Lord Judd: My Lords, I thank the Lord Speaker for calling me and the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, for asking this Question. Is it not essential that all those dealing with asylum seekers constantly remember that these people—women, children and men—have been through terrible experiences, too often involving torture, which in many instances have left them scarred? Is it not therefore essential that,...
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that Parliament and relevant sectors of civil society, including the charitable sector, are able to scrutinise all current and future trade negotiations with the United States, with particular reference to their direct or indirect implications for (1) economies, (2) trade, and (3) vulnerable people, in the least developed...
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor, together with the charitable sector and wider civil society, the adverse short- and long-term consequences of the (1) COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) Coronavirus Act 2020.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) increase asylum support rates in line with Universal Credit, and (2) provide further support to asylum seekers to assist with essential living requirements, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) current, and (2) future, impact of COVID-19 on developing countries; and what steps they plan to take in response.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to contribute to the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan to tackle COVID-19.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to granting an immediate, condition free moratorium on debt interest payments for developing countries in order to release resources for such countries to deal with COVID-19.
Lord Judd: My Lords, I evidently failed to register my strong interest in this subject by not putting my name down to speak in this debate, and therefore I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the gap. Of late, we have heard an awful lot about having more people in work than we have ever had before, but we have failed wantonly to look at the nature of much of that work and the conditions of...
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with the government of Iran on the rights of women in that country.
Lord Judd: Like others, I want to say how much I appreciate my noble and good friend having introduced this incredibly important debate. I have certain contextual concerns about the whole education debate. We have to remember that education should be an emancipator and enabler, letting people discover who they are and what their potential and contribution can be. There is far too much talk about the...
Lord Judd: My Lords, I warmly welcome this initiative by my noble friend Lord Young. I hope that he is pleased with the calibre of the response in this debate. For a thriving, open, free democratic society there is a high dependence on the information, the quality of analysis and the stimulus that comes from the media. There is a historic tension between the high calling of the media in a democracy and...
Lord Judd: My Lords, the House should be grateful to the noble Baroness for giving us the opportunity for this timely debate. I declare an interest: I have been involved in the region for much of my life—during my ministerial days at the Foreign Office, obviously, but also I can never forget my first visit to Israel. I arrived one evening and the 1967 war started the next morning. I was there for the...
Lord Judd: My Lords, we are clearly facing a grave threat to people in all parts of the United Kingdom. It is a heavy responsibility on the Government and we therefore have to take seriously their responsibility and how they are proposing to deal with it. I should declare an interest. As will become patently clear during my remarks, I am not a lawyer, but I am president of the Labour Campaign for Human...
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of harassment experienced by BBC personnel in Iran; and what action they are taking in response.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of escalating violence and human rights abuses towards Anglophone communities in Cameroon; and what steps they are taking to prevent any continued violence or abuse.
Lord Judd: Can the Minister—
Lord Judd: Can the Minister reassure the House that in preparation for events of this kind, which are likely to recur, enough is being done to involve the non-statutory bodies—the Red Cross and a range of other relevant bodies—in planning to meet the contingencies that may arise? Thanks to the Meteorological Office, we had lots of warning of what was to happen this weekend. Across the country, how...
Lord Judd: My Lords, I am glad to follow that very challenging speech from the noble Lord, Lord Redesdale. It is important to have clear answers from the Government on what is being done. I want to put on record my unqualified admiration for my noble friend Lord Browne of Ladyton, not only for this debate, but also for his consistent commitment and work in these areas. We have been talking for a long...
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (1) President Biya, and (2) the government of Cameroon, about that government's participation in the talks on the future of Cameroon proposed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future role of the Department for International Development.
