Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the attempt to normalise relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia based on the five principles Azerbaijan recently offered to Armenia; and the role any non-cooperation from Armenia may have played in hindering such normalisation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government welcomes the steps that Armenia and Azerbaijan are taking to normalise relations following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is monitoring developments closely. In his meetings with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Ambassadors, on 29 and 31 March respectively, the Minister for Europe and North America, the Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP, reinforced the need for substantive negotiations without preconditions to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the conflict. The UK Government will continue to encourage the parties to engage in negotiations to secure stability and security for region.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, the Foreign Secretary has had with her Armenian counterpart concerning the release of data about Azerbaijanis who went missing during hostilities in the 1990s.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to urge the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to settle all outstanding matters related to the conflict, including the return of the remains of the deceased from the 1990s and the return of prisoners of war from the most recent conflict. This was most recently raised by the Minister for Europe and North America, the Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP, in calls with the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers on 1 and 4 March respectively.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reopen the diplomatic mission in Afghanistan; and what discussions they have had with the government of France concerning a joint mission.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We intend to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul as soon as the security and political situation in Afghanistan allows, and are coordinating this effort with allies. We are in regular contact with the French Government.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to provide official channels to support charities sending aid funding to Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 22 December, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2615 which added a humanitarian exception to the sanctions regime established by resolution 1988 (2011), enabling the provision of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The UK government is now working as a priority to update the relevant UK legislation to implement this exception. The UK government continues to work closely with the UN and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to ensure that UK aid benefits Afghans in need while meeting our international obligations. We are providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through the UN, NGOs and the Red Cross Movement on the ground, who are continuing to ensure vital aid reaches those who need it most. We have made the humanitarian situation and access a major subject of our engagement with the Taliban. We continue to monitor this closely.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given in collaboration with the United Nations about granting an exemption from sanctions for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan; and how they and international partners will monitor the effectiveness of any agreed resolutions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 22 December, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2615 which added a humanitarian exception to the sanctions regime established by resolution 1988 (2011), enabling the provision of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. This resolution will help save lives, by ensuring that the 1988 sanctions regime poses no obstacle to the provision of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in Afghanistan. This directly responds to what the humanitarian community told us they needed. The UK government is now working as a priority to update the relevant UK legislation to implement this exception. The UN will report on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan while the exception is in place.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to integrate Afghan refugees who have arrived in the UK into the UK labour market at a level which is equivalent to their qualifications.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the challenges and upheaval Afghan refugees have faced, and significant work is underway across the whole of Government to support them in rebuilding their lives in the UK.
For qualified Afghan professionals arriving in the UK, we are taking targeted steps to assist them in utilising their skills and experience to participate in the labour market, including to pursue employment in their professions in the UK while upholding UK professional standards.
As part of the cross-government initiative, they can access tailored support to help them address any qualification equivalence barriers through Jobcentre Plus work coaches and the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications (https://cpq.ecctis.com/). The UKCPQ, specifically, is a service that provides guidance and advice to overseas-qualified professionals to get their qualifications recognised in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Armenia on sharing mining maps and data with the government of Azerbaijan to facilitate the process of de-mining.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Minister for Europe and Americas continues to raise with both Governments the importance of the return of all missing persons, the return of the remains of the deceased and the return of mine maps. She did so most recently in her meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors on 4 and 17 November respectively. We welcome the most recent returns of prisoners of war in exchange for mine maps. The UK continues to urge both Governments to settle all matters related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiation under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Armenia on sharing information with the government of Azerbaijan about Azerbaijanis who went missing during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Minister for Europe and Americas continues to raise with both Governments the importance of the return of all missing persons, the return of the remains of the deceased and the return of mine maps. She did so most recently in her meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors on 4 and 17 November respectively. We welcome the most recent returns of prisoners of war in exchange for mine maps. The UK continues to urge both Governments to settle all matters related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiation under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the environmental impact caused by the fire on the X-Press Pearl on the coast of Sri Lanka; and what support they have provided to the government of Sri Lanka.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government remains concerned about the environmental impact caused by the fire on the X-Press Pearl ship. While the risk of an oil spill is now considered low, plastic pellets and other debris are affecting the shoreline. We have engaged regularly with the Sri Lankan authorities and international experts on the ground to determine how the UK can best support the response.
The UK government is providing marine pollution expertise to Sri Lanka to help respond to the potentially devastating impact on the marine life and coastal habitats of Sri Lanka. The UK will also provide expertise and analytical capacity to support plastic pollution monitoring, as well as environmental and socioeconomic impact assessments. The UK's Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science will partner with Sri Lankan Government Departments, academics and responsible authorities to support effective emergency response and implementation of a post spill integrated monitoring plan.
Asked by: Lord Sheikh (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure women released from prison are (1) supported by the Ministry of Justice's temporary accommodation service, and (2) are supported into permanent accommodation.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
Official statistics published in July 2020 show that over 6,000 women were released from custody in the year to March 2020, with 51% going into secure, long-term accommodation and a further 7% to approved premises; 18% were recorded as rough sleeping or homeless at the point of release.
We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the next financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.
The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks’ emergency accommodation.
HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks’ temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS.
In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from male to female Approved Premises (AP) to give better geographic spread of AP for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008. In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in June supporting female offenders.