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HANSARDCOP 29: United Kingdom DelegationOur economic goal is around achieving growth for the UK, and our environmental ambition is to reduce the amount of climate change. We are aiming, still, for 1.5 degrees. How close…21 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsI do accept that. The noble Lord is completely right. He will recall that we supported the previous Government in all those endeavours. The difference is that this Government are…20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsMy Lords, I will double-check, but I know of no such arrangement and I would be very surprised if that were the case. As he knows, we do not comment on sanction designations…20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsAs the noble Lord knows, we keep these things under constant review. We are deeply concerned about what has happened, not just in recent days in Hong Kong with the sentencing but…20 Nov 2024HANSARDEuropean Forest Institute (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2024That the draft Order laid before the House on 15 May be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 13 November .20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsMy Lords, I was among the people in the other place who called for the BNO passport holders to be given the rights that they have, and we will continue to do that. That is one way…20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsI was not expecting Chagos this afternoon, I have to say. We have discussed the issue around Chagos and the treaty we have with Mauritius at length. As the noble Lord knows,…20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsI agree with the gist of what the noble Lord has just said. He is right to point out that we have concerns with China on issues of human rights, and we raise them; we seek…20 Nov 2024HANSARDJailing of Hong Kong Pro-democracy ActivistsNo, I do not agree with that. I would point out that this Government are taking a very different approach to China in many ways. The previous Government had what at best could be…20 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceWe are reviewing development spend, as noble Lords would expect. We do not have the luxury of limitless funds to spend. We are spending a lot of our development money on housing…14 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceIt is vital that we maintain the independent position the BBC has, so that it makes its own decisions. However, this Government want to refresh the approach to soft power. We are…14 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceThat is not a decision that this Government made. Looking back, it was a mistake to put that burden entirely on the licence fee payer. We are looking at long-term solutions and we…14 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceI agree with my noble friend. Although decisions about where to operate and what channels to use are clearly for the BBC to make—it is independent of government in that way—it is…14 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceMy Lords, that is a very good question. At the moment, 75% of those who listen to the World Service live in places that do not have good levels of media freedom, so we need to…14 Nov 2024HANSARDChagos IslandsMy understanding is that the process will be the usual one for agreeing these treaties. We need to be careful about the use of the word “consultation”, because there will be an…14 Nov 2024HANSARDBBC World ServiceMy Lords, the BBC World Service provides impartial, accurate news and journalism in 42 languages to 320 million people globally. It remains the world’s most trusted international…14 Nov 2024HANSARDChagos IslandsMy Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, said, there have been changes of Government in the US and Mauritius. I take this opportunity to congratulate both President-elect Trump…14 Nov 2024HANSARDChagos IslandsThat would be very helpful indeed. My experience is that the more people find out about the treaty and the deal that has been done, the more likely that some of the concerns they…14 Nov 2024HANSARDChagos IslandsIt is hard to believe that it was 25 years ago. We are confident about this treaty and the fact that it secures our presence in the Indian Ocean. We accept that when there is a…14 Nov 2024HANSARDChagos IslandsWe consider this issue closely. I draw noble Lords’ attention to the fact that Mauritius is a close ally of ours and of India, and it does not take part in the Chinese belt and…14 Nov 2024