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1037799

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Turkey: Syria
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on preventing the planned (a) invasion of Rojava and (b) attacks against the Kurds in northern Syria.
tabling member constituency	Lewes
tabling member printed	Maria Caulfield
uin	206423
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>I have had a number of recent conversations with my Turkish counterparts over the conflict in Syria, as have my ministerial colleagues and the Prime Minister. While we recognise Turkey's security interests, we are closely monitoring the situation in North East Syria and are concerned about the humanitarian impact of a potential Turkish military operation, as well as the impact on the campaign against Daesh.</p><p><br>Our priority is to end the conflict in Syria through a negotiated political settlement: we believe only an inclusive, non-sectarian government can unite the country and protect the rights of all Syrians.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:20:29 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield

1037856

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the safety and security of human rights defenders throughout the world.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	206358
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>​Regrettably human rights defenders remain under attack in many parts of the world. In 2018 over 300 defenders were killed and thousands more imprisoned, attacked or tortured around the world. This is why, at the high-level meeting on human rights defenders at the UN on 18 December, we called on governments to allow human rights defenders to fight for human rights; allow civil society the space to engage with and, where needed, challenge governments without fear or reprisal; and to create an environment where democracy can flourish. In November we co-sponsored a new UN General Assembly resolution on freedom of assembly and association, further strengthening support for civil society and human rights defenders. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with Human Rights Defenders using the UK Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders, which were updated again in 2018, to inform their work. Last year on International Human Rights Day Lord Ahmad hosted key human rights defenders.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 16/01/2019 15:04:02 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1037904

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Turkey: Freedom of Expression
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to reports of a warrant for the re-arrest of the journalist Eren Erdem, what assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) freedom of speech and (b) press freedom in Turkey.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>We are aware of the re-arrest of Eren Erdem and are following his case closely, including attendance at his most recent hearing. We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression and of the media. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and to urge respect for media freedom, which is essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:06:38 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037905

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Mediterranean Sea: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of the EU decision to extend Operation Sophia for three more months until the end of March 2019.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206416
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>This mandate extension allows the Operation to continue for a further three months and authorises the continuation of the Crime Information Cell, which allows better coordination between the Operation and law enforcement agencies, for the duration of the mandate. As EU Member States have yet to agree long-term arrangements for disembarking migrants rescued by vessels attached to the Operation, a technical extension to the mandate was necessary to allow time for Member States to find a solution.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:08:31 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037906

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Mediterranean Sea: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of Operation Sophia in deterring illegal migrants seeking entry to the EU.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>Since Operation Sophia launched in July 2015, it has trained over 200 members of the Libyan Coastguard and Navy (LCG&amp;N) on human rights, gender, and search and rescue, to improve their conduct and effectiveness in these areas. The LCG&amp;N is now better able to rescue migrants at sea, which has been a contributory factor in reducing the volume of migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean into Italy. The smuggling networks can no longer operate with impunity in International Waters. The Operation has put over 551 smuggling vessels beyond use and rescued over 44,000 migrants.</p><p><br>Operation Sophia is just one part of the EU’s overall approach to tackling the migration crisis. Ultimately, the UK Government aims to prioritise interventions upstream in countries of origin and transit to reduce the need of migrants to leave their home country or move on from a safe third country in their region. At the same time UK and EU efforts aim to alleviate the suffering of migrants in Libya through measures such as providing critical humanitarian assistance, supporting assisted voluntary returns, and working with the UN towards a political solution in Libya. The UK is clear that significant improvement in the human rights situation in Libya requires the stability of a united and representative government. <br>​</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 15:17:07 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1037907

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Mediterranean Sea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken in response to the finding of the House of Lords European Union Committee’s report entitled Operation Sophia: a failed mission, published on 12 July 2017, that Operation Sophia has failed to achieve its objective of contributing to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	206418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>As my reply on 13 September 2017 to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union stated, the Government accepts that Operation SOPHIA has not delivered all we had hoped. However, there have been successes since Op SOPHIA was established. The smuggling networks can no longer operate with impunity in International Waters. The Operation has put over 551 smuggling vessels beyond use and rescued over 44,000 migrants. The Libyan Coastguard Training Task has also improved Libya's ability to manage its own maritime border.</p><p><br>However, HMG has always been clear that Operation SOPHIA is one part of the European approach to this issue. Ultimately, we need to prioritise interventions upstream in countries of origin and transit. Doing so should reduce the need of individuals and families to leave their home country or move on from a safe third country in their region. It is also worth noting that Operation SOPHIA is additionally tasked with the important work of implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya in the High Seas. Military vessels are vital for this task, which prevents deliveries of arms that would further destabilise the fragile situation in Libya. Non-military vessels would not be able to deter smuggling gangs from operating in International Waters in the same way. Military assets are also better able to confiscate and destroy unsafe boats and outboard engines used by smugglers.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 16/01/2019 17:02:55 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1038009

registered interest
date	08/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Nationals Abroad: Forced Marriage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Official Development Assistance budget of supporting UK nationals who are victims of forced marriages.
tabling member constituency	Witham
tabling member printed	Priti Patel
uin	206340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>​No Official Development Assistance budget is used to support UK nationals who are victims of forced marriages.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 15/01/2019 16:38:14 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel

1037073

registered interest
date	07/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on (a) current levels of political stability and (b) the handling of the recent presidential election.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	205817
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary and I met with the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London last October. He encouraged the Congolese government to engage constructively with the then upcoming elections. Last month I underlined with the three main presidential candidates the need to engage fully with the electoral process and to condemn any electoral violence or incitement of it. We continue to press for adherence to these principles locally and through multilateral fora such as the UN and EU.</p><p>The UK congratulates the Congolese people for exercising their democratic rights by going to the polls on 30 December 2018. Thankfully, the polling period was more stable than many had feared it might be and instances of electoral violence were minimal. Despite the electoral commission (CENI) delaying the announcement of the election results, much of the country remains calm, including the capital, Kinshasa. Alongside our international partners, the UK has lobbied the government of the DRC to respect the election results and for CENI to compile and announcement the results without further unnecessary delay.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 10/01/2019 15:57:39 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1037224

registered interest
date	07/01/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Nationals Abroad: Forced Marriage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of its emergency loan policy on economically vulnerable British citizens seeking to leave forced marriages abroad; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	205966
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/01/2019 answer text <p>The UK is a world-leader in the fight to tackle out the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit which leads efforts to combat it both at home and abroad. This joint unit was established in 2005 because the Government of the day recognised that British citizens who are forced into marriage constituted a category of exceptionally vulnerable people in need of specific help.</p><p>After careful consideration, the Foreign Sectetary and I have decided that victims of forced marriage who are helped to return to the UK by the Forced Marriage Unit will no longer be asked to take out a loan for their repatriation costs.</p><p>From now on, none of those who are assisted by the Forced Marriage Unit - and would previously have been offered a loan - will have to cover the costs of their repatriation. Where possible, the Government will continue to seek to ensure the costs fall on the perpetrators by means of Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs).</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 10/01/2019 17:56:28 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens