Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - 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 Iran has threatened to retaliate against the government of Belgium if Assadollah Assadi is found guilty of participating in preparations for bombing an international gathering near Paris in June 2018; and what support, if any, they have offered the government of Belgium.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of media reports that an Iranian diplomat, who is charged with involvement in a plot against a conference in Paris in 2018, has threatened "retaliation" should he be convicted. The UK Government does not have access to the court documents on which these reports are based. While the legal process is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further on these reports and we have not made specific representations to the Iranian Government. We are not aware of any reporting suggesting that the Government of Iran itself has made any threats to retaliate against the Government of Belgium.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran about reports that that government has threatened to retaliate against the government of Belgium if Assadollah Assadi is found guilty of participating in preparations for bombing an international gathering near Paris in June 2018.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of media reports that an Iranian diplomat, who is charged with involvement in a plot against a conference in Paris in 2018, has threatened "retaliation" should he be convicted. The UK Government does not have access to the court documents on which these reports are based. While the legal process is ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further on these reports and we have not made specific representations to the Iranian Government. We are not aware of any reporting suggesting that the Government of Iran itself has made any threats to retaliate against the Government of Belgium.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 10 November (HL9658), what assessment they have made of any difference between their policies towards recognising (1) the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and (2) Taiwan; what are the reasons for any such differences; and what plans they have to treat both territories equally.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Taiwan and the northern part of Cyprus are two very different political realities. HMG's position is informed by the particular context of each situation.
A comprehensive settlement to end the division of Cyprus is the best way to resolve the challenges faced by both Cypriot communities, and the UK is encouraging the parties to demonstrate their renewed commitment to that end. In line with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. Our position respects UN Security Council resolutions on the issue. The UK recognises only one Cypriot state - the Republic of Cyprus - and only one government as the sole legitimate government.
The UK's longstanding policy on Taiwan has not changed: we have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on dynamic commercial, educational and cultural ties. We regularly lobby in favour of Taiwan's participation in international organisations where statehood is not a prerequisite.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the lack of direct flights from the UK to Ercan International Airport, and (2) the reasons why there are no such flights; and what discussions they have had with airline operators about how long it is intended to divert such flights via Turkey.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In accordance with the rest of the international community, the UK does not recognise the self-declared ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ as an independent state. Additionally, direct flights to and from the UK and the northern part of Cyprus would breach the UK’s international obligation under the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. As a result, it would be illegal, as a matter of domestic law, for the UK Government to support direct flights to the northern part of Cyprus.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the intended educational outcomes for the pupils of the sexual aspects to be included in relationships education in primary schools; whether parents have the right to withdraw their children from any such classes; and what discretion head teachers have about permitting the teaching of relationships education.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. That is why we made Relationships Education compulsory for primary school pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for secondary school pupils, and Health Education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools.
There is no requirement for primary schools to cover sex education. If a primary school chooses to teach sex education, it must be covered in the school’s RSE policy. Schools are required to consult parents on a draft of their policy. The statutory guidance states that when schools consult with parents on their policy, they should also ensure that they provide examples of the resources that they plan to use in teaching the new subjects as this can be reassuring for parents and enables them to continue the conversations started in class at home. This will also reassure parents that the resources schools choose to use are age appropriate and do not contain oversexualised content.
The department remains committed to supporting all schools in their preparations to deliver the content of these subjects. On 24 September 2020 the department published the ‘Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum’ implementation guidance to support schools to choose appropriate resources. Training resources were also published alongside the guidance and will equip all schools to provide comprehensive teaching in these areas in an age-appropriate way. These materials should give schools the confidence to construct a curriculum that reflects diversity of views and backgrounds, whilst fostering all pupils’ respect for others, understanding of healthy relationships, and ability to look after their own safety and wellbeing. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.
In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education will involve supporting children to learn about what healthy relationships are and their importance, as well as how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. This will then provide a foundation for RSE at secondary school. Children will also be taught the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults, as the building blocks for consent in secondary school.
Where sex education is covered in primary schools, parents have an automatic right to withdraw their child from this part of the curriculum, although not from any sex education in the science curriculum. Head teachers must comply with these requests from parents.
