forum. However, we regularly participate in discussions regarding indigenous peoples in various other fora, including the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to promote the "competitive HRC membership elections" for the United Nations Human Rights Council they called for in the joint concluding statement of the 35th Session of the UNHRC in June.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Her Majesty's Government is committed to the defence of human rights worldwide and strongly supports the work of the Human Rights Council (HRC). Recent steps to encourage competitive elections to the HRC include our participation in public pledging events by HRC membership candidates in Geneva and New York. We are considering with like-minded member states a number of ideas relating to the membership and functioning of the HRC, following on from the Joint Statement at its 35th Session.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when was the last time they raised through the United Nations the problems facing First Nation peoples.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Her Majesty's Government is committed to defending the human rights of all individuals, including indigenous people. The Government regularly participates in discussions regarding indigenous peoples in various United Nations fora, including the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what legal or treaty obligations they retain in respect of First Nation peoples in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK does not have any prevailing legal or treaty obligations with respect to the native/ indigenous populations in Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
All previous relevant obligations binding upon the UK Government have been passed to and confined to the Governments of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as the independent and sovereign successor states of the UK’s Dominions.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which state's candidacy they decided to support in the recent election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions in international elections, nor how we voted in the past. However, four out of five regional slates were uncontested this year, meaning the UK’s vote would not have affected the final result.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they used to determine which state's candidacy to support in the recent election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK reaches decisions on votes on the basis of candidates’ human rights records, and their cooperation with Human Rights Council (HRC) mechanisms. The UK also considers candidates’ engagement and voting record at HRC, broader UK Government priorities, standing obligations, and whether a reciprocal deal can be made. The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions in international elections, nor how we voted in the past.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes in how the BBC World Service is funded on its coverage of the situation in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
No assessment has been made of how the changes to BBC World Service funding have impacted on its coverage of the situation in the Ukraine. The BBC is operationally, editorially and managerially independent and it is therefore for the BBC Trust to comment on and manage the funding and operation of the World Service. In a June 2013 statement the then Chair of the Trust, Lord Patten, confirmed that the funding for 2014-15, the first year of Licence fee funding, would be £245 million – representing an increase of £5 million on the previous year of (Foreign Office) funding.