Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what discussions they have had with, and (2) what assurances they have sought from, the government of Russia about the treatment of LGBT people in the Chechen Republic since 2018.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We remain deeply concerned about the continuing persecution of LGBT people in Chechnya. The UK Government has raised this issue repeatedly with the Russian Government and made clear that Russia must abide by its international human rights obligations. On 17 June, the Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas raised our concerns with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Titov.
In December 2018, the UK was one of 16 countries to invoke the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism, requiring an independent OSCE investigation. The OSCE Moscow Mechanism's independent 2018 report confirmed allegations of serious human rights violations in Chechnya against LGBT people and other groups including unlawful detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings. We continue to urge Russia to implement the recommendations made in the Moscow Mechanism report and to end the climate of impunity for human rights abusers in Chechnya.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage civil society to contribute to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The review will engage with a range of stakeholders here and abroad to ensure proper consultation and challenge. We will listen and learn from different voices across the UK and internationally including civil society. Good practice from previous reviews and strategies will be explored when formulating the right approach.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees were resettled in the UK from (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019, broken down by country of origin.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Migration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. These can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics. The next statistics, which contain resettlement arrivals by nationality for the year ending December 2019, is planned for publication on 27 February. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlements by host country.
The Home Office undertakes remote video interviews with refugees referred for resettlement under the Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Schemes. These interviews are principally designed to gain a deeper understanding of any UK family links and gather information to assist with the process of matching refugees to suitable offers of accommodation, and do not form part of the case consideration process. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlement case acceptance or rejection by host country.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many resettlement interviews conducted in (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019 resulted in (a) acceptance, or (b) rejection, of the case for resettlement in the UK, broken down by the country of origin of those interviewed.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Migration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. These can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics. The next statistics, which contain resettlement arrivals by nationality for the year ending December 2019, is planned for publication on 27 February. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlements by host country.
The Home Office undertakes remote video interviews with refugees referred for resettlement under the Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Schemes. These interviews are principally designed to gain a deeper understanding of any UK family links and gather information to assist with the process of matching refugees to suitable offers of accommodation, and do not form part of the case consideration process. We do not publish a breakdown of resettlement case acceptance or rejection by host country.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the government of Israel about proposed changes to land ownership in relation to the sale of church properties in Israel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have previously raised the Bill with the Israeli authorities and encouraged a swift resolution that all parties are content with. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is closely following developments on the Church Lands issue, and we understand that the Bill has been paused.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Resettlement Scheme since 2015; what were the ages of such refugees when resettled; and what proportion of them were from refugee camps in (1) Lebanon, (2) Turkey, and (3) Jordan.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
The statistics are available at the quarterly release on the gov.uk website.
As of September 2018, a total of 13,818 people had been resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) since 2015, of which almost half were children. We do not currently publish a breakdown of resettlements by age or host country.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey to identify the level of support that is needed to deal with any expected influx of refugees to Turkey from Idlib province; and what support they intend to provide as a result of such discussions.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK maintains a regular dialogue – at all levels – with the Turkish authorities on a range on humanitarian issues, including contingency planning for large scale movements of people from Idlib and surrounding areas, as well as support for those currently located in the Northwest Syria.
The UK is supporting refugees and host communities in Turkey through EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT). The FRIT is supporting refugees and host communities by building schools, providing health services and social welfare payments for the most vulnerable refugees, to alleviate pressure on Turkish communities hosting refugees. The UK committed €328 million to the FRIT in 2016, as well as an additional €155 million in 2018.
The UK is already supporting those living in Northwest Syria, and has boosted this support in preparation for a regime offensive in the region. On 13 September, DFID announced additional aid funding of up to £42 million for Northern Syria. This money will help to provide Syrians affected by a regime military offensive with shelter, clean water and sanitation, mental health services, and support of health workers and facilities.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries hosted a British Council office and staff in (1) 1990, (2) 2000, (3) 2010, and (4) 2015.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
(1) In 1990, as stated in the 1989-1990 Annual report, the British Council had offices in the following countries*:
* Details were correct as at 1 September 1990.
Algeria | Argentina | Australia | Austria | Bahrain |
Bangladesh | Belgium | Botswana | Brazil | Brunei |
Bulgaria | Burma | Cameroon | Canada | Chile |
China | Colombia | Cote d'Ivoire | Cyprus | Czechoslovakia |
Denmark | East Jerusalem | Ecuador | Egypt | Ethiopia |
Finland | France | Germany, Federal Republic of | Ghana | Greece |
Hong Kong | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Iraq |
Ireland, Republic of | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan |
Jordan | Kenya | Korea | Kuwait | Lesotho |
Malawi | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico | Morocco |
Mozambique | Namibia | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand |
Nigeria | Norway | Oman | Pakistan | Peru |
Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Romania |
Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Singapore | South Africa |
South Pacific | Soviet Union | Spain | Sri Lanka | Sudan |
Swaziland | Sweden | Tanzania | Thailand | Tunisia |
Turkey | Uganda | United Arab Emirates | USA | Venezuela |
Yemen, Republic of | Yugoslavia | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
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(2) In 2000, as stated in the 1999-2000 Annual Report, the British Council had offices in the following countries*:
*Details are correct as at 31 March 2000.
