Baroness Northover Portrait

Baroness Northover

Liberal Democrat - Life peer

Became Member: 1st May 2000


Environment and Climate Change Committee
14th Apr 2021 - 31st Jan 2023
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
28th Oct 2016 - 6th Oct 2021
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (International Development)
1st Jun 2015 - 28th Oct 2016
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Development)
4th Nov 2014 - 7th May 2015
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
11th May 2010 - 4th Mar 2015
Lords Spokesperson (Women & Equalities)
7th Oct 2013 - 5th Nov 2014
Lords Spokesperson (Department for International Development)
5th Sep 2011 - 4th Nov 2014
Trusts (Capital and Income) Bill [HL] Special Public Bill Committee
19th Jun 2012 - 24th Jul 2012
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (International Development)
9th Dec 2002 - 6th May 2010
Procedure and Privileges Committee
15th Jun 2005 - 12th Nov 2009
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Health)
18th Dec 2000 - 10th Oct 2002


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Baroness Northover has voted in 468 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Baroness Northover Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative)
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(164 debate interactions)
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
(18 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Leader of the House
(14 debate contributions)
Department of Health and Social Care
(13 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Health and Care Act 2022
(3,276 words contributed)
Trade Bill 2019-21
(3,084 words contributed)
Agriculture Act 2020
(2,973 words contributed)
Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021
(2,638 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Baroness Northover's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Baroness Northover, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Baroness Northover has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Baroness Northover has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change last met; and whether it will be chaired by the Prime Minister.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.


GOV.UK is updated regularly with the terms of reference and membership of Cabinet Committees.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Minister of State for Climate will no longer be attending Cabinet.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy formally represents climate in Cabinet, ensuring it is included in any relevant policy discussions. Attendance at Cabinet is the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
3rd Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government which department the minister with responsibility for critical minerals will be based in; and when the Critical Minerals Strategy announced in 2022 will be updated as planned.

The Department with lead responsibility for critical minerals is the Department for Business and Trade. The Government is planning to publish a refreshed approach to the Critical Minerals Strategy in Spring this year to reinforce the 2022 Strategy, highlight delivery progress to date, and set out upcoming delivery milestones.

Lord Johnson of Lainston
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent energy companies from increasing direct debit payments from customers over the summer while global energy prices are falling.

A customer’s direct debit payment arrangement should avoid large credit or debit balance at the end of 12-month period. Energy suppliers are required to ensure a customer’s direct debit payments are set on the best available information. For existing customers, the payment level should be based on energy consumption over the previous year with adjustments for price changes. With Ofgem now setting the energy price cap on a quarterly basis, regular adequacy reviews on customers’ accounts by suppliers should mean when the cost of energy falls, they will see this reflected in their direct debit payment sooner.

Lord Callanan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they intend to provide to the Global Drug Facility to avoid shortages of key medical supplies and personal protective equipment for (1) tuberculosis, and (2) COVID-19, caused by current global supply and transport network disruptions.

Along with other donors the UK is supporting UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs to respond to coronavirus in other countries. This includes helping the world’s poorest countries to access critical medical supplies including PPE. UK aid is also helping to increase global production of medical supplies, including PPE. This includes significant support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help it work with global manufacturers.

The UK Government does not directly fund the Global Drug Facility, but it does provide significant funding to global bodies to tackle TB. This includes our funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, which we have committed £1.4 billion to for the next three years. We are also supporting developing countries through our multilateral partnerships with organisations like the WHO, and our regional and national programmes, to make their domestic health systems, including their TB programmes, stronger and more resilient.

18th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Stop TB Partnership's recent report on the impact of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis services; and what support they intend to provide to the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism to help countries respond to COVID-19 and mitigate the impacts on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes.

