Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made regarding the Declaration of humanity by leaders of faith and leaders of belief, published in 2020; how many leaders have signed the declaration and what activities they are planning to engage more widely on the declaration and to ensure its universality.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Declaration of Humanity by Leaders of Faith and Leaders of Belief has been signed by over 750 faith leaders, NGOs and civil society actors in countries including Iraq, Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UK Government remains committed to promoting the Declaration, including through the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, and the UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. In November 2024, at a symposium organised by the British Embassy to the Holy See and the Jesuit Refugee Service, representatives of four major Catholic organisations became signatories.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to support progress towards a ceasefire, and ultimately an end to the conflict, in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is actively working towards ending the conflict in Sudan. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with regional partners to explore how the UK can assist international mediation efforts. The UK's Special Representative to Sudan visited Port Sudan in December 2024 which was the UK's first official visit to the country since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
The UK's Special Representative to Sudan pressed for a resolution to the conflict and for all parties to engage constructively in mediation talks, including by complying with the Jeddah Declaration of Commitments to Protect Civilians. We also continue to lead efforts in the UN Security Council to support peace and to keep international spotlight on this crisis.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to raise, during the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister of Iraq, the position of the Yazidi minority and the security situation in Sinjar, the return of internally displaced people to Sinjar, and the use of evidence collected by UNITAD detailing atrocities committed against Yazidis and other minorities.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government welcomed the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani from 14 - 16 January. As part of the official visit's programme, the Minister of State for Development met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning, Dr Mohammed Ali Tamim on 15 January. They discussed development partnerships between our countries, the situation in Sinjar and support for Yazidis and other Internally Displaced Persons.
The UK Government also recognises that continued insecurity in Iraq can have a disproportionate effect on ethnic and religious minority groups, including those who are displaced. We regularly engage with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on the need for stability in Sinjar, and advocate for full implementation of the Sinjar Agreement.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many anti-depressant prescriptions were prescribed to patients under the age of 19 by (1) psychiatrists, (2) general practitioners, and (3) other medical specialists, in each year since 2015.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) does not hold data on anti-depressant prescriptions authorised by psychiatrists specifically, but does hold data for the following three categories: hospital prescriber; general practitioner prescriber; and additional prescriber.
This answer is based on the information extracted from the NHSBSA’s ePACT2 database, using British National Formulary section 0403 for antidepressant drugs, prescribed in England.
The following table shows the total number of prescriptions for antidepressant items prescribed to patients aged 18 years old and under, by prescriber type, for the financial years 2015 to 2024, and the financial year to date for 2024/25, from April to October:
Financial year | General practitioner prescriber | Hospital prescriber | Additional prescriber including non-medical prescriber | Total items |
2015/16 | 515,803 | 8,737 | 8,873 | 533,413 |
2016/17 | 551,901 | 6,143 | 11,056 | 569,100 |
2017/18 | 580,772 | 5,853 | 14,254 | 600,879 |
2018/19 | 611,785 | 7,150 | 17,681 | 636,616 |
2019/20 | 640,218 | 11,832 | 23,367 | 675,417 |
2020/21 | 648,252 | 11,334 | 30,274 | 689,860 |
2021/22 | 702,546 | 12,975 | 33,895 | 749,416 |
2022/23 | 720,132 | 16,917 | 36,994 | 774,043 |
2023/24 | 692,467 | 20,393 | 38,775 | 751,635 |
2024/25 | 384,561 | 14,755 | 24,381 | 423,697 |
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Hong Kong following the decision of Hong Kong police to offer rewards for the arrests of pro-democracy campaigners, including British National (Overseas) passport holders resident in the UK, and the stripping of Martin Lee SC of his status as a Hong Kong Justice of the Peace.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On Christmas Eve, the Foreign Secretary strongly condemned the Hong Kong police's targeting of individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression and called on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law, including its extraterritorial reach. Senior diplomats have raised concerns directly with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, and FCDO officials have contacted the Chinese Embassy and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.
The UK Government will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to coerce, intimidate, harass, or harm their critics overseas, especially in the UK.
Freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of all people in the UK are protected under domestic law, regardless of nationality. The police and security services monitor these issues very closely.
The UK will always stand up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of Hong Kong's Protection of Critical Infrastructure (Computer Systems) Bill, including concerns that Hong Kong businesses operating in the UK could be subject to data requests from Hong Kong authorities; and what steps they are taking to address potential risks to UK businesses and data sovereignty arising from this legislation.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Consulate General liaises closely with UK businesses operating in Hong Kong regarding local regulatory developments, including in relation to the Protection of Critical Infrastructure (Computer Systems) Bill currently before the Hong Kong Legislative Council. We will continue to monitor developments closely as this legislation is finalised and becomes operational, and any potential impact it may have on UK business.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number and cost of solar panels which have been purchased from China over the past ten years; how many solar panels they expect will be purchased (1) over the next ten years and (2) to meet to objectives of the Great British Energy Bill; and what is the estimated expenditure for each of these periods.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recently set out its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which requires significant deployment of solar electricity. Developing sustainable, diverse and resilient solar supply chains, free from forced labour, is an absolute priority for this Government and the solar industry.
The Government does not hold data on the supply chains of individual businesses and therefore cannot provide details of overall expenditure or quantities of Chinese imports of solar panels. As Great British Energy will be operationally independent, it will be for the company to determine the projects and technologies it chooses to invest in, in accordance with its objectives.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 28 April 2022 (HL7909), what is the current status of Project DEFEND; and what assessment they have made of its success in (1) strengthening national resilience, and (2) reducing supply chain dependency on China.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under the previous government the then Department for International Trade (DIT) ran Project Defend from April 2020 to March 2021 when the project closed.
We recognise the importance of strengthening the resilience of UK supply chains to boost our preparedness for potential disruptions and shocks, Further consideration will be given to this in our forthcoming Trade Strategy. More widely, we are carrying out a full and comprehensive audit of the UK’s interests with regards to China, which will bring a consistent, long-term and strategic approach.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of the United States regarding its decision to declare that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan; and to sanction RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to work closely with the US in support of efforts to bring peace to Sudan. The long-standing position of successive UK Governments is that it is for courts to decide whether genocide has occurred. While the UK takes a different approach to the US on determination, no-one should doubt that we also condemn what is happening in the strongest terms. Irrespective of any such determination, it is clear that atrocities have been committed in this conflict. Those responsible must be held to account. We are using the tools available to us to act, including in partnership with the US. We keep sanctions under review but do not speculate on prospective sanctions designations as this would undermine their effectiveness.
Since the outbreak of conflict in 2023, the UK has frozen the assets of nine commercial entities linked to the parties involved in the conflict. On 8 November 2024, the United Nations Security Council also sanctioned two Rapid Support Forces commanders involved in perpetrating ethnically motivated atrocities in Sudan.