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3,506 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSoft PowerAnd I say to my noble friend that I hear him, and I hear him again. I assure him that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary is seized of the very points he has just…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, we are working with other partners. At the time of Operation Pitting, the UK was a key country and helped 36 other countries with the departures from Afghanistan. We are…09 Feb 2023HANSARDUkraineI believe that is something we are very up to date with: there is no challenge in the area of training, but my noble friend will write on the specific point that the noble Lord…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, I first pay tribute to the noble Lord as an example of our soft power around the world. I hear what he said. Of course, it is not within the remit of the department that…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, I assure your Lordships that the care and compassion shown by all Ministers, including those in the FCDO, are very empowering. We are all responsible for the delivery of…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerWell, we are engaging constructively with the BBC, as the noble Lord has heard from the BBC directly. To put this into context, since about 2016 the FCDO, notwithstanding quite a…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Baroness’s work in this area. I assure her that we are very much—again—seized of the evolving and changing situation in Iran. We have seen the…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, as the Minister for South Asia, among other areas, I am directly involved in some of the important work we are doing to strengthen our partnership with India, for…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, we are committed to all of the above. The BBC World Service currently provides services in 42 languages to 365 million people. We have committed £94.4 million annually…09 Feb 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, the Government remain absolutely committed to harnessing the range of UK influence to advance our interests overseas. The FCDO has demonstrated this through our…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, the noble Lord speaks with great insight and expertise on the importance of our diplomatic services. I must admit that I was not around in 1962, so I do not have his…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, I assure the noble Lord that, to speak for my own department, we are working through those expressions of interest and are also working closely with GardaWorld and the…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, there are specific criteria for who qualifies under the scheme, which I will work through. To give the context in terms of numbers: when the ACRS pathway 3 was opened,…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness; both the British Council and His Majesty’s Government need to honour the commitments given to the incredible people who helped serve in…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy Lords, progress continues to be made to support those eligible under the first year of pathway 3 of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme, or ACRS. We have now allocated…09 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: British Council StaffMy noble friend is not here to share his response but I always feel that Ministers across your Lordships’ House need to engage directly. I know that those are the sentiments of my…09 Feb 2023HANSARDUkraineMy Lords, I thank all noble Lords for yet another great example of your Lordships’ House at its best. Undoubtedly, the issue of unanimity and being at one resonates. I agree with…09 Feb 2023HANSARDTurkey and Syria EarthquakeMy Lords, on the second point, as the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, I will very shortly travel to the Gulf and this will be one of the key areas of my…08 Feb 2023HANSARDTurkey and Syria EarthquakeMy Lords, I applaud the efforts of the DEC. It has stood up aid during the recent challenges and disasters which have engulfed the world, including last summer in Pakistan. This…08 Feb 2023HANSARDTurkey and Syria EarthquakeMy Lords, over many years and under successive Governments, the United Kingdom has prided itself on its humanitarian response; it defines who and what we are as a nation. When…08 Feb 2023