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Middle East
11.40 am
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, both my right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary remain actively engaged in the situation in the Middle East. They have spoken to their Lebanese, Israeli and Palestinian counterparts on a regular basis. We are working closely with international partners in the region, the UN, the EU and the G8. Indeed, my honourable friend Dr Howells is in the region today.
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As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made clear, the most immediate priority is to create the conditions in which a cessation of violence can happen. We are working towards that end.
Baroness Northover: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for that reply. Will the Government take a much more positive role in discussions at the UN today than they took with their EU colleagues and at the G8 by asking for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East? It is obviously terrible to see casualties on any side, but does the noble Baroness feel that Israel's actions have been proportionate or in her long-term best interests when the casualty levels are 10 times higher in Lebanon than they are in Israel and we see the “shredding”, in the words of the Lebanese Prime Minister, of a state that was a beacon of reconstruction in the region? Surely the situation shows how vital it is that the international community puts muscle behind moving the peace process forward before it is simply too late.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, we continue to take a positive role in both the EU and the UN. We are working very closely with all our international partners. On the terrible, tragic destruction that is taking place in Lebanon, Gaza and Israel, we are calling on all sides to cease. Clearly, the killing of civilians is wrong and the targeting of infrastructure is wrong. We recognise that all those actions are probably counterproductive. That is why we are continually working with our partners to try to achieve a resolution to this dreadful conflict.
Baroness Uddin: My Lords, I welcome the current effort that our Government are making on this matter. Has my noble friend received some of the e-mails that I have received during the past few days showing charred—burnt-out—children? I should very much like to hear what my noble friend has to say about what pressure our Government are putting on all sides not to involve children and women in collateral damage.
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I, too, have received those dreadful e-mails. I must agree with a statement made by Jan Egeland this morning in which he said that it was absolutely appalling that one-third of the people who have been killed or wounded are children and that neither Hezbollah nor Israel seem to have proper regard for civilian life. The Government absolutely agree with that and, as I said, we are working with all those agencies to try to ensure an end to all the violence, including violence against women and children.
Lord
Howell of Guildford: My Lords,
does the Minister agree that Israel has every right to seek to take out
the odious Hezbollah? It has had 1,700 rockets rained on its
cities—Tiberias, upper Galilee and Haifa—in the past few
days. It is utterly reasonable that it should seek to attack and
destroy the people who launched this unprovoked attack on it. But does
she also agree that the response of seeking to destroy not merely the
Hezbollah hideouts but the entire
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Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, I certainly agree that Israel has a right to protect itself. That means taking out Hezbollah, which is exactly what it is doing. But, of course, its response in Lebanon must be proportionate. We, together with the G8 and all the international organisations, are constantly urging that on Israel. We hope that the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will go into the region soon and will be able to broker some sort of peace in that region so that we can get back to the road map and all the other things that are necessary. It is important to note that we are working constantly to get results. It does not matter who is leading, who is following or whatever. We just have to get results, and we are doing what we believe to be right in all circumstances.
Lord Anderson of Swansea: My Lords, will my noble friend give a progress report on the government help to British passport holders leaving Lebanon? Can she also say what specific promise the Prime Minister has given on British troops in the proposed buffer zone? What are the necessary preconditions before we send a component?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, on the British citizens in the Lebanon, I am pleased to say that the reason why my noble friend Lord Triesman is not at the Dispatch Box today is that he in Cyprus monitoring what is being done there. We have six ships there, which are taking people out of Lebanon. We have 100 extra staff from the Foreign Office working in the region to ensure that people can be got out as quickly as possible. We are not charging people as they come out of the region, unlike, I believe, the Americans and some other states; we are doing it all free of charge. We are working to ensure that people’s journeys are as uncomplicated as possible, that there are playgrounds for children and all that sort of thing.
On troops and a new military or peacekeeping force in the Lebanon, we are not there yet. However, I note that my honourable friend Dr Howells said in the other place the other day that there will be no British troops in the Lebanon.
