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1138163

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Bangladesh: 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 assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Bangladesh.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	275838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) makes regular assessments of the political situation in Bangladesh, including through the British High Commission in Dhaka. Bangladesh is a close partner of the UK and a fellow Commonwealth member, and we welcome our joint reaffirmation of democratic values at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting on 10 July.</p><p>A general election took place in December in which the Awami League won 96% of seats in Parliament. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific issued a statement on 1 January noting credible accounts of obstacles and irregularities in the conduct of elections, and deploring the acts of intimidation and violence that took place. The UK called for the full and transparent resolution of complaints about the conduct of the elections.</p><p>The Foreign Secretary also wrote to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in January to express our concerns and to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to maintain dialogue with opposition parties and civil society. In April 2019, Minister Field reiterated these concerns and the importance of engaging with opposition parties and freedom of expression when he met the Prime Minister and ministers during his visit to Bangladesh.</p><p>Bangladesh remains a human rights priority country for the FCO. Ministers, and our High Commission in Dhaka, carry out a wide range of activities to promote human rights and freedom of expression in Bangladesh, working with civil society and other like-minded partners. We frequently raise these concerns with the Government of Bangladesh.</p><p>The UK will continue to engage with the Government of Bangladesh to address these concerns and will support efforts towards a stable, prosperous and democratic Bangladesh.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 17/07/2019 14:50:08 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1138164

registered interest
date	10/07/2019
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	Sri Lanka: 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 assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	275839
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office makes regular assessments of the political situation in Sri Lanka, including through the British High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka is a close partner of the UK and a fellow Commonwealth member, and we welcome our joint reaffirmation of democratic values at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting on 10 July.</p><p>We are concerned about the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric since the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. We have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to take stronger action to protect minorities and prevent extremists in all communities from inciting violence. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific most recently raised these concerns with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in June.</p><p>We are also concerned about President Sirisena's statements reiterating his intention to end the country's moratorium on the death penalty, and issued a statement on 26 June. While we welcome the Supreme Court ruling on 5 July halting executions until October, we have made clear our continued concern, including about the implications for our cooperation on counter narcotics, counter terrorism and other areas of law enforcement. We will continue to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to maintain its moratorium.</p><p>More broadly, the UK continues to believe that Sri Lanka's commitments to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 remain the best framework for establishing truth, justice and lasting reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver on these commitments.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 18/07/2019 13:50:17 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1137458

registered interest
date	08/07/2019
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	Zimbabwe: 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 assessment his Department has made of the political situation in Zimbabwe.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	274661
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>We welcome recent political reform efforts by the Government of Zimbabwe, including commitment to repeal the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Public Order and Security Act in line with Zimbabwe's constitution.</p><p>However, Zimbabwe remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. We continue to call for the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and human rights and promote free and fair elections, under the protection of the 2013 Constitution and international human rights law. We also call on all political parties to enter into a genuine national dialogue.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 16/07/2019 13:38:40 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1136046

registered interest
date	01/07/2019
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	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit
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 the Welsh Government on his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU without an agreement.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	271629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has an active programme of engagement with our partners, including the Welsh and Scottish Governments. We remain focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU. As part of this, we continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios and are making sensible decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 09/07/2019 16:06:41 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones