Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the alleged targeting by Syrian and Russia of 13 hospitals in Syria run by the Union of Medical Care and relief organisations.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are appalled by reports that hospitals in north west Syria have been hit by Russian and regime airstrikes. The UN estimate that 20 health facilities, at least 9 of which are hospitals, have been affected by recent hostilities. It is inexcusable that hospitals have been attacked despite their coordinates being provided to Russia and others by the UN deconfliction mechanism. We urgently call on the Syrian regime, Russia and all other actors to abide by international law and respect the ceasefire agreed last year and the deconfliction mechanism.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance his Department is providing to the three million civilians trapped among Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham fighters in Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK remains deeply concerned for the three million people living in Idlib governorate, the majority of which is currently controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS). DFID is working closely with UN and NGO partners to deliver life-saving assistance such as food, shelter and healthcare to the most vulnerable people across Idlib, including those who have been displaced by recent escalations in violence. In 2018/19, we provided over £80 million to support such humanitarian activities in Northwest Syria. Our programmes across Syria have extensive controls in place to ensure that aid delivered by DFID-funded partners reaches those who need it and does not benefit extremist groups such as HTS.
In addition to our humanitarian effort, the UK continues to use our position in the UN Security Council to advocate for the protection of all civilians, aid workers and journalists in Syria, and was instrumental in convening two emergency UN sessions on Idlib on 10 and 17 May. Most recently, at a meeting of the UN Security Council on 28 May, the UK called for the Syrian regime to abide by international law and for all parties to adhere to agreed ceasefires and cessations of hostilities in Idlib.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed with his Iraqi counterpart the water pollution crisis in Iraq; and whether the Government has offered the Iraqi Government any assistance to address that crisis.
Answered by Mark Field
British officials have discussed the serious water problems in Iraq with senior interlocutors in the Government of Iraq, including with respect to the specific difficulties around water provision in Basra. Through UK Export Finance, the UK has provided more than £1 billion of support for UK companies delivering critical infrastructure projects in Iraq – including water and waste water treatment projects.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the next annual Human Rights and Democracy report.
Answered by Mark Field
The 2018 Human Rights and Democracy report is due to be published in early June 2019.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement of 13 March 2019, HCWS1407, whether the additional funding for the environment applies to (a) England or (b) England and Wales.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government announced at Spring Statement an ambitious package of measures to support the environment, including mandating biodiversity net gain for development in England, supporting the Ascension Island Council in its decision to designate a new Marine Protected Area around Ascension Island, launching a comprehensive global review of the link between biodiversity and economic growth, to be led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, and taking forward a Call for Evidence on biodiversity in the Overseas Territories. These measures will help to deliver on this government’s pledge to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. Any spend in England and Wales associated with these measures will be funded from existing budgets.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendation of the Royal College of Surgeons in its report entitled, Recommendations for assuring standards in the independent sector, whether his Department has plans to require all new surgical procedures used in (a) the NHS and (b) private health providers to be registered before being offered to patients.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
There are currently no plans to require all new surgical procedures used in either National Health Service or private health circles to be registered before being offered to patients.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provides technology appraisals that indicate which devices are suitable for routine use and which require more supervised evaluation. This applies to NHS care commissioned from NHS or independent sector providers.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) develop protection mechanisms and (b) provide emergency protection funds for female journalists at risk.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists, including female journalists, who face particular challenges. We have launched a campaign to shine a global spotlight on the subject of media freedom and to increase the costs to those who target journalists for their work. We have been liaising with multilateral, bilateral and civil society partners to explore the effectiveness of the protection mechanisms and funds that already exist, and consider how we can best support and enhance these efforts. This includes consulting with our partners and with female journalists on the steps we can take to minimise the added risks faced by women working in this field and to provide increased protections for them.
We have also supported women journalists through our ongoing project work. Through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy the FCO supports the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law by funding numerous projects overseas. This includes funding for various programmes promoting media freedom. In addition, we have supported media development training for Syrian journalists in exile through International Media Support and the Guardian Foundation. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening local capacity for investigative journalism and in support of public narratives on accountability. This support also has a focus on gender sensitive reporting and representation.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that female journalists are consulted on the UK's media freedom campaign; and what steps his Department is taking to promote that campaign at the London conference on media freedom in July 2019.
Answered by Mark Field
Female journalists in some parts of the world face the double burden of being attacked for their journalism and being attacked because of their gender. We are consulting extensively with civil society, journalists (with a special focus on female journalists), government partners and academia on the design of the Media Freedom Campaign, taking special note of the increased vulnerability of women journalists. We are exploring options for highlighting the increased risks faced by female journalists at the London conference in July 2019. We are also working with our embassies overseas to increase the spotlight on specific cases of abuse of female journalists' rights.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to develop a cross-governmental approach to support and help protect women human rights defenders.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting all human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. It is a key element of our work to promote universal human rights. The FCO and DFID work closely together to support human rights defenders. In our statement at the Human Rights Council in response to the Special Rapporteur's report on Human Rights Defenders, the UK acknowledged the stark challenges facing women human rights defenders. In November 2018, we co-sponsored a new UN resolution on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association which urged States to 'pay particular attention to the safety and protection of women and women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation and harassment'. In 2017, we co-sponsored the UN resolution on Human Rights Defenders to strengthen support for them and the work they do. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with human rights defenders, using the UK Guidelines to inform their work. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks, such as women and those defending the rights of women. Our work to support human rights defenders can include attending trials, raising cases privately with the host government, making public statements, and lobbying for safe and open space for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. The FCO believes that a decentralised, flexible approach through the Guidelines allows UK diplomats to apply them in the local context of the country to which they are accredited.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report on the situation if women human rights defenders, published by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders in January 2019, if his Department will take further steps to (a) protect women human rights defenders who are at risk and (b) help ensure a safe and enabling working environment for women human rights defenders.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting all human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. It is a key element of our work to promote universal human rights. The FCO and DFID work closely together to support human rights defenders. In our statement at the Human Rights Council in response to the Special Rapporteur's report on Human Rights Defenders, the UK acknowledged the stark challenges facing women human rights defenders. In November 2018, we co-sponsored a new UN resolution on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association which urged States to 'pay particular attention to the safety and protection of women and women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation and harassment'. In 2017, we co-sponsored the UN resolution on Human Rights Defenders to strengthen support for them and the work they do. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with human rights defenders, using the UK Guidelines to inform their work. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks, such as women and those defending the rights of women. Our work to support human rights defenders can include attending trials, raising cases privately with the host government, making public statements, and lobbying for safe and open space for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. The FCO believes that a decentralised, flexible approach through the Guidelines allows UK diplomats to apply them in the local context of the country to which they are accredited.