Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to adding the American Bully XL to the list of banned dog breeds.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We take the issue of dangerous dogs and fatal dog attacks seriously and are making sure enforcement measures are fully utilised for all breeds of dog.
These measures range from Community Protection Notices that can be served for low level anti-social behaviour to offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act – where serious offences can see people put in prison for up to 14 years, disqualified from ownership or their dog euthanised if they allow it to become dangerously out of control.
We are working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure that the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied, encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks. We currently have no plans to add additional breed types to the banned breed list. It is already an offence under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control in any place. Additionally, section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 also allows a complaint to be made to a Magistrates’ court where a dog is “dangerous and not kept under proper control”. The court may then make any Order it considers appropriate to require the owner to keep the dog under proper control or, if necessary, that it be destroyed.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many attacks have been made on humans and dogs by American Bully XLs since January 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
Defra does not collect this data. Hospital Episode Statistics published by NHS Digital include numbers of finished consultant episodes for hospital admissions in England that were caused by a dog bite or strike. Information on the breed type involved in dog control incidents may also be held by individual local authorities and police forces.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with the government of Pakistan to ensure that (1) Afghan journalists in Pakistan are protected from any acts that could endanger their safety, and (2) Afghan journalists at risk in that country are relocated to safe third countries
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Defending media freedom at home and abroad is a priority for the UK Government. We continue to address media freedom in our discussions with the Taliban and regularly raise the issue with the Government of Pakistan. A number of Afghan journalists have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). We continue to work with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan to support the safe passage of eligible Afghans to the UK. Our commitment on ACRS Pathway 3 to welcome wider groups of at-risk Afghans still stands. Further detail will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to respond to the needs of vulnerable journalists, writers, and media workers in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is a champion of media freedom and a proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, 40 per cent of media outlets in Afghanistan have ceased to operate and 60 per cent of journalists have lost their jobs since August 2021. In response, the UK is providing programme funding to support media organisations still operating in Afghanistan. We also continue to raise the issue of media freedom in our discussions with the Taliban.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be re-opened for at-risk Afghans.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
As of 31 December 2022, the UK had granted settled status to over 7,600 individuals under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). Since then, we have welcomed the first individuals under Pathway 3. Further information on the number of individuals relocated and resettled under each Pathway of the ACRS is detailed in the quarterly Immigration Statistics. The latest release is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets
Under stage one of Pathway 3, places are being offered to eligible at-risk British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni in Afghanistan or the region, and their eligible family members.
FCDO have informed over 250 individuals from these cohorts that they are eligible in principle for resettlement under Pathway 3, subject to passing security checks. Including their family members, this accounts for over 1,200 of the 1,500 available places under this stage of Pathway 3. FCDO have communicated an outcome on over 11,200 (98%) of the over 11,400 EOIs received. We look forward to welcoming all remaining individuals as soon as practicable.
We recognise there are many vulnerable individuals who remain in Afghanistan and the region. Unfortunately, the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions have to be made on who will be prioritised for resettlement.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan since 1 March regarding the closure of the Lachin Corridor.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government has repeatedly called for immediate action to re-open the Lachin Corridor and restore the flow of goods and people into Nagorno-Karabakh. In a statement to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 2 March, our Ambassador stated that the parties to the conflict must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict and to resolve all outstanding tensions. The UK Government will continue to emphasise this message in further official engagement with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since 1 March regarding the closure of the Lachin Corridor.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government has repeatedly called for immediate action to re-open the Lachin Corridor and restore the flow of goods and people into Nagorno-Karabakh. In a statement to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 2 March, our Ambassador stated that the parties to the conflict must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict and to resolve all outstanding tensions. The UK Government will continue to emphasise this message in further official engagement with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (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 (1) Israel, and (2) Jordan, regarding access to the Al-Aqsa mosque for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank during Ramadan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK recognises that Jerusalem's holy sites hold particular significance for all Christians, Jews and Muslims around the world. The UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo to ensure the safety and the security of the Al Aqsa Mosque and all who worship there. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] emphasised the UK's unwavering support for Jordanian custodianship of the holy sites in East Jerusalem during my visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque on 12 January. The Foreign Secretary and I reaffirmed this in our meetings with Jordanian Foreign Minister Safadi on 22 March. British Embassy Tel Aviv also raises the matter of permits for Palestinians regularly as we approach Ramadan and Easter.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding reports of the blocking of the Lachin Corridor between Armenia and Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh on 12 December.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government has made clear that blocking the Lachin corridor and disrupting gas supplies in winter risk severe humanitarian consequences. We continue to urge the governments of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to abide by all ceasefire commitments in good faith. This is consistent with our support for international efforts to facilitate a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict. The Minister for Europe reinforced this position in calls with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in September, in recent meetings with senior officials from both capitals, and in meetings in London with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to the UK.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the risk to the lives of LGBT asylum seekers from Russia, and in particular the Chechen Republic.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
All asylum and human rights claims from LGBT persons from Russia are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of the latest available country of origin information and any relevant caselaw.
The Home Office publishes Country Policy and Information Notes, which provide country of origin information, and analysis of this information, for use by Home Office decision makers assessing protection and human rights claims. Each Note provides information concerning the situation for a particular group of people in a particular country. They are published on the GOV.UK website. They are kept under constant review and updated periodically.
Decision makers also have access to the latest available country information through an information request service for specific enquiries to deal with particular issues raised in individual claims