Baroness
Williams of Crosby: My Lords,
with great respect to the Minister for her obvious sincerity, can she
reply to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Howell of
Guildford? Do the British Government support what evidently is the
American view that there should be no immediate ceasefire to enable
Israel to carry on not only with the destruction of Hezbollah,
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Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, that is not our view. We have made it absolutely clear that we want a ceasefire, that we want it as soon as possible, and that we have to stop the violence.
Lord Howe of Aberavon: My Lords, will the Minister encourage Her Majesty’s Government to make it plain to the Government of Israel that it is difficult to see the strength of their commitment to the peaceful negotiation of a two-state solution when, in the first place, glorification of an act of terrorism committed 60 years ago in the King David Hotel is taking place and, in the second place, one of the specific targets for bombing has been the Foreign Office of the Palestinian state?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, Her Majesty’s Government are in constant contact with Israel, and I am sure that they are making that case all the time because they recognise that ultimately Israel’s security depends on its living in peace with its neighbours.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: My Lords, may I associate myself strongly with the remarks made by the noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, about bringing pressure to bear on this? However, no one has mentioned the role of Syria. Undoubtedly, Lebanon at the moment is being torn between the natural determination of Israel to defend itself and the equal determination of Syria to keep a foothold in Lebanon at all costs. What can my noble friend can say about pressure being brought to bear on Syria to withdraw completely from Lebanon and to stop its backing for Hezbollah?
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: My Lords, the Government are extremely concerned about the role of Syria through its support for Hezbollah. We are not working directly with Syria. However, we are working with many others—we are in daily contact with our friends—who can put this necessary pressure on Syria and we will continue to do so.
Business of the House: State Opening
11.50 am
Lord Grocott: My Lords, with the permission of the House, I should like to make a brief statement about this year’s State Opening of Parliament. My right honourable friend Jack Straw, the Leader of the House of Commons, has made a similar statement earlier today. The State Opening is scheduled for Wednesday 15 November. I remind the House that that does not tell us when we shall complete our deliberations because Prorogation depends on the progress of business. One would expect it normally to be in the week prior to 15 November. We will be in some difficulty if it is not.
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The House will know that I am very keen to announce Recess dates as far as possible in advance. I will certainly do that as soon as it is clear when the next Session’s Recess dates will be. I guess that it will be possible to make a statement some time in November. I remind the House that I announced on 10 November 2005 this Summer Recess date for completion of business on 25 July. That was a high-risk strategy, but I can confirm that the House will rise at the completion of business on 25 July, next Tuesday. That that date has been met is due 10 per cent to skill and 90 per cent to luck, but that is what we are achieving.
Television Licensable Content Services Order 2006
Radio Multiplex Services (Required Percentage of Digital Capacity) Order 2006
Lord Davies of Oldham: My Lords, I beg to move the two Motions standing in my name on the Order Paper.
Moved, That the draft orders laid before the House on 21 June be approved [31st Report from the Joint Committee] [Considered in Grand Committee on18 July].—(Lord Davies of Oldham.)
Earl Ferrers: My Lords, in order that some of us should know what is going on, what is a radio multiplex service, what is a percentage of digital capacity and why do we have to have it?
Lord Davies of Oldham: My Lords, I am enormously grateful to the noble Lord for giving me the opportunity to revisit a complex debate which we had in the Moses Room earlier this week. The multiplex services offer opportunities for transmission through radio bands. The order creates circumstances in which television signals could be sent through on new extended telephones which will have the capacity not just to provide telephone and radio services, but also television. At present, there is an inhibition on the use of these bands for this purpose. Technological advance makes it now possible, to the great benefit of everyone.
Earl Ferrers: My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord and hugely impressed by his knowledge and capacity.
On Question, Motion agreed to.
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Regulatory Reform (Registered Designs) Order 2006
Adoption and Children Act 2002 (Consequential Amendment to Statutory Adoption Pay) Order 2006
Maternity and Parental Leave etc. and the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2006
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): My Lords, I beg to move the three Motions standing in my name on the Order Paper.
Moved, That the draft orders and regulations laid before the House on 19 and 27 June be approved[23rd Report from the Regulatory Reform Committee and 32nd Report from the Joint Committee].—(Lord Sainsbury of Turville.)
On Question, Motion agreed to.
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