Asked by: Lord Quirk (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the practice of "breast ironing" in Commonwealth countries of Africa, including Kenya and the Benin State of Nigeria, and if so, whether they have raised that issue with the governments concerned.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government is aware of the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. There is little reliable data on the number of girls suffering this form of abuse, but we strongly condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms.
The Government places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming and works through diplomatic and development channels to tackle the causes and drivers of violence against women and girls as a matter of priority. The manifestations of violence may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes.
In Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria we are continuing to engage with governments and local communities to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence against women and girls. In Cameroon our High Commission has been working closely with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on campaigns in coordination with local religious leaders, to raise awareness and support community-led change to end the harmful practice of breast ironing.
Asked by: Lord Quirk (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current increase in girls suffering "breast ironing" in Western and Central Africa, and especially in southern Cameroon.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government is aware of the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. There is little reliable data on the number of girls suffering this form of abuse, but we strongly condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms.
The Government places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming and works through diplomatic and development channels to tackle the causes and drivers of violence against women and girls as a matter of priority. The manifestations of violence may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes.
In Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria we are continuing to engage with governments and local communities to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence against women and girls. In Cameroon our High Commission has been working closely with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on campaigns in coordination with local religious leaders, to raise awareness and support community-led change to end the harmful practice of breast ironing.
Asked by: Lord Quirk (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (HLWS119), what action they have been taking on the issue of unpaid London Congestion Charge bills and fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations, with what results, and when they expect a satisfactory agreement to be reached.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has held meetings throughout the past year with a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations about outstanding London Congestion Charge bills and fines, and other debts. The subject of a mission’s outstanding debts is also raised with all incoming Heads of Mission.
In March this year FCO officials wrote to all diplomatic missions with unpaid London Congestion Charges over £100,000 requesting payment of the outstanding fines as a matter of priority and to give them the opportunity to pay the outstanding fines, or to dispute them with Transport for London (TfL), before we published the details.
Statistics provided by TfL show that the vast majority (around two thirds) of diplomatic missions pay Congestion Charges. Diplomatic missions which do not pay, claim that the Congestion Charge is a form of tax from which they should be exempt under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) 1961. The view of the Government is that there are no legal grounds to exempt diplomats and they are therefore expected to pay Congestion Charges. Officials from the FCO, the Department for Transport (DfT) and TfL continue work to identify a solution to the legal impasse with non-paying missions.
Asked by: Lord Quirk (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (HLWS116), what action they have been taking on the issue of unpaid parking fines incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations to ensure fines are duly and regularly paid; and with what result.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has held meetings throughout the past year with a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations about outstanding parking fines and other debts. The subject of a mission’s outstanding debts is also raised with all incoming Heads of Mission. In April this year FCO officials wrote to all diplomatic missions with unpaid parking fines over £500 to give them the opportunity to either pay the outstanding fines, or to dispute them with the creditors, before the publication of the details to Parliament. Subsequent payments of parking fines, including amounts waived by councils, totalled £214,154.