Contributions
3,654 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersI am aware that FCO guidance advises UK nationals if it is not a good idea to visit somewhere, particularly if there are areas of civil unrest. However, civil unrest, in and of…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersI do not know how many Zimbabweans are in the UK—I presume he means Zimbabweans who are seeking asylum in the UK . I do not have that figure. Torture, beatings and other alleged…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersMy Lords, the UK continues to call for the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and human rights and promote free and fair elections, under the protection of the 2013…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersI certainly accept the noble Lord’s point that Zimbabwe is violating human rights conventions, but civil unrest—in and of itself—is not a reason to grant somebody protection.…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersOn looking at in-country briefs, clearly my department is not the FCO but I am aware of some of the information and advice that the FCO gives to people going to certain countries.…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersBoth might go on. I am not trying to say at this Dispatch Box that the situation in Zimbabwe is in any way ideal. It is not. The Government have made representations through our…13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersI cited that as the one example, whereby someone who opposed ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe might be at risk if they were returned to that country.13 Feb 2019HANSARDZimbabwe: Asylum SeekersThe noble Lord is absolutely right that the Government have expressed serious concerns and we continue to call for the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and human…13 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionMy Lords, these are very serious allegations indeed and I will of course look into them. If officers are under investigation, it may be more difficult for me, but the allegation…12 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionI certainly agree with the noble Lord that positive action is absolutely necessary. I take his point about less recruitment happening in recent years. Now is the moment to put…12 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionMy noble friend points to an area where we are doing very badly: the senior ranks. In 2017-18, 27% of new recruits to the Met Police were from a BME background. To get people from…12 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionMy Lords, it is certainly something that we have to work on and that the police have to work on. Whether you are talking about a democratic system or organisations such as the…12 Feb 2019HANSARDOffensive Weapons Bill12 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionI pay tribute to the noble Baroness and all that she has achieved on some of the recommendations that have come out of the report. On the three recommendations she talked about,…12 Feb 2019HANSARDPolice: Recruitment and RetentionMy Lords, the police workforce is more representative in gender and ethnicity than it has ever been. The recommendations made by the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report on police…12 Feb 2019HANSARDOffensive Weapons Bill12 Feb 2019HANSARDOffensive Weapons Bill12 Feb 2019HANSARDOffensive Weapons Bill12 Feb 2019HANSARDEqual PayMy Lords, it is a good idea to say at this point that the gender pay gap and equal pay are two different things, although both may exist in the same organisation. The noble…11 Feb 2019HANSARDChild RefugeesWhether we are a member of the European Union or not, we will take seriously our responsibilities to help those people in need. The noble Lord will appreciate that there is a fine…11 Feb 2019