The findings of the impact assessment published in January 2019 refer to the importance of teaching children and young people about healthy relationships as an element in the approach to contributing to reducing child sexual exploitation. These findings can be viewed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/924/impacts.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is any increased risk of primary school-aged children being targeted for child abuse as the outcome of discussions outside of the classroom about sexual behaviour arising from relationship education being taught in primary schools.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. That is why we made Relationships Education compulsory for primary school pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for secondary school pupils, and Health Education compulsory for pupils in all state-funded schools.
There is no requirement for primary schools to cover sex education. If a primary school chooses to teach sex education, it must be covered in the school’s RSE policy. Schools are required to consult parents on a draft of their policy. The statutory guidance states that when schools consult with parents on their policy, they should also ensure that they provide examples of the resources that they plan to use in teaching the new subjects as this can be reassuring for parents and enables them to continue the conversations started in class at home. This will also reassure parents that the resources schools choose to use are age appropriate and do not contain oversexualised content.
The department remains committed to supporting all schools in their preparations to deliver the content of these subjects. On 24 September 2020 the department published the ‘Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum’ implementation guidance to support schools to choose appropriate resources. Training resources were also published alongside the guidance and will equip all schools to provide comprehensive teaching in these areas in an age-appropriate way. These materials should give schools the confidence to construct a curriculum that reflects diversity of views and backgrounds, whilst fostering all pupils’ respect for others, understanding of healthy relationships, and ability to look after their own safety and wellbeing. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.
In primary schools, age-appropriate relationships education will involve supporting children to learn about what healthy relationships are and their importance, as well as how to develop mutually respectful relationships in all contexts, including online. This will then provide a foundation for RSE at secondary school. Children will also be taught the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults, as the building blocks for consent in secondary school.
Where sex education is covered in primary schools, parents have an automatic right to withdraw their child from this part of the curriculum, although not from any sex education in the science curriculum. Head teachers must comply with these requests from parents.
The findings of the impact assessment published in January 2019 refer to the importance of teaching children and young people about healthy relationships as an element in the approach to contributing to reducing child sexual exploitation. These findings can be viewed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/924/impacts.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they formally congratulated Ersin Tatar on his recent election as President of Northern Cyprus; if so, when; and whether the UK High Commissioner treats the governments of the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus equally diplomatically.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The British High Commissioner was in contact with Mr Ersin Tatar on 20 October, following his election as leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, to congratulate him on his new role and express hope for an early return to Cyprus settlement talks. The Turkish Cypriot community is recognised in Cyprus' constitution. As such, whilst the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" and does not treat the Turkish Cypriot community equally diplomatically, we do engage with the Turkish Cypriot community.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of France about that government’s actions in (1) the Mediterranean near Cyprus, and (2) the territorial waters of Cyprus and Turkey; and what assessment they have made of the actions of that government in the Mediterranean on peace and stability in the area.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We believe it is critical for stability in the Mediterranean and for the integrity of the rules-based international system that tensions be reduced and disputes are resolved through dialogue and in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We will continue to work with all parties in the region to that end. In addition, the UK is in regular contact with the French Government regarding the ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean: the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary discussed this with their counterparts on 10 September and 21 August respectively. We will continue to engage the French Government via our Embassy in Paris and the UK Delegation to NATO.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the government of France’s stationing of military aircraft in Cyprus, and (2) whether any such action is in violation of the responsibilities of the governments of Greece, Turkey and the UK under the Treaty of Guarantee.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK's principal responsibility under the Treaty of Guarantee is to recognise and guarantee the independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus. Military cooperation between France and the Republic of Cyprus is a matter for their respective governments and the stationing of military aircraft by France in the Republic of Cyprus does not violate the UK's responsibilities under the Treaty of Guarantee.
Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the closure of bank accounts belonging to the Core Issues Trust by Barclays Bank; and what steps they are taking to ensure that bank accounts are not closed as a result of any unfair bias or unlawful discrimination against Christian organisations.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Decisions about whether to provide specific products or services to individuals or businesses remain commercial decisions for banks, building societies and alternative finance providers. It would therefore be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions.
The Government believes that any dispute arising between financial services firms and their customers is usually best resolved by the parties involved. Should a customer be dissatisfied with a firm’s response to their complaint, then they may wish to consider an approach to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The government established the FOS to provide a free, independent dispute resolution service for bank customers, including eligible small businesses.