Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the paper, 'Insights into the primate trade into the European Union and the United Kingdom', by Svensson et al, published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research on 25 April 2023; and what steps they will take to quantify the illegal importation of wildlife into Britain and to end it.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have made no formal assessment of the paper by Svensson et al.
All primates are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), ensuring any international trade in these species is sustainable. Each year thousands of illegal products containing endangered species are seized by Border Force. These seizures are quantified in the UK’s annual illegal trade report to CITES and made available in the CITES Illegal Trade Database.
The UK is committed to combatting the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), including through our Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and through the National Wildlife Crime Unit’s Strategic Assessment for Wildlife Crime which aims to support UK and Global enforcement responses to IWT.
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Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that there is always a dedicated person or point of contact in the workplace to support colleagues with Down's syndrome.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 require employers to make reasonable adjustments and to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. These legal provisions mean that, in appropriate cases, a dedicated person or point of contact may be required for employees with Down’s Syndrome.
DWP’s efforts to ensure that all disabled people can thrive in work include a digital information service for employers to help them support disability at work and the Disability Confident scheme. The Department’s specialist initiatives for jobseekers and employers alike includes Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, and Access to Work grants which can help with the costs of support.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to suspend cargo routes from Xinjiang to UK airports.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
His Majesty's Government have no plans to restrict cargo operations between Xinjiang and UK airports. The decision to operate particular routes is a commercial decision for airlines.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to designating China as a specific foreign power in the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is working at pace to implement the scheme. All further announcements will be made in the normal way in due course. We have recruited a case management team and are developing the IT arrangements. We expect the scheme to commence 2025. It would not be appropriate to comment on the scope of any specifications under the enhanced tier at this stage. The proposed foreign entities to be included on the enhanced tier will be subject to formal debate and agreement by both Houses of Parliament in due course.
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 China regarding the police raid of a worship meeting by 300 members of the Grace Light Church in Hunan Province on 3 November.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their counterparts President Xi and Foreign Minister Wang respectively. More broadly, this Government will champion freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We will work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter China’s attempts to use United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758 to justify Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN, and whether they have considered hosting side meetings with Taiwanese representatives at UN conventions where Taiwan is denied participation, including the recent 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In line with the UK's longstanding position on Taiwan, we support Taiwanese participation at international organisations as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite or as an observer or guest where it is. As Minister West made clear in her speech to the House on 28 November, it is the UK's view that UNGA Resolution 2758 decided that only the government of the People's Republic of China would represent China at the UN. It did not make a determination over the status of Taiwan and should not preclude Taiwan's meaningful participation at international organisations. We always consider opportunities for engaging with Taiwan in the margins of international events.
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 at the UNHCR regarding violations of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Government of China.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, and the repression of Buddhists in Tibet. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We continue to coordinate efforts to hold China to account through our position at the UN, for example, by joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly on 22 October, and joining a statement led by the USA on Xinjiang at the Human Rights Council on 24 September.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to deepen their engagement with Taiwan, including through seeking full partner status at the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, and whether they intend to support Taiwan’s participation in future sessions of the AI Safety Summit.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK believes that the people of Taiwan have a valuable contribution to make on issues of global concern. We have been proud to support UK expert participation at GCTF events around the world, and we have no plans to step back from our engagement with the platform. The UK supports Taiwan's meaningful participation at international fora as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite or as an observer or guest where it is. Attendance at future AI Safety Summits is a matter for each event's host country.
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 reports of restrictions on religious freedom in Bangladesh, in particular, the detention of religious leaders and prevention of monks from travelling to India to attend a religious ceremony; what assessment they have made of the impact of such restrictions; and what steps they are taking to support the protection of freedom of religion or belief in that region.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities in Bangladesh. In November, Minister West visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including the Hindu community, with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.