Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the death of George Floyd.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have been clear that the death of George Floyd was appalling, inexcusable and deeply distressing. We are aware that a suspect has been charged and there is a federal review underway. We would hope and expect justice to be done.
The violence we have seen is clearly very alarming. People must be allowed to protest peacefully - peaceful protest remains a vital part of a democratic society and we understand the strength of feeling around this issue.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the process for repatriating British citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The repatriation of British Citizens who wanted to leave the Diamond Princess cruise ship has now been completed. The Government keeps policy on repatriation of British nationals under constant review.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Iran’s reported use of violence against protestors in Tehran on 12 January.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of violence used against protesters in Tehran on 12 January. We unreservedly support the right to peaceful protest and call on Iran to uphold its commitments under international law to protect freedom of assembly and speech.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to ensure that companies publish their action plans for closing the gender pay gap.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Gender Pay Gap among all employees in the UK continues to decline, currently at a record low of 17.3%.
This year, mandatory reporting regulations have seen over 10,000 employers report their gender pay gap for the second time, with around half of all employers in-scope of the regulations publishing action plans.
To close the gap entirely we need a much wider cultural change, which can’t be imposed from above. We strongly encourage all employers to publish action plans, prompting discussions about the drivers of the pay gap in their organisations. To support employers, we have published advice on how to diagnose their gaps and develop an effective action plan, alongside evidence-based guidance on practical actions they can take to close the gap. We actively disseminate this guidance to employers throughout the year to ensure they have the information they need to create an action plan.
This position is kept under review. If we do not think that employers are making enough progress, we will act.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made as to whether the humans rights of workers building the stadium for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been violated.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Qatar has made significant progress to improve the situation for its workers, including migrant workers since it won the right to host the World Cup. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) opened an office in Doha in 2018 to work with Qatar on improving workers’ rights. We welcome the steps Qatar has taken to date to improve the treatment of workers in Qatar including its most recent announcements on labour reform to abolish the Kafala system by early 2020. We continue to encourage Qatar on making further reforms recommended by the ILO and stand ready to support.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the situation in Chile.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom Government is concerned at events that have occurred in Chile in recent days. We condemn the violence that has occurred and welcome the efforts of everyone who is working to restore the situation in the country to peace and normality. Our Embassy in Santiago are in close contact with the Chilean authorities, and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of violence towards (1) bystanders, and (2) protestors, in the National Day protests in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain seriously concerned by the situation in Hong Kong, including the violent scenes that occurred on 1 October. It is essential that protests are conducted peacefully and lawfully, and that the response of the authorities is proportionate.
As we have repeatedly made clear, we believe the Hong Kong SAR Government should establish a robust, independent investigation into events. We note that the Independent Police Complaints Council are carrying out an inquiry and we look forward to further details on its scope. Whatever the format of the inquiry, it is crucial that it is credible, transparent, can rebuild trust and help to resolve the current tensions.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned that North Korea has conducted a submarine-launched ballistic missile test. This follows ten other sets of ballistic missile tests this year and is another clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK Government has repeatedly expressed its concern at North Korea’s breaches of international law and has ensured UN Security Council consideration of the matter, most recently on Tuesday 27 August. We urge North Korea to cease these tests and engage in good faith with the United States. Until the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, UN sanctions must remain in place and be fully enforced. It is our firm belief that complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is the path to a peaceful and more prosperous future for the North Korean people.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that people crossing the border in Gibraltar have as minimum a time delay as possible after the UK departs the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since June 2016, the British Government has engaged constructively with the Government of Gibraltar and our European partners, including Spain, to address the practical implications - including border crossings - for Gibraltar arising from EU Exit. The Spanish Government, including most recently Foreign Minister Borrell, has made clear the importance of maintaining border fluidity to avoid long delays. The Government of Gibraltar is focussed on keeping its side of the border moving quickly.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the safe passage of British tankers overseas.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The shipping industry is understandably concerned about recent regional tensions and attacks on international shipping in the Persian Gulf. These events culminated in Iran's illegal seizure of the Stena Impero, a UK-flagged tanker, on 19 July.
It is vital to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation and ensure that merchant shipping can pass through the Gulf safely. That begins with clear information flows between Government and the shipping industry. The Department for Transport (DfT) regularly reviews threats and reporting worldwide and issues the most up to date advice available to operators to assist with their risk assessments, to enable their safety while travelling overseas.
In late July, following the illegal seizure of the Stena Impero, the Royal Navy began to accompany British-flagged ships in the region to provide reassurance to the shipping industry. In parallel, we have been talking to allies and partners about the threat to international shipping in the region. On 5 August, the Government announced its decision to join an international maritime security construct in the Gulf, focused on freedom of navigation and restoring safe passage for shipping. The mission involves the Royal Navy working with international partners to accompany merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, building on existing cooperation which has seen Royal Navy vessels accompany 50 merchant ships through the Strait since 24 July.
Our participation in this construct is focused entirely on the issue of reassuring the shipping industry and deterring further attacks. The Government has not changed its wider policy towards Iran. We remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is the best way to prevent a nuclear armed Iran. We are not part of the US maximum pressure campaign and have no wish to escalate tensions with Iran, but we also have to ensure that international law and rules are upheld and respected.