Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of internally displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and what steps they have taken to support the provision of urgent humanitarian relief in that region.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
An estimated 2.7 million people were considered displaced in North Kivu in December 2024, though since then over 700,000 people have been re-displaced throughout M23 advances. The UK is deeply concerned by this critical humanitarian situation. At the UN Security Council, the UK called on all parties not to obstruct the vital services that humanitarians are providing, and to cease hostilities and uphold the protection of humanitarian workers, as outlined in international humanitarian law. We've urged all parties to ensure humanitarian corridors to restore essential services and enable the safe passage of civilians and aid. The UK remains committed to supporting those most in need, providing over £62 million this year in lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and (2) the African Union, to promote an end to the conflict in eastern DRC.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi to express his deep concern about M23 and Rwandan Defence Forces' advances and urge a return to peaceful negotiations. I spoke to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) Foreign Minister to emphasise the importance of engaging in African-led processes in good faith. The UK is engaging with the African Union and partners across Africa on how to promote immediate de-escalation in eastern DRC. I also spoke with the Angolan Foreign Minister to offer continued UK support for their efforts under the Luanda process throughout their upcoming chairing of the African Union.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prevalence of, and (2) regional disparities in (a) child stunting, and (b) malnutrition in the general population, in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, the prevalence of childhood stunting was 1.5% for children aged four years olds in 2021/22, defined by having a height for age below minus two standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organisation (WHO) child growth standard. Regional data for England has not been published.
The Welsh Government has published data from its Child Measurement Programme on the proportion of children aged between four and five years old with low height, defined as height less than the second centile of the British 1990 (UK90) growth reference. The following table shows this data including breakdown by health boards:
Geography | Low height (%) |
Wales | 0.5 |
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB | 0.6 |
Powys THB | 0.8 |
Hywel Dda UHB | 0.5 |
Swansea Bay UHB | 0.7 |
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB | 0.4 |
Cardiff and Vale UHB | 0.3 |
Aneurin Bevan UHB | 0.4 |
Source: Welsh Governmant Child Measurement Programme
Note: This is not directly comparable to the England data as the England data uses the WHO child growth standard to classify child height.
Data on stunting for children is not published for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The prevalence of malnutrition was 7.3% for children aged four years old in England in 2021/22, defined by having a weight for height greater than two or less than two standard deviations from the median of the WHO child growth standards. Regional data for England has not been published. Data on malnutrition for children is not published for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, whilst data on malnutrition for adults is not published for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the presence of ancestral human remains in the national collections, and what records they keep centrally of the quantity and location of such items.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
No such assessment has been made, and there are no centrally kept records. Museums are independent of government and decisions related to their collections are for their trustees to make.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 allows national museums to remove human remains from their collections provided that they are reasonably believed to be remains of a person who died less than 1,000 years before the day the relevant section came into force.
DCMS issued Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums in 2005 which encouraged museums to establish an advisory framework to assist in determining repatriation claims and provided a set of criteria which need to be taken into account in assessing claims.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the fairness of recent presidential elections in Somaliland and of its progress towards recognition by the African Union and the international community.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK congratulates Somalilanders for peacefully exercising their right to vote on 13 November. We commend the National Electoral Commission for conducting a transparent voter registration and candidate nomination process and note that the preliminary assessment from observers has been that the election process was largely credible, transparent and inclusive. We stand ready to work alongside Somaliland to further strengthen democracy and accountability in the future.
The UK, alongside others in the international community, does not recognise Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence. It is for authorities in Mogadishu and Hargeisa to resolve Somaliland's status through dialogue and broad consultation.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of civil society organisations in conflict resolution and peacekeeping; and what steps they are taking to support this in (1) Sudan, (2) Israel and Palestine, and (3) Burkina Faso.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
UK technical and diplomatic support has been instrumental in the establishment of the anti-war, pro-democracy Taqaddum coalition, led by former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. I have recently met Hamdok and the UK will continue to support civil society groups seeking to alleviate suffering, protect civilians and end the conflict in Sudan.
The death and destruction in Gaza are intolerable. The UK is pushing for an immediate ceasefire. The fighting must stop, the hostages must be released and much more aid must enter Gaza. A deal is on the table and we are urging both sides to show flexibility. The civil society organisations we work with are valuable partners of the government and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them closely.
Civil society organisations in Burkina Faso also play an important role in conflict resolution and peacekeeping, despite facing significant challenges. We are supporting efforts by civil society organisations to facilitate land conflict resolution, promote gender and social inclusion, and support survivors of gender-based violence.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Human Rights Watch that more than 220 civilians, including at least 56 children, were killed in Burkina Faso by the military in February; and what representations they have made to the military government of Burkina Faso regarding this report.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is aware of reports of massacres of civilians by Burkinabe military forces in late February in the villages of Nondin and Soro in Burkina Faso's Yatenga province. On 29 April, the UK and USA issued a joint statement condemning the alleged violence against civilians and the subsequent media suspensions by the Burkinabe authorities. We have called on the Burkina Faso authorities to thoroughly investigate reports of these massacres and hold those responsible to account.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the African Union peace-keeping operations, and what assistance they provide to such operations.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK recognises the important role that African Union (AU) peace support operations play in delivering peace and security in Africa. The UK has voluntarily contributed £70 million to the AU mission in Somalia since 2022, in addition to providing £68.7 million through UN Assessed Contributions due to the mission's UN mandated support. The UK has also long provided technical advice on peacekeeping to the AU and helped train peacekeepers for the AU Mission in Somalia through the British Peace Support Team (Africa).
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress towards combatting the Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso and the threat it poses to neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is monitoring the increase in terrorism and violent extremism in Burkina Faso. Rising insecurity has contributed to an alarming increase in identity-based violence and atrocities, including by Islamic extremist groups and state forces.
I have discussed the impact of the security challenges faced by Burkina Faso and the Sahel with regional neighbours, including Senegalese PM Sonko, Ghana, Algeria, Mauritania and the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.
The UK is providing over £142 million in bilateral overseas development aid to the Sahel this financial year, to provide humanitarian support and address the drivers of conflict.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to right enduring inequalities in the Commonwealth in the light of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
At CHOGM 2024 in Samoa, the UK announced a series of initiatives aimed to address inequality. This included the new UK Trade Centre of Expertise, which will drive export-led growth across the Commonwealth by providing support to developing countries, increased technical assistance to small states to help them unlock access to climate finance, and continued funding for Commonwealth and Chevening scholars to create opportunities for future generations. The UK also announced increased support to protect and promote the rights and inclusion of LGBT+ persons and persons with disabilities in Commonwealth countries. I engaged civil society extensively during CHOGM, attending The Commonwealth Equality Network's reception to launch their CHOGM Shadow Report as well as participating in the Commonwealth Youth, Women's and People's Forums.