John Howell

This debate underlines this Government’s belief that the circumstances of one’s birth should not determine life outcomes. We are taking a new approach to equality, which goes beyond the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 to address socio-economic and geographic disparities too. As part of this new approach, we are delivering the Equality Data Programme, which examines the different barriers that hold people back and will encourage evidence-based action to tackle them.

Through our levelling up agenda, we will create a society where everyone, wherever they live and regardless of background, has the opportunity to succeed. The Government published its landmark Levelling Up White Paper in February, which sets out ambitious plans to address regional disparities across the UK, put more money in the pockets of those who need it most, and transform the UK economy by generating higher paid jobs and new investment.

We are aware of the Council of Europe’s recent report on LGBT+ people. We are fully committed to supporting the rights of all LGBT+ people and are clear that all forms of hate crime are completely unacceptable.

Unlike many of the other countries criticised in this report, the UK has robust legal protections in place to protect LGBT+ people and enable them to get on with life including Hate Crime legislation, the Equality Act 2010 and equal marriage, but we know there is more to do.

The Home Office will shortly be publishing a new Hate Crime Strategy to set out the Government’s plan for tackling these abhorrent crimes and will respond to recommendations set out by the Law Commission in due course.

The UK has long recognised the unequivocal threat that climate change and environmental degradation poses to the lives and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the world, including the most marginalised and vulnerable.

During the 48th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, the UK voted to recognise the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The UK Government will continue to monitor the implementation of this human right and make internal assessments of the implications from both the Human Rights Council and the Council of Europe.

The Government remains fully committed to building a fairer Britain and taking action to address disparities wherever they exist. That is why the Prime Minister established the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in July 2020.

The Commission submitted its findings to the Prime Minister on 31 March, along with 24 recommendations for key actions for the Government. We will publish our response to the report later this summer and it would be inappropriate to comment on the implications of the debate of 24 June in advance of that.

We have more women MPs than ever before, making up 34% of the commons, and in 2019 around a third of local councillors were women, but we must ensure all women have an equal voice in the decisions that affect them. Government can’t control who political parties select as candidates, and it is for parties to ensure that their selection processes are responsive to known barriers and lead the way in improving representation of women from all groups.

The Government shares the concerns raised by the Council of Europe about the impact of children’s exposure to pornography online.

The Online Safety Bill provides protection for children from online pornography. Services in scope of the Bill that host or publish pornography, including pornography sites, social media, video sharing platforms and forums will be required to protect children from this content.

The Government continues to engage with international partners, including through multilateral organisations such as the Council of Europe, to lead global discussions and build consensus around our approaches to tackling online harms.

The Government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

The Government recognises the important role that sport and physical activity plays, and took action to support the sport sector during Covid as a time of crisis. This is demonstrated by the £600 million Sport Survival Package set up in November 2020 as a result of restrictions on crowd capacities.

Furthermore, the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund has supported local authority leisure centres to recover and reopen during the pandemic. This is in addition to more than £6 billion of unringfenced funding that has also been given to local authorities since the start of the pandemic to allocate in line with local needs which includes leisure facilities.

The Government is committed to reforming football governance, and recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

The Government recognises the need for the long-term financial sustainability of football clubs, particularly those in the lower leagues. That is why we have welcomed the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance and have endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.

The Government is working at pace to review the report in full, including detailed consideration of the recommendations made on improving financial stability and the governance of football clubs across the game, as we work towards issuing a full response to the report in the Spring.

This Government recognises the vital role of the media in supporting our communities and our democracy through the provision of reliable and high-quality information. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the value of accurate information and trusted news sources in times of crisis. We are currently considering the conclusions of the Council of Europe debate, which rightly highlighted the importance of a strong, pluralistic, and independent media ecosystem in times of crisis.

We recognise the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

Services in scope of the draft Online Safety Bill will need to protect users from illegal abuse, including illegal antisemitic abuse. Services in scope which are likely to be accessed by children will need to protect them from harmful or inappropriate content.

Major platforms will also need to address legal but harmful content for adults. These companies will have to set out clearly what legal content is acceptable on their platforms and enforce their terms and conditions consistently and transparently. If platforms fail in their duties under the Bill, they will face tough enforcement action including fines of up to 10% of global annual qualifying turnover.

The draft Bill has been subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee which reported its recommendations on 14 December. We are considering the Committee’s report and will introduce the Bill as soon as possible.

The government is committed to promoting and protecting children’s rights and recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe. We value and endorse the report’s key message that every child has the right to speak and be heard.

The government continues to actively engage with children and young people through its policy making and promotes the use of the children’s rights impact assessment across Whitehall, including the development of a children’s rights training package.

We have proactively sought views from as many young people as possible as we prepare the UK’s United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of a Child state party report, which we will submit to the UN Committee in June.

This has included:

• Circulating surveys on children’s rights through various children’s charities.
• Holding a series of focus groups with young people on a range of topics.
• Engaging with a number of boards led by children to help resolve issues affecting them, such as the Family Justice and Young People Board, who have provided useful insights of their experiences of the system.

We also work closely with the Children’s Commissioner for England and welcome her work with children and young people, in particular, the big ask survey, which was distributed to all children across England and captured their views on their priorities for the future.

This Government recognises the value of supporting students to study and do work placements overseas because of the benefits it brings to the UK and our international partners.

Student mobility can provide life changing opportunities while creating a generation of globally minded young people with broadened horizons. It enhances productivity and employment outcomes for young people while also helping to build international relationships between students and institutions.

That is why we introduced the UK’s £110 million international mobility programme, the Turing Scheme, which is providing the opportunity for more than 40,000 students in schools, colleges and universities to study and work abroad this academic year in over 150 destinations.

The Turing Scheme specifically seeks to support participation of UK students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas of historical low participation in student mobility. More than 19,000, 48%, of the placements approved for funding are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. This will help to ensure these life-changing opportunities are accessible to everyone across the country.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, protecting and promoting the best interests of the child has been at the heart of the action this government has taken, and continues to take. The debate at the Council of Europe highlighted a number of areas impacted by COVID-19 relating to children’s rights, such as education, socio-economic inequality and vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak the government has worked to prioritise vulnerable children. During the outbreak, we were one of few countries across the world to keep schools open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers throughout national restrictions, protecting children’s right to education. We also distributed over 1.3 million laptops and tablets to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £400 million government investment to support access to remote education and online social care services.

We know that the mental health and wellbeing of young people has been affected by the outbreak, and that being back in school and college plays a central role in promoting wellbeing for pupils. That is why we worked hard to ensure that schools were first to reopen in March 2021. We have also announced £17 million towards improving mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges, including £7 million additional funding for local authorities to deliver the Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme.

We have put £200 million into Summer Schools, giving secondary pupils access to enrichment activities and this year we are investing up to £220 million in our Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has now been expanded across England.

Children's social care services and early help services have also continued to support vulnerable children and young people and their families throughout the outbreak.

The government is now looking ahead to recovery. We must 'build back better' for vulnerable children and their families to ensure support is available for those that need it most, when they need it. As part of this, we have invested over £3 billion since June 2020 to support education recovery for children aged 2-19 in schools, colleges and early years settings. This will have a material impact in addressing lost learning and closing gaps that have emerged.

The UK remains deeply concerned about the restrictions on movement and access that affect Gaza. DFID is providing £1.3 million (2018-21) to support the UN’s Access Coordination Unit (ACU), which works with all relevant parties to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza for UN and NGO workers. The ACU works with the Egyptian authorities to facilitate access through the Rafah crossing.

We will provide an update on whether the project should continue in due course.

The UK is committed to the protection and promotion of social rights. The UK has ratified the 1961 European Social Charter (ESC), the European Code of Social Security and numerous other international social rights instruments. The UK is fully committed to all of the Council of Europe instruments it is Party to and engages constructively in work on socio-economic inequalities at the Council of Europe.

The UK Government is taking important steps to reduce inequalities and levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have launched a suite of employment support schemes, significant investments in skills, training and apprenticeships, and Universal Credit has played a crucial and effective role in protecting the most vulnerable.

The Department for Work and Pensions is continuously reviewing its policies on socio-economic inequalities to ensure that no one and no community is left behind.

We welcome this debate, as the NHS Long Term Plan committed to achieving at least a 50% reduction in the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health hospitals by March 2024.

The proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 aim to end inappropriate detentions of people with a learning disability and autistic people. We are also developing the ‘Building the right support’ action plan to reduce reliance on mental health inpatient care through the provision of services in the community.

