Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, a key factor in the victimisation of civilians in conflict is often the ethno-religious facets of war. The report rightly emphasises the importance of local NGOs and community groups. How can the FCDO do more to support these groups in the de-escalation of ethno-religious tensions?
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, given that my noble friend has committed to the importance of resettlement as the best means of avoiding dangerous routes and people trafficking of asylum seekers, will she commit once again to investigate the expansion, post Covid, of person-to-person interviews in refugee camps, especially in Jordan and Lebanon, as opposed to virtual interviews?
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, given the importance of the voluntary and third sector in dealing with the Covid crisis, I am delighted to hear my noble friend tell us of his involvement in the faith groups round table. However, in future, will more of a government co-ordination effort be made in terms of fully utilising the resources, both human and financial, as well as geographical and infrastructural, of all...
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the risk to the lives of LGBT asylum seekers from Russia, and in particular the Chechen Republic.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, given that the UK is a signatory to the Agenda for Humanity’s Grand Bargain initiative, which encourages the use of local and regional NGOs in the delivery of aid, what steps are the Government taking to use local and regional NGOs to deliver food aid in Sudan and South Sudan?
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what discussions they have had with, and (2) what assurances they have sought from, the government of Russia about the treatment of LGBT people in the Chechen Republic since 2018.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, only this week, Amnesty International published a report outlining the attacks the Assad regime and its allies have unleashed on humanitarian and non-military targets in Idlib since May last year until February this year. Surely this underlines why sanctions must continue until there is an agreed political settlement and requires us to ensure that our humanitarian aid continues to...
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, as the third wave of Syrian political talks has been postponed because of Covid-19, and there is no practical aid route from Damascus to Idlib, will the Government support the extension of cross-border aid routes into north-western Syria from Turkey under Resolution 2504, which is currently due to end on 10 July?
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage civil society to contribute to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees were resettled in the UK from (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019, broken down by country of origin.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many resettlement interviews conducted in (1) Jordan, (2) Lebanon, (3) Iraq, and (4) Turkey, in 2019 resulted in (a) acceptance, or (b) rejection, of the case for resettlement in the UK, broken down by the country of origin of those interviewed.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, it is a great pleasure and a privilege to congratulate my noble friend Lady Penn on her excellent maiden speech. It was accomplished, intelligent, erudite and demonstrated the huge knowledge that she is going to bring to your Lordships’ House. I first met her when she came to interrogate me on Scottish politics when I was at Harvard. I ended that interview far more nervous than...
Ensuring anti-corruption measures are supported as part of (1) aid to developing countries, and countries recovering from natural disasters, and (2) the reconstruction of former conflict areas – Lord McInnes of Kilwinning.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, I would like to begin by thanking the noble Lord, Lord Scriven, for bringing this important debate before your Lordships’ House. In so doing, the noble Lord brings before us what is a very prescient example of the delicate balance required between the UK using influence to improve human rights, while at the same time being aware that if influence is to be successfully brought it...
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the government of Israel about proposed changes to land ownership in relation to the sale of church properties in Israel.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hay, who correctly reminded us that the question on the ballot paper in 2016 was of course whether the United Kingdom should remain or leave, not constituent parts of it. I would like to begin by thanking the noble Lord, Lord Lisvane, for not only bringing this important issue before your Lordships’ House but, above all, the...
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Resettlement Scheme since 2015; what were the ages of such refugees when resettled; and what proportion of them were from refugee camps in (1) Lebanon, (2) Turkey, and (3) Jordan.
Lord McInnes of Kilwinning: My Lords, I, too, begin by congratulating my noble and learned friend Lord Garnier and my noble friend Lord Tyrie on their excellent maiden speeches this evening. We have had a good glimpse of the contribution that they will make to your Lordships’ House in the coming days, weeks, months and years. The noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, mentioned the difficulty of being the 25th speaker. The 26th...