Vol. 771 Tuesday No. 133 12 April 2016 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Questions UN Security Council: Kazakhstan.................................................................................115 United Nations World Humanitarian Summit ...............................................................117 Prisoners: Foreign Nationals ..........................................................................................120 Economy: Productivity...................................................................................................122 Immigration Bill Third Reading .................................................................................................................125 Energy Bill [HL] Commons Amendments ...................................................................................................164 Northern Ireland (Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan) Bill Second Reading ..............................................................................................................222 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldhansrd/index/160412.html The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2016, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 115 UN Security Council: Kazakhstan[12 APRIL 2016] UN Security Council: Kazakhstan 116 led to deaths, and detainee and prisoner torture. Is this House of Lords the sort of country we wish to encourage to join the Security Council? Tuesday 12 April 2016 The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, the noble Lord 2.30 pm makes some very important points from the 2013 report. There are still problems with freedom of Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Coventry. expression. Kazakhstan’s legislation on NGOs is of concern and progress on human rights has not been UN Security Council: Kazakhstan quite as fast or comprehensive as we and others would wish in the 25 years since independence. Significant Question reforms are under way, however, and important progress has been made on social and women’s rights and 2.36 pm prevention of torture. Asked by Lord Sheikh Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB): My Lords, in addition To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their to worrying about human rights violations, which assessment of Kazakhstan’s bid to secure a non- include torture, does the noble Earl agree that the permanent seat on the United Nations Security record on the promotion of democracy is also pretty Council for 2017-18. awful? There have been five successive elections: in the most recent the President was elected yet again, but Lord Sheikh (Con): My Lords, I beg leave to ask the with 97% of the vote. All the outside agencies that Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. have monitored these elections say that they have all In doing so, I declare my interest as vice-chair of the been flawed. All-Party Group for Kazakhstan. The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, I agree with The Earl of Courtown (Con): My Lords, Her Majesty’s much of what the noble Lord has said. The OSCE Government are committed to promoting a broad and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights deep bilateral relationship with Kazakhstan, working noted that, while the elections were “efficiently organised”, together to further boost our co-operation and take there was still room for much improvement and there forward our dialogue on a wide range of issues. We needs to be a “genuine political choice” and more will consider Kazakhstan’s candidacy for the United media pluralism. Nations Security Council on its merits. Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): My Lords, we all Lord Sheikh: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for recognise the importance of Kazakhstan and the other that reply. The pillars of Kazakhstan’s campaign to central Asian countries in the stability of Asia—in join the United Nations Security Council are nuclear particular, given their Sunni Muslim populations, in security,water security,food security and energy security. the enormous overlapping problems between central It has played a pivotal role in the promotion of nuclear Asia and the rest of the Middle East. Nevertheless, we disarmament and in advancing the peace in several recognise that there is a good deal of corruption in countries as well as responding to humanitarian Kazakhstan. Has the noble Earl noted the number of emergencies. Does my noble friend recognise the Kazakhs who came into Britain in recent years under importance of these issues and does he believe the tier 1 investor visa scheme? Have we checked Kazakhstan’scommitment to them displays its suitability whether the money they invested in Britain was lawfully for a non-permanent seat on the council? acquired in Kazakhstan? The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, I have no doubt The Earl of Courtown: The noble Lord, Lord Wallace, of Kazakhstan’s commitment to water, food and energy makes some very interesting points. I will ensure that security and its role in nuclear disarmament. I recognise we look— that these are important issues. However, as I am sure the noble Lord appreciates, we have a long-standing policy of never revealing our voting intentions for Noble Lords: Oh! Security Council elections. The Earl of Courtown: Noble Lords may jest, but it Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, has is quite right that these points should be examined. I there been any change in Kazakhstan’s human rights assure the noble Lord that we will look at this and see record since the United States Department of State whether there is any more information I can give him. reported on it in 2013, when it described the most significant human rights problems as severe limits on Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab): My Lords, sometimes, citizens’ rights to change their Government; restrictions unfortunately, horse trading can take place at the on freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion and United Nations and the issues that concern us most association; and the lack of an independent judiciary? are put aside for other reasons. This week, we have It also talked about other reported abuses, including seen the much more open and transparent process arbitrary and unlawful killings, military hazing that for the appointment of the UN Secretary-General. 117 UN Security Council: Kazakhstan[LORDS] UN World Humanitarian Summit 118 [LORD COLLINS OF HIGHBURY] and at the end of this week we will co-host, with the Half the declared nominees are women. What are the World Bank, the third grand bargain Sherpa event in chances of a woman being elected Secretary-General Washington DC. in September? Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Lab): Secretary- The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, I would not try to General Ban Ki-moon has stressed that this summit, second-guess the General Assembly, but the noble the first of its kind in the 70-year history of the United Lord was in his place during a debate last year when Nations, has to deal with the urgency of these complex my noble friend Lady Anelay responded on behalf of challenges and the scale of the suffering that we see the Government. She emphasised the importance of around the globe. He has called on global leaders to, structure and transparency in the election of future “act decisively, with compassion and resolve”. UN Secretaries-General. While we want to encourage Given that the UK is one of the biggest donors of as many women candidates as possible, we want to see development aid to humanitarian crises around the the best person for the job, no matter what gender. world, and given that the British public have consistently shown a generosity that is unmatched in most of the Lord Soley (Lab): Does the Minister accept that in world, will the Prime Minister take a lead and attend Kazakhstan’s condition the thing we want to encourage the summit? It might give him a slight distraction from more than anything else is an independent judiciary some of his current troubles. and rule of law? Baroness Verma: My Lords, as I have already The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, the noble Lord, mentioned, there will be high-level representation at Lord Soley, makes a point that is worth repeating. the summit. Last May, President Nazarbayev launched far-reaching reforms