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Written Answers
Monday, 29th April 2002.
Indonesia
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will offer reconstruction aid to Indonesia for Sulawesi and Ambon, subject to the implementation by all parties of the Malino I and Malino II Agreements. [HL3517]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos): HMG are committed to supporting efforts to reduce conflict in Indonesia and to create conditions in which peace and reconciliation can be sustained. We have provided £4.2 million through the United Nations for conflict prevention and recovery work. These funds are available for reconstruction programmes in Sulawesi and Ambon, provided that conditions are stable enough for such work to proceed.
School Curriculum: Global Perspective
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many copies of Developing a Global Dimension in the School Curriculum they have printed; how the copies have been promoted; how many remain in stock; and how they are being used by the education community. [HL3586]
Baroness Amos: We have printed 47,000 copies of the Developing a Global Dimension in the School Curriculum guidance document and have 9,467 in stock.
The aim of this guidance document is to show how a global dimension can be incorporated into both the curriculum and the wider life of the school. It was produced by DfID, the DfES, the DEA and the Central Bureau in collaboration with QCA and is aimed at head teachers (both primary and secondary), LEAs and school governors.
The guidance document was launched at the Society of Education Officers Annual Conference in July 2000. We followed this up by writing to all chief education officers in England to let them know about the availability of the document and offering to supply copies to those schools within the LEA which expressed an interest in receiving them. We have also promoted and distributed the document through professional bodies and DfID attendance at teacher conferences and events.
The guidance document has been very well received by the education community and allows them to show how a global perspective can both enrich lessons and help teachers to deliver the national curriculum. Rebo
Afghanistan
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their policy on the role of peace-keeping troops in humanitarian work in Afghanistan; and what response they have made in particular to the statement of the Non-Governmental Organisation Forum in Kabul.[HL3587]
Baroness Amos: We appreciate and share the concerns of the NGO Forum in Kabul regarding the role in humanitarian work of military personnel dressed in civilian clothes. Our objective is to meet humanitarian needs through effective and appropriate means. This includes our current funding of various quick impact projects (QIPs) through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including rehabilitation of schools, for example. ISAF's objective is to assist in the stabilisation process, with the agreement of the Afghan parties; we believe that quick impact projects aimed at stabilisation and recovery are therefore a valid role for ISAF, particularly given the extent of need and the lack of capacity to address those needs in a timely manner. ISAF personnel are at all times in uniform, and even when engaged in recovery/humanitarian activities alongside humanitarian workers there is a clear distinction between them. This, to the extent possible in a conflict zone, gives a measure of protection to humanitarian workers.
We are aware of reports of coalition forces undertaking humanitarian work while dressed as civilians. The Defence Secretary has made it clear to all UK military in Afghanistan that they must make it clear they are soldiers if challenged, including by NGO personnel; they carry their arms openly, even if not in uniform for operational reasons. We share your concerns about the risks of creating the impression that all aid workers are either members of the military or closely associated with them.
We continue to raise this issue with coalition partners through appropriate channels.
Explosive Remnants of War
The Lord Bishop of Guildford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the involvement of the Department for International Development in developing the United Kingdom's policy on explosive remnants of war.[HL3819]
Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development is working closely together with the FCO and MoD to help formulate the Government's approach on this issue, contributing in particular its experience with humanitarian mine action.
The Lord Bishop of Guildford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many developing countries are estimated to be affected by unexploded ordnance.[HL3820]
Baroness Amos: According to the Landmine Monitor Report for 2001, there are 89 developing countries currently affected by unexploded ordnance.
The Lord Bishop of Guildford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have given any financial assistance to non-governmental organisations such as Landmine Action to enable them to bring their expertise to discussions on explosive remnants of war under the auspices of the United Kingdom.[HL3821]
Baroness Amos: We have not received any requests from NGOs for funding their involvement in discussions on explosive remnants of war. shirley
Immigration Control: Protection of Children
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why they rejected counsel's advice obtained by Save the Children which recommends that the Government withdraw their reservation in respect of nationality, immigration and asylum to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.[HL3843]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): We have carefully reviewed the reservation in the light of the legal opinion submitted by Save the Children and other recent requests that it should be withdrawn. We have taken legal advice which strongly suggests that the reservation remains necessary in order to maintain an effective immigration control. We consider that, notwithstanding the reservation, there are sufficient checks and balances in place to ensure that children are protected.
The United Kingdom always takes its international obligations seriously. We are obliged, under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, to consider all applications for asylum made in the United Kingdom. Each application is considered on its individual merits. While awaiting a decision on their claims, all asylum seeking children have access to primary healthcare and education facilities and there are currently no outstanding cases where the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been cited by children seeking asylum here. The majority of asylum seeking children are, of course, accompanied by their families.
We fully appreciate the potential vulnerability of unaccompanied children and the distress they may experience while awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. The need for anxious scrutiny is stressed in training and guidance to all staff involved in the asylum decision-making process. Because of the
particular sensitivities surrounding applications from unaccompanied children, their cases are given priority and dealt with by specially trained caseworkers, who are provided with comprehensive instructions setting out areas to consider when dealing with such applications. These instructions are available on the Internet and are reviewed on a regular basis.All unaccompanied minors who apply for asylum are referred to the Refugee Council's panel of advisers, a non-statutory body which acts as adviser to the child in his/her dealings with the Home Office and other agencies for the duration of the asylum claim. Unaccompanied minors are not entitled to benefits but are supported under the Children Act 1989 (maintenance and accommodation being provided by social services departments of the local authorities). It has been agreed that no unaccompanied child will be removed from the United Kingdom unless we are satisfied that adequate reception and care arrangements are in place in the country to which he/she is to be removed. If care arrangements cannot be established, the child is normally allowed to remain here exceptionally, outside the Immigration Rules, on compassionate grounds.
For these reasons, we do not accept the recommendation made in the legal opinion forwarded by Save the Children.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether their reservation in respect of nationality, immigration and asylum to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is capable of a broader interpretation than that which they apply.[HL3844]
Lord Rooker: If I have understood the noble Lord correctly, he is asking whether it might be possible to re-draft our reservation to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in such a way as to define specific situations where our reservation would come into force.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is written in terms of broad-brush statements rather than in precise legal language. As such, it is possible for signatory countries to interpret the UNCRC in slightly differing ways and for interpretation to change over time. In view of this, I believe it appropriate to retain a similarly broad reservation. Were we to tighten the terms of our reservation, this might compromise our immigration and nationality laws at some later stage following changes of interpretation as to how the UNCRC should be applied. For this reason we believe that it is sensible to retain the reservation as presently worded.
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