The UK Government is concerned about the indirect impacts of COVID-19 on other health priorities, including increased rates of HIV, TB and malaria. The Stop TB Partnership’s rapid assessment of COVID-19 and the TB response gives helpful insights into short-term impacts. The modelling report co-commissioned by the Stop TB Partnership outlines longer-term impacts, suggesting that disruptions caused by COVID-19 could lead to an additional 6.3 million TB cases and 1.4 million TB deaths between 2020 and 2025. The findings of both reports are concerning.

The UK Government is taking action, including through support to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism, which we are funding through our £1.2 billion contribution to the Fifth Replenishment of the Global Fund. Through our multilateral partnerships with organisations like the WHO, and our regional and national programmes, the UK Government also supports developing countries to make their domestic health systems, including their TB programmes, stronger and more resilient.

1st Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what joint work they are undertaking with the EU into the human rights situation in Cambodia; what assessment they have made of the EU’s partial withdrawal of trade privileges under the “Anything But Arms” trade arrangements due to human rights abuses and the undermining of democracy in that country; whether they plan to make any similar amendments to their trade arrangements with Cambodia; and if not, why not.

The United Kingdom has concerns about human rights in Cambodia and continues to raise these with the Cambodian government at every opportunity. For example, when explaining the UK’s approach on trade preferences to Cambodia, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Cambodia expressed our concerns about the human rights situation to Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister in December 2020.

We continue to monitor the situation in Cambodia and consider if it is appropriate to suspend preferences in line with the provisions of our Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) scheme, taking into account the human rights situation as well as the economic impact of COVID-19 and the impact on vulnerable people, including female garment factory workers.

17th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of delays to driving licence renewals; and when they expect these issues will be resolved.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days. However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence and the DVLA receives 60,000 items of mail each day. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found on GOV.UK.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to house more staff to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.

These measures are having a positive impact. In particular, the focus on vocational driving licence applications to support dealing with the HGV driver shortage has been successful with routine vocational applications now back within normal turnaround times despite a significant increase in applications. The remaining queues are reducing, and customers will see an improving picture in terms of turnaround times over the next few months.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth: summary of the heads of agreement, published on 20 November 2023, what assessment they have made of any potential detrimental impact on women's health if the tax on the contraceptive implant Nexplanon is increased to 35 per cent.

The 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG) introduces a new way of controlling the cost of older medicines that is explicitly pro-innovation and pro-competition. We do not anticipate this resulting in a detrimental impact on women's health or, given the available mitigations, on the supply of medicines.

Medicines for women’s health will be subject to the VPAG in the same way that all other medicines are. They will be subject to the top up payment percentage only when they have not seen a sufficient price decline since the active substance lost market exclusivity.

In exceptional circumstances, where a product would otherwise be uneconomic to supply, companies can apply to the Department for a price increase or for an adjustment to the top up payment percentage that applies.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
30th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, ahead of the 30-year review of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, what progress they have made since 1994 on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the UK.

We are proud of the United Kingdom’s progress regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the last thirty years and of our country’s leadership as the top performing country in SRHR policies according to the European Combined SRHR Ranking Atlas 2020-2023.

In Great Britain, women have access to safe, regulated National Health Service-funded termination of pregnancy services under the Abortion Act 1967. Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland through the introduction of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019. Health is devolved in the UK, and progress on SRHR in England has included several areas of SRHR.

Contraception plays a vital role in preventing unintended pregnancy and a wide range of contraceptive choices are available free of charge in a range of primary and community care venues in England, including through the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service since April 2023. The conception rate amongst women under 18 years old in England is now lower than it was twenty years ago and has more than halved between 2011 and 2021. The conception rate for those aged under 16 years old is approximately a third of what it was 10 years ago.

The 2022 Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out our plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls, and for improving how the health and care system engages and listens to all women. This includes investing £25 million in women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to essential services for menstrual problems, contraception, menopause care and more.

Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access to most sexual health services (SHSs) through the public health grant funded at £3.5 billion in 2023/24. Individual local authorities are well placed to make funding and commissioning decisions about the SHSs that best meet the needs of their local populations. This includes oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, which has been routinely available in specialist SHSs since 2020.

The National Chlamydia Screening Programme focuses on reducing reproductive harm of untreated infection in young women aged 15 to 24 years old. The programme has the secondary aims of reducing re-infections and onward transmission of chlamydia and raising awareness of good sexual health.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection, and some types can cause genital warts or cervical cancer. The national HPV vaccination programme was introduced for girls in September 2008 and extended to eligible boys in September 2019. In 2022, genital warts diagnoses among young women aged between 15 and 17 years old attending SHSs were 67.9% lower than in 2018.

The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach in England to drive forward progress and achieve our goal to end new HIV transmissions, AIDS and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030 backed by almost £45m over 2020-2025. We continue to celebrate the progress made from 2019 when the Government first made its HIV commitments, with approximately 4,500 people living with undiagnosed HIV and extremely high levels of antiretroviral therapy coverage and viral suppression.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), how many dengue fever infections there were in the UK in (1) 2020, and (2) 2021, based on data held by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in (a) England, (b) Wales, and (c) Northern Ireland, comprised of laboratory reports from the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down.

The following table shows the number of imported cases of dengue cases reported by the UK Health Security Agency’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2020 and 2021.

2020

2021

England

101

93

Wales

1

1

Northern Ireland

0

1

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2370), whether the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will provide an update on the progress made in the areas of mutual interest for cooperation under its Memorandum of Understanding with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on matters of communicable diseases prevention and control.

These discussions are continuing. However, the United Kingdom has a nominated EpiPulse Focal Point to oversee and manage access as a non-European Union country within the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) co-operation framework. EpiPulse was launched on 22 June 2021 and integrates several surveillance systems, provides new functionalities and access to data in a single platform. The platform facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and connects users from different sectors through which the ECDC aims to strengthen the prevention and control of infectious diseases by enhancing early threat detection and assessment.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), what measures they have in place to monitor for an increase in dengue fever cases; how many cases would be sufficient to warrant further investigation; and what such investigations may involve.

Dengue fever cases reported in the United Kingdom have been acquired as a result of travelling to endemic areas, such as South and South East Asia, South and Central America, Africa and the Caribbean. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises health professionals to be alert to the possibility of dengue fever in returning travellers. Where a case is suspected, health professionals should contact the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory for advice and diagnosis.

There is no pre-determined threshold for the number of cases which would warrant a response. Laboratory clinical and epidemiological teams monitor changes in the pattern of diagnosis and respond as appropriate, such as updating current advice for travellers and the National Health Service, increasing diagnostic testing and reporting in accordance with international health regulations. The UKHSA also works with local authorities, port health and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to monitor points of entry for the invasive mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue in France.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
26th Sep 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the (1) incidence, and (2) impact, of dengue fever on different demographic groups in the UK.

Dengue case numbers in the United Kingdom were provided annually to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control until 2019, which is the most recent data available. This information showed there were 827 dengue cases in the UK in 2019.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on dengue infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, comprised of laboratory reports from the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down. However, the UKHSA does not routinely receive information on outcomes and clinical details, including information on symptoms, deaths and risk groups for these cases. In the event of an apparent increase in dengue cases, the UKHSA would undertake additional investigations.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
13th May 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 5 March (HC Deb, cols. 1078–1079), what assessment they have made of the success of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2030 project in accelerating the implementation of strong tobacco control policies and advancing sustainable development in low-and middle-income countries; whether, in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the countries participating in the FCTC 2030 project will be given more time to implement the project; and whether official development funds will be made available beyond 2021 to support low-and middle-income countries to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

As a world leader in tobacco control, the Government is continuing to deliver its commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2030 project. The countries receiving support continue to make good progress in strengthening their tobacco control measures.

The five-year project is in its final year and scheduled to end in March 2021. Year 5 (2020/21) objectives have been set and the project delivery revised to take account of the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

No decision has been made on whether Official Development Assistance funding will be made available to support the project beyond the original commitment of March 2021.

