Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their reduction of funding for international aid will affect the funding given to the BBC.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Government highly values the BBC World Service. That is why HM Government is providing the BBC World Service with a funding uplift of £32.6 million (31 per cent) in 2025/26, taking HM Government's total contribution to £137 million.
The Prime Minister announced on 25 February a commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from April 2027, funded by reducing Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI). Delivering this reduction will require hard choices. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used, including for the BBC World Service, will be worked through, including as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Foreign Secretary on 29 June, what assessment they have made of the UK’s future relations with growing regional powers in (1) the Indo-Pacific region, and (2) Latin America.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As the Foreign Secretary has set out, the UK is committed to making a long term and sustained effort to revive old friendships and build new ones, reaching far beyond our long-established alliances. This includes increasing the UK's engagement with countries in the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America, strengthening our relationship in areas of mutual interest such as defence, security and trade partnerships, and upholding and promoting the international rules-based system.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Foreign Secretary on 29 June, what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed addition of a permanent member of the UN Security Council from an African nation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has a clear and longstanding position on UN Security Council (UNSC) reform, including support for permanent African representation on the Council, as referenced in the Foreign Secretary's speech on multilateralism on 29 June.
The UK believes that UNSC reform is needed to make the Council more representative of the world. Coupled with a renewed commitment to the UN Charter, a reformed Council would be well placed to respond decisively to threats to international peace and security.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they provide directly to support the BBC World Service.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We strongly value the work of the BBC World Service and its independent and impartial broadcasting. In 2021-22, the FCDO is providing a total of £94.4 million to the World Service. The FCDO is committed to providing funding for the BBC World Service through to 2025, with final allocations to be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what assessment has been made of any potential risks of the physical Chamber sitting of the House of Lords to those peers present and the compliance of such presence with Public Health England’s advice on social distancing and restriction on movement.
Answered by Lord Laming
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. Risk assessments of all regular activities in the Chamber have been undertaken and resulting mitigating actions implemented. These actions include:
Public Health England has visited the Estate to review the social distancing measures in place and is content. Virtual proceedings are in place for almost all House business and members are encouraged to work from home.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans the House of Lords Commission has to enable eligibility for members who are working from home to receive their daily allowance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord McFall of Alcluith
The House of Lords Commission has agreed to temporarily suspend the usual system of financial support for members and replace it with one which allows members to claim the allowance at the half-rate of £162 for participation in; a sitting of this House or a Committee of the House; a virtual proceeding of this House or a virtual meeting of a Committee of this House; participation in such other Parliamentary business as may be determined by the House of Lords Commission.
The Commission has also agreed that this new, temporary arrangement should be applied retrospectively from 21 April. It is expected that a resolution to this effect will be put to the House for agreement this week.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures may be taken if a UK national working in a foreign embassy in the UK commits criminal activities from that embassy.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
With respect to allegations of offences which were not committed in the course of the UK national's official duties, law enforcement agencies may take whatever action they deem appropriate.
UK law enforcement agencies would require a waiver of an individual's immunity to allow them to investigate actions allegedly committed in the course of official duties. If a waiver is refused by the relevant diplomatic mission, Her Majesty's Government may inform the mission that it no longer considers the individual to be a member of the mission.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring the Foreign and Commonwealth Office carries out to assess the progress in implementing the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in relation to international commitments.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is delivering on its international commitments through a mix of lobbying, programme delivery and the deployment of its team of experts. Project work is monitored on a quarterly basis and, in consultation with our overseas posts, adjusted where improvements are necessary. We also hold regular working level meetings with both non-governmental organisations and like-minded donors. Both serve to ensure the Government’s commitments remain relevant and deliver real impact where it is most needed. An ambitious campaign launched this year seeks to deepen this collaborative work in tackling the stigma associated with sexual violence, improve evidence gathering, enable more prosecutions and reduce the risks posed to civilians in over 13 focus countries. Updates to Parliament and other interested parties are currently via the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security as well as the annual Human Rights report which give an overview of progress made against international commitments.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the specific criteria for selecting and deselecting target countries for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government has pursued or supported Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative activity in a wide range of countries over the last four years, including Burma, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Mali, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Syria. The criteria used for selecting and deselecting these target countries take into account a number of factors. These include the extent and impact of sexual violence in the country under consideration, the national and international response to date and the particular role the UK can play in reinforcing or complementing existing efforts.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish a strategic plan and five-year road map for the implementation of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government is considering the recommendation in the House of Lords Select Committee Report on Sexual Violence that it develops a strategic plan and roadmap. The Government will respond in full to the Select Committee Report on 13 June. The Government will continue to update Parliament on the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights Report. The Government also plans to provide regular briefings and updates to the recently formed All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual Violence in Conflict. In addition, the Government keeps all those interested in this important work up-to-date on progress via social and other forms of media.