Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative will undertake in Syria, especially in relation to recently released prisoners.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We unequivocally condemn the use of sexual violence, including in detention, and are resolute in our determination to prevent and respond to it. Through the Global Survivors Fund - which works with governments and local organisations to provide redress for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence - the UK has provided medical, psychosocial, legal and financial support to over 800 Syrian survivors of sexual violence in Turkey. We have also designated 3 perpetrators of sexual violence in Syria since 2023.
The UK has emphasised the importance of protecting civilians as part of Syria's political transition and will continue to engage closely with Syrian contacts, international and regional partners to support a peaceful transfer of power.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist in the rebuilding of civil society in Syria, including the judiciary and the police.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has long supported the voices of Syrian civil society, a community that has stood ready to support a Syrian political process, accountability efforts and humanitarian work for years. During its Presidency of the UN Security Council, the UK invited a Syrian civil society briefer to share their views and experiences with the Council.
We support a Syrian-led process to bring stability and peace to the country, based on the principles set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That includes compliance with international law, the protection of civilians, including minorities, access to humanitarian aid, a nationwide ceasefire, action against terrorism and disposal of chemical weapons - among other measures.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what work the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub will undertake in Syria in supporting the development of civil society.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has long supported the voices of Syrian civil society, a community that has stood ready to support a Syrian political process, accountability efforts and humanitarian work for years. During its Presidency of the UN Security Council, the UK invited a Syrian civil society briefer to share their views and experiences with the Council.
We support a Syrian-led process to bring stability and peace to the country, based on the principles set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. That includes compliance with international law, the protection of civilians, including minorities, access to humanitarian aid, a nationwide ceasefire, action against terrorism and disposal of chemical weapons - among other measures.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering the use of alternative financing mechanisms to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to increasing sustainable interventions to help Syrians support themselves, and build futures through education, jobs and food production. In 2023, over 40% of the UK's aid budget for Syria was allocated to early recovery (an approach to humanitarian assistance that uses sustainable solutions to meet needs), livelihoods and providing long term opportunities for Syrians.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic representation they have in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The British Embassy in Kabul suspended operations in August 2021. The Doha based UK Mission to Afghanistan visits Kabul regularly, raising priority UK issues directly with senior members of the Taliban, falling short of recognition. The Mission presses the Taliban on counter-terrorism, promotes the UN-led Doha process and always raises the unacceptable violations of the rights of women and girls, most recently in October 2024. Not having a permanent presence does not stop the UK from having an impact and directly helping the people of Afghanistan, as shown in the recent Independent Commission for Aid Impact report.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter misinformation relating to the conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This department takes very seriously the threat which misinformation and disinformation related to the conflict in the Middle East can pose. We have taken a multi-faceted approach and work in lockstep with various organisations, including social media companies and other government departments such as the Foreign Office.
Ministers have been clear that major social media platforms should remove illegal content, including hate speech, along with content which is in breach of their terms of service. The major social media platforms will be bound by these responsibilities when the Online Safety Act comes into force, and ministers have been clear that platforms should not wait for regulation to be in force before taking relevant action.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise standards of integrity in government.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is a government of service and it is committed to restoring trust and confidence in public life. The Prime Minister will soon issue his Ministerial Code which outlines the standards expected of all Ministers.
In addition, the Government will establish a new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission, with its own independent Chair. We will ensure that this Commission has the powers and remit necessary to fulfil its responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support workers affected by job losses at the Tata Steel steelworks in Port Talbot into employment.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board has been set up to support those affected by Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation Transition and will be supported by £100 million of funding. £80 million of which will be provided by the UK Government, as confirmed by the Chancellor in the Budget on 30 October, and the remaining £20 million will be provided by Tata Steel UK.
The Secretary of State for Wales announced the initial £13.5 million funding, to support supply chain businesses and individuals affected, on August 15. This funding will allow businesses who are heavily reliant on Tata Steel as their primary customer, allowing them to diversify towards new markets and customers where necessary. This funding is also available to workers affected by the transition, allowing them to retrain or to learn new skills allowing them to re-enter the job market.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of (1) educational buildings, (2) mosques, (3) churches, (4) hospitals, and (5) synagogues, have been destroyed or damaged by war in Gaza since October 2023.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As of 24 July, 93 per cent of schools have been damaged or destroyed, and nearly 85 per cent will need either full reconstruction or rehabilitation to function again. As of late September, only 17 out of 36 hospitals were still partially functional. However, as of this week, three hospitals in North Gaza have been ordered to evacuate by the Israeli Defense Forces. We do not have data on the numbers of religious buildings that have been affected. Only when the fighting stops can a proper assessment be done. Experts estimate that Gaza's reconstruction will cost tens of billions of dollars.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of knife-related homicides between 2000 and 2024 were by machete.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
16 October 2024
Dear Lord Roberts,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what percentage of knife-related homicides between 2000 and 2024 were by machete (HL1510).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes figures on crime in England and Wales based on two main data sources: police recorded crime data, and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). As a victimisation survey, the CSEW cannot ask respondents about their experience of homicide. Homicide data is supplied to us by the Home Office as part of police recorded crime.
We publish breakdowns of the type of weapon used in homicide by a sharp instrument in table 9 of our Homicide in England and Wales appendix tables1. These breakdowns were introduced to the Homicide Index in April 2022. The latest period for which data are currently available is the year ending March 2023. These data have been presented in Table 1 below.
Of the homicides where a knife or sharp instrument was used, 5.7% of them were carried out using a machete in the year ending March 2023. See table 9 for a full breakdown. Data for the year ending March 2024 is provisionally scheduled for release in February 2025.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/appendixtableshomIcideinenglandandwales
Table 1: Number and percentage of offences currently recorded as homicide by a sharp instrument[1],[2].
Type of sharp instrument | Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 | Percentage |
Axe | 2 | 0.8 |
Combat / Rambo / Military style knife | 5 | 2.0 |
Flick knife | 6 | 2.5 |
Hunting knife | 4 | 1.6 |
Kitchen knife | 101 | 41.4 |
Lock knife | 7 | 2.9 |
Machete | 14 | 5.7 |
Sword | 3 | 1.2 |
Zombie knife | 7 | 2.9 |
Other knife[3] | 37 | 15.2 |
Other sharp instrument | 6 | 2.5 |
Sharp instrument involved but type not known/not recovered | 52 | 21.3 |
Total | 244 | 100 |
Source: Homicide Index from the Home Office
[1]As of 12 December 2023; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
[2]Type of sharp instrument was introduced in the Homicide Index on 1 April 2022.
[3]Other knife includes those which do not fit into the other published headings.