6th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights as per Sustainable Development Goal target 5.6.

The White Paper on International Development reaffirmed the UK's commitment to deploy policy and investment to advance and strongly defend universal access to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in line with Sustainable Development Goal target 5.6.

The UK Government is committed to driving progress and demonstrating leadership on SRHR globally as a major donor, through our diplomatic network and in collaboration with partners. For example, the UNFPA Supplies Partnership averted 8 million unintended pregnancies, 2.2 million unsafe abortion and 170,000 maternal and child deaths in 2022, with the UK as their largest donor. The Women's Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Programme supported 9.5 million women to use modern methods of contraception and averted over 45,000 maternal deaths, 5 million unsafe abortions and over 16 million unintended pregnancies from the programme's inception to 2021. In May 2023, the UK joined other G7 leaders in re-asserting the critical role of comprehensive SRHR in our efforts to achieve gender equality, explicitly recognising the need for access to safe and legal abortion as well as post abortion care.

Lord Benyon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
30th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, ahead of the 30-year review of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, what progress they have made since 1994 on sexual and reproductive health and rights in their international work.

The UK Government continues to use its diplomatic and development levers to drive progress and demonstrate leadership on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally and the recently released White Paper on International Development reaffirmed the UK's commitment to deploy policy and investment to advance and strongly defend universal access to comprehensive SRHR.

As the largest donor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Supplies Programme, the Partnership averted 8 million unintended pregnancies, 2.2 million unsafe abortion and 170,000 maternal and child deaths in 2022 alone. Since 2018, UK aid support to the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme has supported 9.5 million women to use modern methods of contraception and, in 2021, over 12,000 maternal deaths and 1.8 million unsafe abortions were averted.

This year, the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights ranked the UK highest in the region (91.3 per cent) for our commitment to achieving SRHR for all, including our domestic laws and policies, and our overseas development assistance dedicated to progressing comprehensive SRHR for all.

Lord Benyon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
17th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will restore the four per cent of UK official development assistance for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is central to achieving FCDO commitments in the International Development Strategy, our approach to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030 and the International Women and Girls Strategy.

The FCDO ensures the aid budget is directed towards our priorities, delivers value for the taxpayer and meets the UK Government's commitment to spend 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) until the fiscal situation allows a return to 0.7 per cent. The International Development Strategy, which includes comprehensive SRHR, will guide aid prioritisation decisions, alongside the International Women and Girls Strategy. We will update on planned allocations for this spending review period in due course.

17th May 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prioritise (1) sexual and reproductive health, and (2) the rights of women and girls, in the allocation of official development assistance to developing countries.

The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive rights (SRHR). We are committed to working with our partners to drive progress and demonstrate leadership on SRHR on the global stage and in our programmes. This includes the recent announcement that up to £200 million will be delivered towards the Women's Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Dividend programme focussed between 2024-29 on sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest rates of maternal mortality, neonatal deaths and unmet need for family planning in the world.

In March 2023, the FCDO published the UK's International Women and Girls Strategy which sets out our plan to promote and defend the rights of women and girls. In this, we committed to ensure that at least 80% of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes should have a focus on gender equality, using OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) markers, by 2030.

7th Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 7 March (HL5764), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, what assistance they will provide to the government of South Sudan to enable that country to meet its international obligations under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention to become free of landmines.

The Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP), the FCDO's main vehicle for clearing landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW), has a long-standing commitment to funding demining in South Sudan. Between 2018 and 2022, GMAP provided funding for UK NGO the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) to clear 1,829,632 square metres of land in South Sudan. GMAP signed a new contract with MAG for Financial Year 22/23, which, as of end December 2022, had cleared an additional 168,563 square metres of land there. We are currently negotiating with MAG a new contract for South Sudan to run from April 2023.

15th Dec 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) commitments, and (2) reassurances, they have made to the government of Gibraltar in the event that there is no negotiated outcome to the issues raised by the UK–EU Treaty in respect of Gibraltar.

The UK Government continues to work alongside the Government of Gibraltar to secure a treaty with the EU, in respect of Gibraltar's relationship with the EU. Following meetings on 14 and 15 December the Foreign Secretary, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, EU Vice President and Spanish Foreign Minister all reiterated their commitment to that outcome. The UK Government is working alongside the Government of Gibraltar to prepare for the possibility of no negotiated outcome. This includes projects to increase infrastructure resilience at the land border and port, and sharing of expertise. The UK will stand fully behind Gibraltar in any scenario.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
28th Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for Development and Africa on 14 November that he was "pleased to confirm new UK Government funding to the Global Family Partnership FP2030", whether they will provide a breakdown of that funding.

The UK plays a leading role in advancing voluntary family planning globally, as part of our longstanding commitment to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. New UK funding to the Global Family Planning Partnership 'FP2030' will accelerate country leadership in regions including North, West, and Central Africa; East and Southern Africa; Asia and the Pacific; and Latin America and the Caribbean.

We are not able to give a yearly funding breakdown until ODA funding allocations are confirmed over the Spending Review period.

28th Nov 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 11 November (HL3016), how much Official Development Assistance (ODA) support they provided to the Global Financing Facility in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, and (4) 2021; and how much ODA was specifically for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) to bilateral priority countries in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, and (c) 2021.

The UK Government has committed a total of £95 million of Official Development Assistance to the Global Financing Facility from 2017 to 2025 in two phases. The payments made to date are 1) £18 million in 2018, 2) £8 million in 2019, 3) £3 million in 2020 and 4) £6 million in 2021.

Overall the UK spent the following amount of bilateral Official Development Assistance on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights over the last three years. 1) £515 million in 2019, 2) £372 million in 2020 and 3) £242 million in 2021. This data is calculated using the methodology outlined in the Donor Delivering Report and the Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2021.

28th Oct 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what fiscal steps they are taking to support women and girls' (1) sexual, and (2) reproductive, (a) health, and (b) rights, in countries on which their funding is targeted.

The UK is committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This is demonstrated by our success in securing a landmark statement at the UN General Assembly third committee and the publication of the UK approach to Ending the Preventable Deaths of mothers, babies and children. We also provide funding to key organisations working on SRHR such as the Reproductive Health Supplies partnership.

Aid prioritisation decisions will be guided by the UK International Development Strategy that includes support to women and girls and global health. The UK also supports countries to mobilise their own resources through policy input and support to programmes such as the Global Financing Facility.

26th Sep 2022
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that cuts to Official Development Assistance have had on research projects concerning dengue fever in the UK.

The UK Government, through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, have made significant investments in global health research for novel health technologies and implementation research to combat diseases of poverty, including HIV, TB and malaria as well as Neglected Tropical Diseases. The FCDO has not supported direct research on dengue fever although it is addressed indirectly through our health systems research programmes and our support to technology development programmes such as the Liverpool based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC).

19th Jul 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support women’s access to contraceptive services in South Africa.

Women's empowerment and gender equity are top priorities for the UK Government in South Africa, including through work on skills and youth employment, and tackling gender based violence. While the UK does not currently provide support to women's access to contraceptive services in South Africa, the UK has supported 9.5 million women and girls to use modern methods of contraception since 2018 through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) programme, across 17 African countries.

10th Mar 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to support (1) maternal health, and (2) family planning provision, for (a) those in Ukraine, and (b) those who are now refugees, in light of Russia's invasion of that country.

The UK has now committed £395 million in aid to the current crisis. This includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance which will be used to save lives, and protect vulnerable people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. This funding will help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation by providing access to basic necessities and medical supplies. UK Government humanitarian experts have also deployed to the region to support those fleeing the violence in Ukraine. The UK has matched pound for pound the public's first £25 million for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which has now surpassed £130 million. Donating will help DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families.

