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HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsThe noble Lord raises a specific issue about Pakistan. First, the figure of 2,000 that I quoted relates specifically to the charter flights. We have been running charter flights…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaI assure the noble Lord, in commending his efforts on the ground and on raising this issue consistently, that we continue to raise with all partners, including those within the…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaThe noble Lord is right to raise this. The Covid-19 pandemic around the world has shown the interdependency of states across the piece. We are working multilaterally to ensure…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaThe noble Baroness is right to raise this issue. We have condemned the offensive by Syria in Idlib, supported in part by Russia. At the beginning of the year there were flagrant…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaAs the noble Lord will be aware, we were really disappointed that Russia and China vetoed that humanitarian Security Council resolution, which had provided cross-border…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaUltimately, my noble friend is correct to raise that issue. As we would all agree, the conflict has gone on for far too long, and it is important that all sides stand by the…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy Lords, with the leave of the House, I will repeat a Statement on the repatriation of UK nationals affected by Covid-19 given in another place yesterday by my right honourable…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, for their questions. I start by thanking them for their kind remarks acknowledging the work…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsFirst, taking the noble Lord’s question on medical needs, we have asked all our missions to prioritise this. In response to the noble Lord, Lord Collins, I talked about vulnerable…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsMy noble friend speaks from experience as a former Minister for the Overseas Territories—a job that I enjoyed; it was sometimes challenging but in the main enjoyable. First and…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsIn answer to the noble Baroness’s second question, the short answer is yes. This is demand led. For example, initially we had flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. We commenced the…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsOn the noble Lord’s more substantial point, we are of course redeploying diplomats in all our posts, whether they work on the security side or from a Home Office or military…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsTo take my noble friend’s final remarks first, a lot of countries have closed airspace, and you need to seek special permissions to allow aircraft to fly. Our charter flights have…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsThe noble Lord raises an important point about people who have returned from certain parts of the world. As we saw in the example of cruise ships, large numbers of British…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsAs my noble friend will know, I am no medical doctor, but if anyone openly displays the symptoms that we are all familiar with they will not be allowed to fly. Those checks are…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsFirst, I thank the noble Lord for his remarks about support and the terrific effort of all our staff on the ground. I believe that he visited Sudan. I am well aware of the…30 Apr 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Repatriation of UK NationalsI thank the noble Lord and I am pleased that his friends were able to return. I appreciate the challenge faced by the most vulnerable in particular, and as he says, there are…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaThe right reverend Prelate is right to raise this important issue. I assure him that we are at the forefront of multilateral action in this respect. The situation on the ground in…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaMy Lords, we welcome the ongoing ceasefire in Idlib and call on all sides to abide by their obligations under the Russia-Turkey agreement of 5 March and to heed UN envoy…30 Apr 2020HANSARDSyriaAs the noble Lord is aware, our Government—and I from the Dispatch Box —have repeatedly condemned the actions of these terrorist groups. In that part of the region, in both Syria…30 Apr 2020