Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan regarding any vision impairment symptoms in (1) Bushra Bibi, and (2) Imran Khan, in Adiala Jail; and, with regard to the UN Bangkok Rules on women in detention and rule 27 of the Nelson Mandela rules, whether they plan to request an independent environmental and medical audit of Adiala jail.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 6 March to Question HL14686.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the remarks by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 23 March (HL Deb col 316GC), what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Pakistan about the filing of the independent medical report for Imran Khan; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any delay of that report on Imran Khan's eye health.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 6 March to Question HL14686.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan about the suggestion by the Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on X on 18 March that family members of Imran Khan use National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis when they visit from the UK.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 6 March to Question HL14686.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of Belgium and the Netherlands about the activities of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Government condemns the despicable attacks claimed by Harakat Ashab al Yamin al Islamia, and - while we do not routinely disclose operational details - we continue to work with other governments, including in Belgium and the Netherlands, to exchange information and tackle shared security threats. During the Foreign Secretary's talks with Dutch Foreign Minister Berendsen on 25 March, she conveyed the UK's solidarity with the Jewish community in the Netherlands, following the attacks they have suffered.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many antisemitic hate crimes involving arson have been recorded in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the year ending March 2025, the police forces in England and Wales recorded four arson offences that were identified as being religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when applications for funding from the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund will reopen.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No date has yet been confirmed for the next funding round of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. We will provide an update in due course, and information will be published on the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund website once future rounds are scheduled to open. Defra remains firmly committed to global efforts to address drivers of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, including environmental crimes such as the illegal wildlife trade.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase funding for the Biodiversity Challenge Funds.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has an official development assistance (ODA) allocation of £115 million per year from 2026-2027 until 2028‑29. Defra will use a significant portion of this to continue to support the Biodiversity Challenge Funds. A new round of the Darwin Initiative should launch in May, and IWT Challenge Fund and Darwin Plus will be sharing updates in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rate of state-sponsored antisemitism within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not routinely comment on the detail of operational matters or specific threats. But the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign states. We continually assess potential threats to the UK and its residents and will continue to take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated.
We are also taking broader action on antisemitism - rooting out extremism, tackling it in schools and universities, and in the NHS.
We are committed to tackling those who spread views that sow divisions between or within communities and oppose the values we share as a society.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the monitoring of domestic extremist groups.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government is delivering a fundamental reset of how we counter extremism, ensuring we have the tools, capabilities, and partnerships to match the scale and nature of an evolving threat.
As announced in the Government’s Protecting What Matters publication, the Home Office is expanding the Prevent Disruptions team, which horizon scans for extremist influence and events, with additional resource to understand and disrupt extremist networks at a national and local level. This builds on strong action by the team over the past two years, where the highest harm extremists from across the political spectrum were targeted and stopped from spreading their divisive views.
We will also publish an annual ‘State of Extremism’ report which will arm frontline, public sector workers with the information they need to identify and confront extremism in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve information sharing between the Community Security Trust and the Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of effective engagement between policing and communities, including representative bodies, in protecting communities from hate crime, terrorism, and wider security threats.
Whilst it would not be appropriate to comment on specific arrangements, the Government continues to support strong partnership working between the police and communities, including through established relationships with organisations such as the Community Security Trust.