To date, we have contributed £3.5 million to provide medical supplies to Ukraine. Five commercial flights with supplies have been sent plus a further shipment on a military flight. We are preparing another five flights over the next week and we are working with Department of Health and Social Care and Devolved Administrations to identify and prepare supplies which meet the most pressing needs with a focus on pharmaceuticals.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
21st Feb 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the Stabilization Unit Independent Review of the Defence Engagement Programme for the financial year 2015–16.

A search of FCDO and MOD records has not returned any documents matching this description.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support Angola to become landmine free under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

The UK is a leading donor in supporting Angola's commitment to be landmine free by 2025. The UK's current Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP2, 2018-22) has, as of September 2021, cleared and confirmed safe over 27 million square metres of land in Angola (the equivalent of 3,784 football pitches) and provided 95,004 people with risk education.

The Global Mine Action Programme 3 (GMAP3) is due to replace GMAP2 during 2022. It will involve landmine clearance and risk education to help keep affected communities safe, and build capacity development for national authorities to help them manage landmine contamination. We are in the process of finalising individual country allocations, and will make a statement as soon as this is complete.

20th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of UK aid funding for mine action.

The UK is one of the leading supporters of mine action across the world. Our current Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP2, running from 2018-2022) has helped to raise standards across the global demining sector through its effective and innovative approach. Under GMAP2, the UK has cleared and confirmed safe 435.2 million square metres of land, the equivalent of over 60,952 football pitches, and has delivered risk education messages to over 3.7 million people in communities affected by mines. GMAP2 has as a consequence contributed to broader HMG development goals such as stabilisation, education, jobs and food security in poor and fragile countries across the world.

The FCDO is currently working on the design of a new Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP3), which will replace GMAP2 during 2022. We are committed to continually improving the effectiveness of our aid funding for mine action, and are drawing on lessons learned from GMAP2.

19th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure developing countries affected by loss and damage due to climate change are not pushed further into debt.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to assist developing countries avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

As COP26 Presidency, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and UNFCCC Subsidiary Body Chairs to follow up on the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. As Presidency we will also be supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network, which will catalyse and deliver technical support to enable countries to cope with the impacts of climate change.

We are also taking action through our International Climate Finance (ICF) - which will total £11.6 billion over the next 5 years, with an extra £1bn in if fiscal conditions allow - as well as through broader humanitarian assistance. Between 2016 and 2019, the UK spent £2 billion of ICF on adaptation and investments in areas needed to address loss and damage, including around £202 million on humanitarian assistance directly linked to climate change and building resilience to it, and £115 million on financial protection and risk management.

19th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the level of need for loss and damage due to climate change in developing countries.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to assist developing countries avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

As COP26 Presidency, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and UNFCCC Subsidiary Body Chairs to follow up on the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. As Presidency we will also be supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network, which will catalyse and deliver technical support to enable countries to cope with the impacts of climate change.

We are also taking action through our International Climate Finance (ICF) - which will total £11.6 billion over the next 5 years, with an extra £1bn in if fiscal conditions allow - as well as through broader humanitarian assistance. Between 2016 and 2019, the UK spent £2 billion of ICF on adaptation and investments in areas needed to address loss and damage, including around £202 million on humanitarian assistance directly linked to climate change and building resilience to it, and £115 million on financial protection and risk management.

19th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to establish a process to discuss finance for loss and damage due to climate change in developing countries.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to assist developing countries avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

As COP26 Presidency, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and UNFCCC Subsidiary Body Chairs to follow up on the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. As Presidency we will also be supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network, which will catalyse and deliver technical support to enable countries to cope with the impacts of climate change.

We are also taking action through our International Climate Finance (ICF) - which will total £11.6 billion over the next 5 years, with an extra £1bn in if fiscal conditions allow - as well as through broader humanitarian assistance. Between 2016 and 2019, the UK spent £2 billion of ICF on adaptation and investments in areas needed to address loss and damage, including around £202 million on humanitarian assistance directly linked to climate change and building resilience to it, and £115 million on financial protection and risk management.

19th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to identifying new and additional sources of finance for loss and damage due to climate change in developing countries.

The UK is committed to supporting efforts to assist developing countries avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

As COP26 Presidency, the UK will work with the incoming Egyptian Presidency for COP27 and UNFCCC Subsidiary Body Chairs to follow up on the actions set out in the COP26 Decision text. This includes the Glasgow Dialogue which will discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage. As Presidency we will also be supporting the process to operationalise the Santiago Network, which will catalyse and deliver technical support to enable countries to cope with the impacts of climate change.

We are also taking action through our International Climate Finance (ICF) - which will total £11.6 billion over the next 5 years, with an extra £1bn in if fiscal conditions allow - as well as through broader humanitarian assistance. Between 2016 and 2019, the UK spent £2 billion of ICF on adaptation and investments in areas needed to address loss and damage, including around £202 million on humanitarian assistance directly linked to climate change and building resilience to it, and £115 million on financial protection and risk management.

23rd Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they owe to Iran; when they expect to pay it; and why they have not yet paid it.

The IMS debt is a longstanding issue and we have been consistently clear that we continue to explore options to resolve this 40-year old case.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter the practice of hostage-taking by the government of Iran; and what assessment they have made of the value of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, launched in February, in taking such steps.

We do not accept any of our dual nationals being used as diplomatic leverage. We remain committed to securing the immediate and permanent release of unfairly detained British nationals in Iran, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori. The Foreign Secretary discussed their cases with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 8 November. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani visited the FCDO on 11 November to meet senior government officials and Minister Cleverly, who raised all our cases with his Iranian counterpart.

As part of the Canadian Initiative Against Arbitrary Detention, we are committed to enhancing international cooperation to stop any State from arbitrarily detaining foreign nationals for coercive purposes. We are working with our G7 partners to enhance mechanisms to uphold international law, tackle human rights abuses and stand up for our shared values.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government which ministers have visited Iran to discuss the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with the government of that country since July 2019; and (1) who was the minister, and (2) when was the visit, in each case.

The Foreign Secretary and Ministers take every opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with Iran, including through our Ambassador in Tehran and in phone calls. Officials routinely visit Tehran for discussions with Iranian counterparts. Such discussions include nuclear non-compliance, regional stability and security, the release of British dual nationals and Iranian human rights violations. The Foreign Secretary discussed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 8 November. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani visited the FCDO on 11 November to meet senior government officials and Minister Cleverly, who raised all our cases with his Iranian counterpart.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether (1) Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and (2) Anoosheh Ashoori, is a hostage of the government of Iran; and whether there are any other British nationals in a similar position.

We do not accept our nationals being used as diplomatic leverage and have repeatedly made this clear to Iran. We remain committed to securing the immediate and permanent release of unfairly detained British nationals in Iran, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Nov 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances a British national is granted diplomatic protection in consular cases; what were the reasons for granting such protection for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and whether they will grant similar diplomatic protection to Anoosheh Ashoori.

Diplomatic protection is a mechanism under international law according to which a State may seek to secure reparation for injury to one of its nationals, on the basis that the second State has committed an internationally wrongful act against the national. It is the right of the State to raise with another State the question of treatment of one of its nationals by that other State and to call that other State to account on the international plane. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was given Diplomatic Protection in March 2019. Mr Ashoori’s release is a top priority for the Foreign Secretary and we will continue to review when best to deploy the tools that we have to secure his release. FCDO has been supporting Mr Ashoori's family since we became aware of his detention. The Foreign Secretary has remained in contact with the family to reinforce the UK's efforts to bring him home and last met with them on 18 November.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
13th Sep 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of UK-affiliated academics and researchers in Afghanistan who (1) are in hiding, or (2) have applications to leave; and what steps they are taking to expedite and assist with their departure.

