Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their decision to restrict arms export licences to Israel, whether they have reviewed the arms licences in respect of (1) Saudi Arabia, given its conflict with the Houthis in Yemen, (2) Qatar, given its support of Hamas, or (3) Turkey, given its conflict with the Kurds.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously and we operate one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. We rigorously assess every application on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue or maintain an export licence to any destination where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences as circumstances require.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional factors led to the Foreign Secretary's decision to limit arms supplies to Israel when his predecessor in that office did not take such action.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Previous assessments against the export criteria are a matter for the government in office at the time. As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he tasked officials with a comprehensive review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law. On 2 September the Foreign Secretary delivered an Oral Statement in the House of Commons updating Members on his assessment regarding international humanitarian law (IHL) and the Government's related decision on arms exports.
He has published a summary of the IHL process, decision, and the factors taken into account [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account#:~:text=The%20government%20has%20conducted%20a%20thorough%20review%20of%20Israel%E2%80%99s%20compliance].
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they offer to general practitioners in meeting the demands placed on them.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play, and we are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.
We have committed to training thousands more GPs across the country, as well as taking pressure off those currently working in the system. The inclusion of newly qualified GPs into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) will also support the recruitment of GPs.
The ARRS provides funding for a number of additional roles to help create bespoke, multi-disciplinary teams. All these roles are in place to assist GPs in reducing their workload and assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many vacancies are currently available for general practitioners in primary care, and how many newly qualified general practitioners are seeking appointment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence that UNRWA is inciting hatred of Jews in the textbooks it provides in its schools in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We regularly discuss issues related to the school curriculum and textbooks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and UNRWA. The UK-supported 2021 review of the PA curriculum found improvements in content, with previously flagged materials removed. But it also indicated that problematic content remains in Palestinian textbooks: we therefore need to see further curriculum reform from the PA, and we continue to raise this with them regularly. UNRWA and the PA are engaging seriously on this issue.
Antisemitism is abhorrent and has absolutely no place in any society, and we are committed to tackling it in all its forms.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the mental health of medical practitioners of withdrawing NHS Practitioner Health services for new applicants.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We recognise that the NHS Practitioner Health service is valued by many doctors. NHS England is reviewing the service as part of a wider review of its mental health and wellbeing offer to National Health Service staff. It was confirmed on 15 April 2024 that the service will continue to accept new patients from primary and secondary care whilst this review is undertaken over the next 12 months. NHS England will confirm future arrangements once the review has been completed.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations of rape of Israeli women by members of Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023, and the implications for international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023 detail abhorrent acts of violence against Israeli women and girls. The UK stands in solidarity with all of the victims and survivors.
We condemn sexual violence unequivocally and without exception. These reports must be fully investigated to ensure justice for survivors and victims.
The international community should be clear in condemning sexual violence wherever it occurs, including in Israel.
Conflict-related sexual violence is an abuse of human rights and when perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict, can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law such as a war crime.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Hamas is seeking to prevent airdrops of aid provided by the UK and others.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We continue to carry out air drops, including most recently on 9 April. We are using the A400M, a highly capable tactical and strategic airlift platform, with drop zones surveyed before and during the airdrop to ensure aid is delivered safely to civilians.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence that Hamas is diverting aid meant for Gazan civilians for its own use.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
All UK aid undergoes rigorous oversight. Our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories operate with enhanced sensitivity with additional safeguards to protect against any possibility of aid diversion. They include measures to verify and map downstream partners, non-payment of local taxes and enhanced due-diligence processes. We constantly review the due-diligence assessments in place with all partners involved in delivering aid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. No funding goes to Hamas and we have no information to indicate that UK aid sent to Gaza over the last five years has been used for unintended purposes.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of antisemitic incidents in universities, and what steps they are taking in response to such incidents.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The department is deeply concerned about the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents and this government takes antisemitism extremely seriously. The department continues to liaise closely with Community Security Trust who provide regular updates on the number of antisemitic incidents reported in higher education (HE) since 7 October.
The Secretary of State and the Minister for Skills wrote to all schools, colleges and universities on 11 October, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Minister for Skills wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16th November, further emphasising the use of disciplinary measures and the importance of police engagement, as well as the suspension of student visas where the student is a foreign national. This was one of the key actions set out in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in HE, which was published on 5 November. Details of the plan can be accessed at: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/05/how-were-protecting-jewish-students-on-university-campuses/.
A key element of the plan is the development and implementation of a Quality Seal, which is a framework of measures that will allow universities to demonstrate support for Jewish students and staff. The Quality Seal will be based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and will allow universities to demonstrate tangible evidence of its adoption and integration into their policies and practice.
The department continues to remind providers of their obligations under the prevent duty, where they should be working to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. There is an online ‘Reporting Extremism’ form where members of the public can raise concerns to the department directly. Where concerns have arisen, departmental officials have reached out to relevant providers to ensure that appropriate action has been taken, including reporting issues to the police where appropriate.