Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the victims core grant funding Police and Crime Commissioner’s spent between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 on (1) domestic abuse services, (2) domestic violence specialist services, (3) domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, (4) family court domestic abuse support, and (5) Independent Domestic Violence Advisers.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In 2019/20 Police and Crime Commissioners received £70.3m from the Ministry of Justice to provide or commission support services for victims of crime, including victims of Domestic Abuse. PCCs also spend additional money from other sources on victims’ services.
It is not possible to provide the spend on specific sub-categories of Domestic Abuse services, as it cannot be disaggregated from overall spend for all PCCs.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much additional expenditure outside of the victims core grant funding Police and Crime Commissioner’s spent between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 on (1) domestic abuse services, (2) Independent Domestic Abuse Advisers, (3) domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, (4) family court domestic abuse support, and (5) Independent Domestic Violence Advisers.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In 2019/20 Police and Crime Commissioners received £70.3m from the Ministry of Justice to provide or commission support services for victims of crime, including victims of Domestic Abuse. PCCs also spend additional money from other sources on victims’ services.
It is not possible to provide the spend on specific sub-categories of Domestic Abuse services, as it cannot be disaggregated from overall spend for all PCCs.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the IMF's support for Lebanon (1) is subject to strict oversight and monitoring, and (2) has mechanisms in place to ensure it is not misspent.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
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 uses its seat at the IMF’s Board to help shape these policies and ensure that they are applied across all the IMF’s lending arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Hezbollah's involvement in (1) charitable, and (2) criminal networks, in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We do not comment on intelligence matters.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of teacher training programmes supported by UK aid in the Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
DFID supports teacher training in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through the UK’s ‘Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning Programme’, which is co-funded by DFID and the British Council. The programme focuses on core and transferable skills, and global citizenship.
The content is centrally designed by UK-based experts and delivered on the ground across the world by trainers who are validated and quality assured by the British Council. The British Council undertakes quality assurance visits to ensure the content delivered is appropriate and high quality. The British Council also monitors feedback from participants and has commissioned an independent evaluation of the effectiveness and quality of the training.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK aid is distributed to employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Centre.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our money to support education and health provision in the West Bank goes into a special, dedicated bank account and is only paid to individuals vetted through the Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) to ensure they have no connections to any proscribed groups and are still in employment.
Employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Centre are included on the PEGASE list, alongside teachers and other public sector education professionals.
Each payment is independently audited to ensure it has been transferred to the declared bank account of the intended recipient. This rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which textbooks are used by the teachers in the Palestinian Territories that are funded by UK aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not fund textbooks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our education funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) contributes to the salaries of carefully vetted teachers. Teachers in PA schools teach the Palestinian curriculum. Following allegations of incitement in the PA’s school textbooks, the UK secured agreement from our European partners to lead an independent review of the textbooks which is underway. We expect interim findings in Spring 2020 and full findings later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Iran's (1) involvement in, and (2) policy of, encouraging peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran continues to support a number of militant and proscribed groups in the region, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Palestinian rejectionist groups. This support is concerning, and directly undermines prospects for regional security and lasting peace in the region. We are clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel. We will continue to work with likeminded partners to advance the Middle East Peace Process, countering those who embrace violence.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Iran's support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which fired missiles into Israel in February.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain deeply concerned by Iran's support to a number of militant and proscribed groups in the region, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). This support directly undermines prospects for regional security and lasting peace in the region. The UK notes with concern the recent escalation in Gaza, including indiscriminate rocket fire which places civilians at risk. Any attacks targeted against civilians are unlawful and unjustifiable. We call on all sides to maintain calm. We have been clear about the dangers of further escalation. A regional conflict is in no one's interest. We will continue to work with international partners to support stability in the region.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the government of Iran's support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group does not jeopardise negotiations for a permanent peace between Israel and Hamas.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain deeply concerned by Iran's support to a number of militant and proscribed groups in the region, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). This support directly undermines prospects for regional security and lasting peace in the region. Longer term, we encourage relevant parties to put forward sustainable proposals to resolve the threat posed to Israel's security by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militants in Gaza. Misrule is leading to dreadful consequences for the people of Gaza and also of Israel. The perpetual cycle of violence does not serve anyone's interests, and must end.