I addressed the UN Human Rights Council on 24 August to underscore the UK's commitment to protecting the human rights of all Afghan people. The UK led work on the recent UN Security Council resolution, demonstrating our commitment to holding the Taliban to account on human rights. The UK is urgently developing a new settlement scheme for 20,000 Afghans most at risk who will be eligible to apply. We are prioritising vulnerable groups in the UK's response.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
10th Jun 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what role the United Kingdom is playing in responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan; and to what extent this includes the clearance of landmines and explosive remnants of war.

The UK has a longstanding role supporting the most vulnerable in South Sudan through humanitarian support. Our humanitarian programme provides basic services, critical life-saving assistance and support to help people to better cope with the impacts of conflict, drought and flooding. We also support a number of other initiatives to help end the conflict and bring peace for the people of South Sudan.

As one of the founding signatories to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, the UK is one of the leading supporters of de-mining action worldwide. In South Sudan, our Global Mine Action Programme 2 is working with partners to remove landmines and ordnances. As of March 2021, UK support has helped make safe 1.8 million square metres of land and provided education on mine risks to nearly 25,000 people.

10th Jun 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on global landmine casualty rates of reducing funding to humanitarian mine action programmes.

The UK has invested £124million to help clear deadly explosive devices worldwide in the last three years through the Global Mine Action Programme 2. The UK is looking forward to starting phase 3 of the Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP3) in 2022. MAP3 will involve landmine clearance and risk education to help affected communities keep safe, and capacity development for national authorities to help them manage their landmine contamination.

10th Jun 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom plans to use its presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions to encourage Angola to ratify the treaty.

The UK will assume the Presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in September. We will use this opportunity to encourage states to ratify and implement this treaty, including Angola. We are committed to seeing the CCM become a truly global Convention.

21st Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the reported targeting of 292 Palestinian structures in the West Bank and subsequent displacement of 450 people by the Israeli authorities in the first quarter of 2021, and (2) the implications of this for UK policy in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel on this matter.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Apr 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether, if at all, the ability of the government of Ethiopia to use water from the River Nile to support its (1) people, (2) agriculture, and (3) industry is affected by the 1929 Agreement, brokered by the UK, between the governments of Egypt and Sudan.

This is why the UK continues to urge all parties involved in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan - to come to an agreement on the issues around the dam, including its filling and operation. We support the efforts by the African Union (AU) to help find agreement, and ensure that water resources are managed in a way that ensures their long-term sustainable use for all parties. We continue to speak to all three Governments through our Embassies in those countries, and regularly engage the US and EU as observers to the AU-led process, including through the UK Special Envoy for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. The Minister for Africa also raised the issue with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February.

11th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 10 March (HL13681), to provide a list of the individuals, companies and countries that were not sanctioned because the UK statutory tests were not met.

The UK Sanctions List provides details of all individuals and entities designated in UK law under each of the UK's 35 sanctions regimes established under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. This is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list. The EU publishes a similar list of all individuals and entities designated under EU sanctions law. This is available here: https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main. The UK does not publish a comparison of the two lists.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
24th Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions against (1) individuals, (2) companies, and (3) countries, the UK implemented while a member of the EU; and which sanctions have stopped being applied following the UK's departure from the EU.

As a member of the EU, and until the end of the Transition Period, we implemented all EU sanctions. To designate former EU designations under UK law, the UK statutory tests had to be met. This includes demonstrating that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the proposed designation meets the designation criteria set out in the relevant Regulations and that designating that person would be appropriate with regards to the regime's purposes as set out in those Regulations. In a small number of cases - less than 10% - those legal tests were not met. Those EU designations were not transitioned.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
1st Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to promote human rights and democracy in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, and (2) to provide support for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the further application of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

The UK is a leading voice in upholding and defending human rights and democracy. We value our relationship with all ASEAN's Member States, who are committed to rule of law, good governance, and the principles of democracy and constitutional government, through the ASEAN Charter. Where we have concerns we raise these bilaterally, through our regular ministerial and official engagement with host governments, and multilaterally, including through UN Human Rights Council statements and the Universal Periodic Review process. The UK does not currently provide support for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)