Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) peace builders, (2) women’s rights organisations, and (3) human rights organisations, working in Yemen.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK fully supports the important role women can play in ending the conflict in Yemen. We are a global leader on the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and the penholder on UNSCR 1325. Yemen is a priority country for our National Action Plan on WPS. We have supported the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security (through UN Women), which aimed to increase female leadership and inclusion in the peace processes. The UK has also funded projects aimed at supporting the work of grassroots women leaders and civil society organisations in communities across Yemen. UK funding of two advisors in the UN Special Envoy's office has also supported the UN in consulting marginalised groups. Furthermore, on 25 February the Security Council adopted a UK-drafted resolution which sanctioned Houthi official Sultan Zabin for the use of sexual violence as a tool of war, the first such sanction in the Middle East. We will continue to support Yemeni women, youth and civil society to help create the conditions for an inclusive and durable peace in Yemen.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about the human rights situation in that country; and in particular, about (1) reports of corruption and abuse of state funds, and (2) the continued incarceration of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We regularly engage with the Government of Zimbabwe to urge their adherence to their human rights obligations and to respect the freedoms and rights enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution. The Minister for Africa spoke to the then Zimbabwean Foreign Minister, Sibusiso Moyo in June last year, and wrote to him again in August to raise specific human rights concerns, including over the treatment of opposition members Ms Mamombe, Ms Chimbiri, and Ms Marowa. The Minister for Africa has followed their cases closely, and tweeted on 5 February 2021 to register his concern over their most recent arrests.
On 1 February 2021, the UK announced new sanctions to hold to account those individuals responsible for human rights violations in Zimbabwe. We also continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe and the Anti-Corruption Commission to take the necessary steps to address corruption and illicit financial flows. The UK Ambassador met the new Chair of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in December 2020 to reinforce these messages. Her Majesty's Government will continue to speak out, both privately and in public, where we have concerns and we will work alongside the international community to support a better future for all Zimbabweans.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking within appropriate multilateral institutions to develop a strategic response to the proliferation of cruise missiles (1) to foster maximum transparency, and (2) to develop a coherent safeguarding approach within arms control arrangements.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is a member of relevant multilateral export control regimes, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and the Wassenaar Arrangement. The MTCR seeks to prevent the proliferation of sensitive missile systems and technologies, including cruise missiles, to countries and end users of concern. The Wassenaar Arrangement in turn seeks to prevent the regional destabilising accumulation of conventional weapons, including cruise missile systems.
The UK plays an active role in both regimes and through them the UK promotes transparency, the control and greater responsibility in transfers of all missiles types, as well as conventional weapons and related dual-use technologies. In addition, the UK is a State Party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which establishes common international standards for regulating the international trade in conventional arms, which includes cruise missile systems. The ATT requires annual reporting on transfers to reinforce transparency among State Parties.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of Israel is planning to remove 37 Palestinian households from the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan areas of East Jerusalem; and what action are they taking, both unilaterally and multilaterally, to prevent any such removals.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity.
The UK Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised ongoing demolitions with the Israeli Authorities in a meeting alongside like-minded partners on 25 February 2021. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the contribution to agriculture in the UK (a) regionally, and (b) nationally, by Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, and (2) the potential future contribution of the College to agriculture in the UK; and what steps they plan to take to ensure longevity for the College and its resources.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In 2020, the Further Education Commissioner undertook a local provision needs analysis of Newton Rigg Campus, located near Penrith, at the request of the governing body of Askham Bryan College. Its purpose was to establish whether there is a need for further education provision in the general location of the current campus. The analysis provided the governing body with options to consider regarding the future of provision at the campus. The analysis considered travel to learn data and mapping for young people and adult students, including enrolment density by ward and travel to learn time and pattern, based on public transport and by actual travel time by car. Most students studying agricultural provision at Newton Rigg at the time of the analysis tended to live closer to the campus and were mainly from Cumbria and surrounding counties.
Further Education Colleges in England are independent of government and the decision to close Newton Rigg Campus in July 2021 and subsequently dispose of the site has been made by the governing body of Askham Bryan College.
From September 2021, Kendal College have confirmed they will offer agricultural and other land-based provision from level 1 to level 3, which will be delivered in the Penrith area. In addition, a partnership between Myerscough College and Ullswater Community College will provide further education for young people in animal management and agriculture in the local area surrounding Newton Rigg.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) (1) to continue its overseas development work, and (2) to offer voluntary opportunities; and what assessment they have made of the contribution of the experience gained by returning VSO volunteers to wider society in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce our aid budget. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes, including for the Volunteering for Development grant. No decisions have yet been made. We understand the need to communicate with VSO in a timely manner regarding this grant.
The UK Government is proud of the outstanding contribution of returned volunteers to their home communities in the UK, particularly during the UK's Covid-19 pandemic response.