The Government has no plans to make such an assessment at this stage. The Government discusses the appropriate response to COVID-19 with a wide range of partners, such as the World Health Organization, G7 and G20 bilaterally, which enables it to draw lessons on the most appropriate policies. The Government will be publishing its plans for living with COVID-19 in due course.

The Government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe and notes that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

We are not aware of any specific issues. If an individual believes that their COVID-19 vaccine data is inaccurate, this can be resolved with the Vaccination Data Resolution Service (VDRS) via 119. The VDRS will contact the individual within 21 days. Where vaccine data does not appear on records in England, this will not prevent people from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals affected can attend a walk-in site for either their booster or primary course of vaccination.

Interoperable digital and non-digital solutions are now available in each nation of the United Kingdom. The service an individual accesses depends on where their general practitioner (GP) is registered.

Before an NHS COVID Pass can be issued, both vaccine doses must be recorded. NHS Digital has established live bi-directional data flows between England and Scotland which updates the GP record and NHS COVID Pass status. Therefore, those vaccinated in England, but registered with a GP in Scotland, can access the certification services provided in Scotland and vice versa, as well as being able to demonstrate their vaccination status anywhere in the UK.

Clinical trial participants have had access to a domestic COVID Pass to demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated since 9 September. Therefore they will not be disadvantaged by the restrictions announced on 8 December.

We want to hold accountable those responsible for the atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine. The UK supports the International Criminal Court investigation into the situation in Ukraine, in its role as the primary international institution with the mandate to investigate and prosecute war crimes and other international crimes. The UK also welcomed the publication of the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism independent report, which found evidence of multiple instances of clear violations of international law by Russian forces in Ukraine, and supports the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry. We recognise the important work of the Council of Europe and in particular PACE in this sphere, including at the 14-15 March session where the UK Delegation played a pivotal role in ensuring Russia's expulsion from the organisation as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. We note that recommendations from PACE will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

Russia's war is an unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack on Ukraine, and the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist - sovereignty, democracy and the UN Charter. The UK continues to work with our allies, united in support for Ukraine, to provide economic and defensive support. We recognise the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular PACE in this sphere, including at the 14-15 March session where the UK Delegation played a pivotal role in ensuring Russia's expulsion from the organisation. We note that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

The UK Government supports the intention to strengthen human rights protections in Europe through the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, we maintain our principled position that the EU must be bound to the ECHR on the same basis as other contracting Parties. The Government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

The UK has a long track record of supporting democracy and inclusive governance. We are committed to working with partners and allies across the world, including civil society, to support more open, inclusive and accountable societies. The government recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

The UK Government will continue to champion and encourage the strengthening of democratic institutions in Armenia. We recognise the crucial work in this area of the Council of Europe and in particular Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review. During his phone call with Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan on 1 February, I [Minister for Europe] reaffirmed HMG's support for the programme of democratic reform that Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is undertaking.

The Government takes note of the debate on overcoming the socio-economic crisis sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic and notes that the resolution and recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course.

The Government has acted to support the economy on a scale unmatched in recent history, protecting jobs and livelihoods and boosting public services.

Because of our economic plan, our recovery will be faster, with the Office for Budget Responsibility now expecting the economy to reach its pre-Covid size two quarters earlier and unemployment to peak at a rate 1 percentage point lower than in its November forecast.

The policy support announced by the Government has led to a significant but necessary increase in borrowing and debt. But it is clear that the costs of inaction would have been far higher.

Strong public finances are a fundamental part of a strong economy and a strong Union. The certainty that comes from ensuring the public finances are on a sustainable path will support economic stability across the UK. Measures announced at Budget 2021 bring debt under control over the medium term, through a fair and progressive package.

The Government notes the resolution and welcomes the Council’s support for the work of the OECD’s Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS).

The Government has been proactive in pressing for an international solution to the tax challenges posed by digitisation of the economy for a number of years.

It is a Government priority to reach a comprehensive global solution this year which includes outputs on both OECD Pillars: on both reallocation of taxing rights and minimum taxation.

Reaching agreement on this would be a major multilateral achievement that introduces stability into the international tax landscape.

HMT officials are in discussion with the IMF, through the UK’s delegation at the IMF, on the situation in Lebanon and options for IMF economic support. Any new programme needs to be agreed with a new Government, who will succeed the current caretaker arrangement, to ensure that all commitments can be delivered and implemented. No new programme is able to be proposed at this interim stage, so a formal view on the adequacy of safeguards is not possible.

The IMF must establish adequate safeguards for use of its resources, consulting and updating the Board of Directors, as its policy develops. Safeguards can include for example: strengthening auditing or procurement rules, and wider Central Bank reform. The UK uses its seat on the IMF Board, in conjunction with other board members, to help ensure that programme conditions are consistent with the IMF’s mandate.

There have not been formal discussions at the IMF board on Lebanon, though the IMF’s spokesman has said recently that “there is significant scope to strengthen the transparency and accountability of economic policies, and public sector entities.”

For all IMF programmes, the UK uses its seat at the IMF’s Board to engage in the process of programme design and stipulation of conditions on lending. We utilise the expertise of our embassy network to ensure that programme conditions reflect the domestic political situation while remaining consistent with the IMF’s mandate.

IMF programmes in general are subject to strict policies of oversight and monitoring, underpinned by well-established mechanisms.

Under its Articles of Agreement, the IMF must establish adequate safeguards for the use of its resources. IMF lending requires safeguards covering key areas of governance and control to help mitigate the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of data. These safeguards may include limits on how much can be borrowed, conditions on the loans, measures to deal with misreporting or arrears, and safeguard assessments of central banks. The UK also uses its seat at the Board to help shape these policies and ensure that they are applied across all the IMF’s lending arrangements.

The UK has mature policies in place relating to the disposal of confiscated criminal assets. Domestically, confiscated assets are disposed of in line with the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS), under which operational agencies are allocated a portion of the assets recovered.

The use of ARIS allocations/payments is a matter for each agency. However, in the spirit of the Scheme, incentive payments should be used to drive up performance on asset recovery and, where appropriate, to fund local crime fighting priorities for the benefit of the community.

Internationally, the UK is fully committed to recovering and returning corruptly obtained assets. HMG has recently published its first ever Framework for Transparent and Accountable Return, which details HMG’s process for returning assets in line with UNCAC, including the involvement of civil society actors in this process.

The government is committed to the principle that all police use of force must be reasonable, proportionate and necessary and this is set in law.

We recognise the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the Parliamentary Assembly in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.

A: The UK government is aware of the debate entitled European Pact on Migration and Asylum, during the recent session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and notes the resolution agreed by PACE on the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact.

The UK Government is committed to increasing cooperation with European member states to strengthen borders and to deter secondary movement to the UK.

The Nationality and Borders Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will drive forward reform of the UK’s asylum system.

The Government strongly supports the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime as the leading international treaty on cybercrime. We also welcome the work of the Council of Europe to develop the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention, to ensure that the Convention remains effective if the face of changing threats in cyberspace, and that it continues to provide an effective legal basis for international cooperation to tackle these threats.

So called 'honour’-based abuse (HBA) is a terrible form of abuse, and we are clear that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling it. No-one should suffer because of who they are or what community they are born into.

Our focus remains on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice. The Home Office is providing up to £150,000 to the charity Karma Nirvana this year to run its national HBA helpline; between April and September 2021 the helpline provided assistance to 1,212 users of the service. The joint Home Office/Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Forced Marriage Unit has provided advice and support for thousands of victims of forced marriage and delivers regular training to police officers and social workers.

The Government’s recent Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy set out a number of further actions to tackle HBA, including that the Home Office will seek out community advocates who can talk to community audiences to explain why HBA practices are wrong, that the College of Policing will produce advice for police officers to advise both first responders and investigators on how to deal with cases of HBA, and that the Department for Health and Social Care will work to criminalise ‘virginity testing’ to send a clear message that this practice is wholly unacceptable in our society.

We welcome the insights communicated in the debate at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last month. The Government pays close attention to the experiences of our international partners in tackling HBA and works closely with them in tackling it. For example, in 2018 the Government signed a protocol on female genital mutilation (FGM) with the United States to increase collaboration and the sharing of intelligence between the two countries. This enabled the UK and the United States to run Operation Limelight (a joint operation between border staff and the police which seeks to raise awareness of FGM and forced marriage at the border in order to safeguard potential victims) concurrently at several ports in the two countries.