House of Commons
Parliament

There are several questions raised on different sides of the House on the perceived failure of Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene in the violence taking place in Myanmar.

Foreign Office Minister Mark Field cites the "amazingly courageous behaviour" of Aung San Suu Kyi, saying there's misunderstanding of her role.

The alternative to the current limited democracy - which gives the military seats in the parliamentary assembly - would be "calamitous", he warns.

BBC World

The number of Rohingya refugees crossing from Myanmar into Bangladesh has surged, the UN says, with more than 35,000 new arrivals identified in the last 24 hours.

More than 123,000 Rohingya are now said to have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 25 August.

The conflict was triggered by an attack by Rohingya militants on police posts.

This sparked a military counter-offensive that has forced a flood of Rohingya civilians from their villages.

Read more here.

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative former Foreign Affairs Committee chair Crispin Blunt says he's disappointed in the government's statement, which he claims sounds close to "dumping on the victim community" in Rakhine.

Foreign Office Minister Mark Field in response accuses Crispin Blunt of "grandstanding" on the matter and reminds him he's not chair of the committee anymore.

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP's Chris Law asks for efforts to ensure that human rights investigators and the media are allowed access to Rakhine province as "the world must be allowed to see what is happening".

The minister agrees that Myanmar must "urgently co-operate" with its obligations in this area.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow Foreign Office minister Liz McInnes asks whether the UK government should have sold weapons to the Myanmar government; and spent £250,000 from the aid budget on training members of the armed forces.

Minister Mark Field says the government provides educational training to the country's armed forces, not combat training.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Yasmin Qureshi says she's "disappointed" with the government's response, which she claims implies the Rohingya Muslims somehow provoked the attacks on them.

She asks for an unreserved condemnation of what she terms "ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine.

Mr Field replies that the UK led efforts to discuss the matter at the UN and is a leading provider of aid there.

Image source, AFP

A fresh outbreak of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state has caused tens of thousands of Rohingya civilians to flee towards Bangladesh.

The exodus began in the last week of August after Rohingya militants attacked police posts, killing 12 members of the security forces. Dozens of militants are reported to have been killed in both those and subsequent clashes.

When similar attacks on police posts took place last year, Myanmar's military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya that led to claims of severe human rights abuses.

As people surge towards the border, the United Nations has urged Myanmar's authorities to protect all civilians "without discrimination".

Read more.

House of Commons
Parliament

Foreign Office Minister Mark Field says the UK has strongly urged Myanmar's security forces to show restraint.

"As well as the de-escalation of fighting, our immediate priority is the supply of food and medicine," he tells MPs.

He will be visiting Myanmar in the near future, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Now Labour's Yasmin Qureshi is asking an urgent question on recent violence in Rakhine, Myanmar.

More than 123,000 Rohingya are now said to have fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 25 August.

The conflict was triggered by an attack by Rohingya militants on police posts.

This sparked a military counter-offensive that has forced a flood of Rohingya civilians from their villages.

The Rohingya are a stateless mostly Muslim ethnic minority who have faced persecution in Myanmar (also called Burma). Many of those who have fled describe troops and Rakhine Buddhist mobs razing their villages and killing civilians in a campaign to drive them out.

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon calls for "upskirting" to be made a specific sexual offence, and Justice Secretary David Lidington replies that the government takes it "very seriously".

He says he has asked for detailed advice on whether the best course of action is to make upskirting an offence.

Read more about one victim's experience of upskirting - which is when an unauthorised picture is taken up a woman's skirt.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Getty Images

That concludes the question session.

Peers now begin debate of the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing Bill at second reading.

ATOL is a statutory licensing system that gives financial protection to people booking holiday packages with flights.

The bill seeks to extend ATOL to a broader ranger of holidays and ensures financial protection regardless of whether consumers book online or on the high street.

House of Commons
Parliament

Labour's Ellie Reeves returns to employment tribunals, asking: "What about those denied access to justice because they couldn't afford to pursue a case in the first place?"

Justice Minister Dominic Raab says they will be able to submit to have their case heard outside the normal timeframe.

House of Lords
Parliament

Government spokeswoman Baroness Goldie tells peers that the UK is one of the biggest donors to Myanmar and the Rakhine state.

She adds that the UK government has been "very active at the diplomatic level" and raised the situation at the UN Security Council.

She says the government condemns attacks by Rohingya militants and urges restraint by Myanmar's military.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, Reuters

The Bishop of St Albans now rises to ask his question on the government’s response to the situation in Rohingya.

The Rohingya are a stateless mostly Muslim ethnic minority who have faced years of persecution in Myanmar.

A fresh outbreak of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state has caused tens of thousands of Rohingya civilians to flee towards Bangladesh.

The UN now says 87,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh in the past 10 days as their villages burn.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, European Photopress Agency

The final question in this oral question session in the Lords comes from Lib Dem Lord Roberts of Llandudno.

He asks the government what new initiatives they are taking to ease tension in the Korean Peninsula.

Lord Roberts argues that Britain's contributions are far more effective as part of a European contribution rather than "as an offshore island".

Government spokeswoman Baroness Goldie says the UK has been involved in a "powerful global response" to North Korea including sanctions "which appear to be working".

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative James Gray asks whether changes could be made so that alleged victims who are also informants - as in the case of accusations made against former prime minister Ted Heath - are not paid compensation until an investigation and trial has been completed.

He is concerned that the system "incentivises" false allegations.

Justice Secretary David Lidington replies there are good reasons why some victims receive compensation even if no conviction has been made, but agrees fraudulently claimed compensation should be investigated.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's health spokesman Lord Hunt of Kings Heath worries that Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are not implementing the Nice guidelines.

"What is the point of guidelines if they are not implemented?" he asks.

Lord O'Shaughnessy acknowledges that the guidelines are not mandatory.

However he adds that the point of the current system is that CCGs can do things differently and that politicians should "respect that clinical judgement".