Vol. 767 Thursday No. 87 17 December 2015 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Introduction: Baroness Brown of Cambridge...............................................................2179 Royal Assent....................................................................................................................2179 Questions Nigeria..........................................................................................................................2179 Sudan: Human Rights ................................................................................................2181 Airport Security...........................................................................................................2184 Syrian Refugees ...........................................................................................................2186 House of Lords: Strathclyde Review Statement......................................................................................................................2189 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Motion to Take Note ..................................................................................................2201 Local Government Finance Statement......................................................................................................................2238 Paris Climate Change Conference Question for Short Debate ..........................................................................................2248 National Lottery Motion to Take Note ....................................................................................................2263 £4·00 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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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 2015, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 2179 Introductions[17 DECEMBER 2015] Nigeria 2180 Baroness Anelay of St Johns: My Lords, I pay House of Lords tribute to the noble Baroness for her work in such Thursday, 17 December 2015. war-torn areas. She sees at first hand the devastation that these depredations by Boko Haram cause to 11 am individuals. She is right to point out the terrible position that people face when they seek to go back to what has Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chester. been home. In the 2015-16 financial year, the UK has already Introduction: Baroness Brown of planned an additional £4 million of humanitarian Cambridge support to north-east Nigeria, including through the UN and the International Committee of the Red 11.07 am Cross. The UK development programmes in the north-east of Nigeria are supporting civil society organisations Dame Julia Elizabeth King, DBE, having been created and NGOs that are working to reduce intra-community Baroness Brown of Cambridge, of Cambridge in the conflict, promote community governance and security County of Cambridgeshire, was introduced and made dialogue, reduce violence against women and girls, the solemn affirmation, supported by Lord Baker of and improve access to schooling in an area where Dorking and Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, and signed an 600,000 children are out of school. undertaking to abide by the Code of Conduct. Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Lab): My Lords, Royal Assent given the importance in the new aid strategy announced in November by the Chancellor and the Secretary of 11.11 am State for International Development of conflict and The following Acts were given Royal Assent: development and the link between the two, will the National Insurance Contributions (Rate Ceilings) forthcoming bilateral aid review for Nigeria take account, Act 2015 first, of the impact of these troubles in northern European Union Referendum Act 2015 Nigeria, the Central African Republic and Cameroon, European Union (Approvals) Act 2015 and secondly the key role that Nigeria plays in ECOWAS not just in economic regeneration and activity in the Nigeria area but in conflict resolution and conflict prevention? Question 11.12 am Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Yes, my Lords. The noble Lord is right to point out Nigeria’s position in Asked by Baroness Cox ECOWAS and how important it is that it plays a To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strong role there and appreciates the position it ought assessment of recent developments in the northern to take. The advantage of the Conflict, Security and states of Nigeria. Stability Fund is that now we can have project funding on a four-year cycle, which makes it more certain. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): My Lords, Lord Chidgey (LD): My Lords, Boko Haram the security situation in north-east Nigeria has improved systematically attacks education provision in the northern over the past six months, with Boko Haram being states of Nigeria, which now have exceptionally low driven from key towns. However, Boko Haram remains levels of enrolment in primary, secondary and further a threat, launching regular suicide attacks, often using education and where many schools have been closed children. We estimate that more than 20,000 people for three years or more. With literacy levels falling to have been killed, more than 2.2 million people displaced less than 60%, will the Government make representations and more than 14.8 million people affected by the to the Nigerian Government to prioritise education Boko Haram insurgency. provision in these northern states? Will they also stress the importance of consistent, regular payment of teachers’ Baroness Cox (CB): My Lords, I thank the Minister wages in state schools, improved teacher training and for her very sympathetic reply and important information. a focus on reopening closed schools and making them Is she aware that I returned just last week from areas secure learning environments? affected by Boko Haram and found the scale of killing, kidnapping and destruction to be far worse than that reported in the media? As indicated, a reign of terror Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The noble Lord is persists, with continuing kidnappings and killings, despite right to point to the importance of education, because the Nigerian army regaining some territory, and families it provides security for children that they can be with trying to return home find everything destroyed, mines their families and have a future. We have stressed to on their land and severe shortages of food. In Borno President Buhari that the work carried out militarily state alone, 875,000 people face emergency levels of to defeat Boko Haram is only one part of the process. food insecurity. What contribution are Her Majesty’s It is crucial that we work to ensure that there is reform Government and the United Kingdom making towards of the constitution and the way it tackles and respects urgently needed provision of security and means of minorities. It is also crucial to support education survival for victims of this Islamist terrorist regime? systems for the future security of that area. 2181 Nigeria[LORDS] Sudan: Human Rights 2182 Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB): My Lords, did the Security Council. In addition, we supported a renewed Minister hear from her colleague, Tobias Ellwood, mandate for the UN independent expert on human about the testimony given by Victoria Youhanna at a rights at the Human Rights Council this September. recent meeting here in Parliament? Victoria had escaped from Boko Haram. Given that hundreds of girls are still enslaved, abducted, forcibly converted, entrapped Lord Chidgey (LD): I thank the Minister for that in domestic slavery, used as fighters