Albania | Algeria | Argentina | Australia | Austria |
Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Estonia | Latvia | Lithuania |
Bangladesh | Belarus | Belgium | Luxembourg | Bolivia |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | Sâo Paulo | Brunei |
Bulgaria | Burma (Myanmar) | Cameroon | Canada | Chile |
China | Colombia | Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Denmark | East Jerusalem (West Bank and Gaza) | Ecuador | Egypt |
Eritrea | Ethiopia | Finland | France | Georgia |
Germany | Ghana | Greece | Hungary | India |
Indonesia | Ireland | Israel | Italy | Jamaica |
Japan | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kenya | Korea |
Kuwait | Lebanon | Lesotho | Macedonia, former Yugoslav Republic of | Malawi |
Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico | Morocco |
Mozambique | Namibia | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand |
Nigeria | Norway | Oman | Pakistan | Peru |
Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Romania |
Russia | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Singapore |
Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka |
Sudan | Swaziland | Sweden | Switzerland | Syria |
Tanzania | Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | Turkey |
Uganda | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates | USA | Uzbekistan |
Venezuela | Vietnam | Yemen | Yugoslavia | Zambia |
Zimbabwe |
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(3) In 2010, as stated in the 2009-10 Annual Report, the British Council had offices in the following countries*:
*Details were correct as at 31 March 2010.
Afghanistan | Albania | Algeria | Argentina | Armenia |
Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Bangladesh |
Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | Bulgaria |
Burma | Cameroon | Canada | Chile | China |
Colombia | Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus | Czech republic |
Denmark | Egypt | Eritrea | Estonia | Ethiopia |
Finland | France | Georgia | Germany | Ghana |
Greece | Hungary | India | Indonesia | Iraq |
Ireland | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan |
Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kenya | Korea, Republic of | Kosovo |
Kuwait | Latvia | Lebanon | Libya | Lithuania |
Macedonia | Malawi | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius |
Mexico | Montenegro | Morocco | Mozambique | Namibia |
Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand | Nigeria | Norway |
Oman | Pakistan | Palestinian Territories | Philippines | Poland |
Portugal | Qatar | Romania | Russia | Saudi Arabia |
Senegal | Serbia | Sierra Leone | Singapore | Slovakia |
Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | Sudan |
Sweden | Switzerland | Syria | Taipei | Tanzania |
Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | Turkey | Uganda |
Ukraine | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom | United States of America | Uzbekistan |
Venezuela | Vietnam | Yemen | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
(4) In 2015, as stated in the 2014-15 Annual Report, the British Council had offices in the following countries*:
*Details were correct as at 31 March 2015.
Afghanistan | Albania | Algeria | Argentina | Armenia |
Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Bangladesh |
Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | Bulgaria |
Burma | Canada | Chile | China | Colombia |
Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Egypt |
Estonia | Ethiopia | France | Georgia | Germany |
Ghana | Greece | Hungary | India | Indonesia |
Iraq | Ireland | Israel | Italy | Jamaica |
Japan | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kenya | Korea, Republic of |
Kosovo | Kuwait | Latvia | Lebanon | Libya |
Lithuania | Macedonia | Malawi | Malaysia | Malta |
Mauritius | Mexico | Montenegro | Morocco | Mozambique |
Namibia | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand | Nigeria |
Occupied Palestinian Territories | Oman | Pakistan | Peru | Philippines |
Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Romania | Russia |
Rwanda | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Serbia | Sierra Leone |
Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | South Sudan |
Spain | Sri Lanka | Sudan | Switzerland | Taiwan |
Tanzania | Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | Turkey |
Uganda | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom | United States of America |
Uruguay | Uzbekistan | Venezuela | Vietnam | Yemen |
Zambia | Zimbabwe |
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Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries they are prioritising for anti-corruption aid between 2018 and 2020.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID’s anti-corruption country strategies support the five DFID partner countries who attended the London Anti-Corruption Summit in 2016 (Afghanistan, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania) to deliver on their commitments. This is in addition to work with international partners to improve global standards and transparency, and strengthen international architecture to deter corruption and track stolen assets so they can be returned to developing countries.
Asked by: Lord McInnes of Kilwinning (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have had a British Council establishment opened since 1990.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Since 1990, the British Council has opened new offices for the first time in Switzerland, Rwanda, Namibia, Taiwan, and Mozambique. They also established offices in the newly independent states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Russia, after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, the British Council established offices in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia; they also opened offices in the Czech Republic and Slovakia when they became independent states.