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More than a decade of effective co-operation between the European Commission and the CoE under numerous joint programmes has delivered solid results in support of the rule of law. The ongoing reform programme will ensure that the management of these programmes and projects will improve in terms of effective co-ordination and planning.
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Russia: Legal System
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether in bilateral and multilateral dialogue with the Government of Russia they are discussing (a) the effective protection of defence counsel; (b) the independence of judges; (c) limitations on pre-trial detention; (d) greater use of bail; (e) extensions of the use of trial by jury; (f) development of alternatives to custody; (g) the incidence of serious diseases among prisoners; and (h) strengthening the powers and resources of the ombudsman. [HL3330]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): We raise penal and judicial reform with the Russian authorities as part of our wider dialogue on human rights, both in our annual bilateral human rights consultations and through the EU.
We discussed judicial reform, specifically the issue of the independence of judges, in our bilateral human rights consultations in January 2007. The next round of human rights talks is planned for later this year. We have increased our dialogue on judicial reform and our ambassador in Moscow has had meetings with a number of Russian judges and lawyers, where the importance of judicial independence has arisen.
A high priority is helping Russia address the overcrowding in prisons, due to the slow introduction of alternatives to imprisonment, and abuse of prisoners by both other prisoners and prison officers. We also have concerns about the fact that overcrowding, poor diet and little exercise are contributing to sanitation and health problems. The majority of prisoners suffer from serious health problems, with hepatitis, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS all major issues. The Russian authorities are well aware of and share our concerns. Most recently in his 2007 report, Human Rights Ombudsman Lukin said, “the conditions of custody in many penitentiaries are actually similar to torture”.
We are currently working with the Russian Government in several ways to address these problems:
officials in our embassy in Moscow are currently organising a study tour to the UK for two Russian Ministry of Justice officials to look at alternative sanctions, including electronic monitoring, to address the issue of prison overcrowding;we are funding a project to introduce a system of public inspectors for prisons in Siberia and other regions of the country; andwe are providing funding to a non-governmental organisation, which is working with prison authorities to combat the issues of torture and address the high number of complaints of beatings and abuse by penitentiary personnel.In the last EU/Russia human rights meeting, held on 17 April, the EU raised the issue of penal reform and asked Russia for an assessment of developments in Russian prisons and pre-trial detention centres, particularly what measures had been taken to allay problems of overcrowding, ill treatment and abuse of prisoners by other prisoners.
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Russia: Prisoners
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made representations to the Government of Russia about (a) the increase in the numbers of prisoners since 2004; and (b) the number of programmes for rehabilitating offenders. [HL3329]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Government raise penal reform with the Russian Government in our annual bilateral human rights consultations. Our key concern is the overcrowding in prisons, due to the slow introduction of alternatives to imprisonment. As a result, officials in our embassy in Moscow are currently organising a study tour to the UK for two Russian officials from their Ministry of Justice to look at alternative sanctions, including electronic monitoring to address this issue.
In the last EU/Russia human rights meeting, held on 17 April, the EU raised the issue of penal reform and asked Russia for an assessment of developments in Russian prisons and pre-trial detention centres, particularly what measures had been taken to allay problems of overcrowding, ill treatment and abuse of prisoners by other prisoners.
Russia: Rule of Law
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will study issue number six of the EU-Russia review on Russia and the rule of law, with a view to raising further points in dialogue with Russia. [HL3306]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The rule of law is a key element of the UK's and EU's engagement with Russia. In 2007-08 the Government provided £1.2 million for projects supporting human rights, conflict prevention and civil society in Russia, which includes work on strengthening the judiciary. We welcome President Medvedev's public commitment to strengthening the rule of law in Russia and look forward to working with the new Russian Administration on the issue.
We welcome the EU-Russia Centre's contribution to the debate as part of our ongoing discussions with think tanks and the non-governmental organisation community.
Somalia: Arms and Ammunition
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The UK plays a leading role in the drafting process of key UN Security Council resolutions on the issue of arms and ammunition supplies reaching Somalia.
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UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 733 of 23 January 1992 established an embargo on all delivery of weapons and military equipment to Somalia, which, with some exemptions, remains in place.
Most recently, UNSCR 1811 of 29 April 2008 extended the mandate of the monitoring group that was established to monitor the arms embargo in Somalia. This resolution requests the monitoring group to recommend ways to improve implementation of and compliance with the embargo.
Taxation: Landfill Tax
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 March (Official Report, Commons, 2274W-76W), how much the landfill tax is expected to return in 2008-09; and on what the amount above the £155 million earmarked for business resource efficiency will be spent. [HL3403]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Table C6 of Budget 2008 projects landfill tax receipts for 2008-09 of £1.1 billion. This figure is based on an increase in the standard rate of landfill tax as announced in Budget 2007. In addition, Budget 2007 confirmed that the additional tax revenue from business as a result of the increase in the landfill tax escalator would fund the reductions in corporation tax, which it also announced. The £155 million of expenditure, to which the questioner refers, forms part of Defra's overall settlement for the Comprehensive Spending Review period (2008-13).
Trees
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will undertake an interdepartmental study into the health effects of increased tree planting. [HL3438]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Trees and woodlands are an important resource that make a positive contribution to health and well-being, and tree planting is essential to sustain and enhance these effects. A study specifically on the health effects of increased tree planting has not been undertaken, and there are no plans to do so.
Turkey
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of Turkey's compliance with its obligations to the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe during the years in which the Islamic political parties Welfare and Virtue and the secular parties HEP, DEP and HADEP were
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Government monitor the human rights situation in Turkey closely. It is for the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to provide a formal assessment of Turkey's compliance with CoE and OSCE obligations.
The European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) is the leading European authority on constitutional assistance. The Commission's guidelines on prohibition and dissolution of political parties make it clear that closure of political parties can only be justified when parties advocate the use of violence or use violence as a political means to overthrow the democratic constitutional order.
The UK also expects Turkey to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in full and to reform the law on political parties in line with the standards established by the court, as set out in successive European Commission annual progress reports.
Women: Conflict Negotiation
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are encouraging the participation of women in negotiations to end violent conflicts around the world; and whether the protection of children has a high priority in all programmes for relief and reconstruction. [HL3430]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Women have a crucial role to play in delivering sustainable peace and security in conflict areas. The UK was a driving force behind the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000. Our National Action Plan for UNSCR 1325 commits to work to increase the number of women at senior decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace-building in UK and international institutions and civil society. In October 2007 the UK supported a UN Security Council presidential statement which urged the UN “to enhance the role of women in decision-making with regard to all peace processes and post-conflict reconstruction”.
We also encourage the implementation of these principles in specific conflicts. For example, we supported language in UNSCR 1812 (April 2008) mandating the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan. This encouraged the mission to emphasise “the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building”. The UK supports programmes to promote the involvement of women in conflict resolution. For example, last year we started funding a £3.2 million programme with the UN Development Fund for Women to support women's engagement in peace-building and reduction of gender violence in conflict and post-conflict countries, including Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda and Uganda.
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The UK places the protection of civilians, including children, at the centre of its humanitarian action. We support the UN Children's Fund with £4 million per year, to lead, co-ordinate and strengthen the capacity of the humanitarian system in specific areas, including child protection. In addition, the UK is providing £1.3 million (2006-11) to Save the Children-UK, to develop and train a stand-by roster of 46 emergency child protection officers, able to deploy rapidly to respond to the protection needs of
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