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102043

registered interest
date	31/10/2014
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	Israel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to his Israeli counterpart on access to, and sovereignty over, the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
tabling member printed	Richard Burden
uin	212853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv delivered a clear message to the Israeli Cabinet Secretary on 30 October, advocating reopening of the mosque. The mosque re-opened on 31 October for men over 50 and for women. It is vital that the longstanding status quo of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif compound be preserved and we urge the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law as an occupying power in East Jerusalem.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/11/2014 08:45:22 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

102044

registered interest
date	31/10/2014
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	Palestinians
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 government of Sweden on recognition of the state of Palestine; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
tabling member printed	Richard Burden
uin	212854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The Political Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office discussed this issue with the Swedish Political Director on 3 November.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/11/2014 08:50:07 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

101864

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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	Kenya
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 his Kenyan counterpart on the threat of Islamist militants in that country.
tabling member constituency	Belfast North
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
uin	212676
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text Ministers and officials regularly discuss the terrorist threat in Kenya with the Kenyan Government. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (Mr Duddridge) discussed the importance of an effective and human rights compliant counter-terrorism response with the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade in September 2014. We have a shared interest in tackling this threat and the UK actively supports Kenya to do so in a manner consistent with its Constitution and international law. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 04/11/2014 14:02:36 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

101866

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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	Somalia
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 his Department is taking to end sexual violence against women in Somalia.
tabling member constituency	Belfast North
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
uin	212678
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK has been at the forefront of international efforts to eradicate sexual violence in conflict. We are committed to using UK expertise to help national Governments prevent and prosecute those responsible for sexual violence in conflict, to improve care for survivors, and to provide training to improve their military and police capability. The UK, together with the UN, has worked closely with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in the development of its national action plan for addressing sexual violence, which it announced at the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) Summit in London in June this year.</p><p>The UK has in addition put £1 million this year into funding projects in Somalia to provide care and support to survivors including:</p><p>o Improving the response to and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in three districts of Mogadishu (Yaqshid, Bondhere and Karaan), including the integration of support services (psychosocial, legal, and economic) within existing medical clinics;</p><p> </p><p>o In Lower Juba, increasing the capacity of local authorities to prevent and respond to cases of sexual violence, improve access to health facilities for survivors and improve the documentation of sexual violence cases;</p><p> </p><p>o Support for survivors of sexual violence in camps for Internally Displaced Persons in Mogadishu.</p><p>The UK was extremely concerned by recent allegations relating to the conduct of soldiers operating as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM). My hon friend the member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge MP), the Minsiter for Africa, raised these allegations with the AU and the relevant troop contributing countries, and an investigation is due to start imminently. The UK already supports pre-deployment training programmes for AMISOM on prevention of sexual violence, international human rights laws, and best practice in assisting women and children in the aftermath of violent conflict.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/11/2014 13:20:03 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

101869

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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	West Africa
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK's financial share is of the EU's contribution to fighting the spread of Ebola.
tabling member constituency	Belfast North
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
uin	212743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK has committed £225 million (approximately €285 million) to fight Ebola in West Africa. This equates to more than 25 per cent of the €1 billion pledged by the EU and its Member States and makes us the second-highest bilateral donor after the United States.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 04/11/2014 14:04:42 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

101873

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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	Guinea-Bissau
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 government of Guinea-Bissau on dealing with Ebola.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	212548
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The government has had conversations with the government of Guinea-Bissau about its response to the Ebola crisis: most recently in September when the non-resident British Ambassador to Guinea Bissau visited Bissau and met with Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira. Discussions will continue when the Ambassador visits again later this month. We are also working closely with multilateral partners such as the EU and UNICEF to support Guinea-Bissau to focus on its own preparedness in line with World Health Organization recommendations and guidelines.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 03/11/2014 16:17:33 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

101876

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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	Sudan
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 his Department has had with the Sudanese government about lessons to be learnt from the case of Meriam Ibrahim.
tabling member constituency	Belfast East
tabling member printed	Naomi Long
uin	212574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>Officials at the British Embassy in Khartoum have discussed the issues highlighted by the Meriam Ibrahim case with both the Sudanese Attorney General and senior members of the ruling National Congress Party. In addition, my Hon Friend, the member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge MP), the Minister for Africa highlighted the need for the lessons of this case to be learned in a recent letter to the Sudanese Minister for Foreign Affairs. The UK also ensured that this case was raised with the delegation from the Government of Sudan at the 27th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which took place between 8-26 September.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/11/2014 13:22:19 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3920 label Biography information for Naomi Long

101554

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Cyprus
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 reports he has received of the misselling of and corruption related to mortgages for properties for UK citizens buying in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Blaydon
tabling member printed	Mr David Anderson
uin	212434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p>Officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly brief me on the scale of property problems in Cyprus and the distressing impact it is having on individuals. Most cases of mis-selling relate to purchases that were made between 2005 and 2010. Many purchasers and investors were advised to take out mortgages in Swiss Francs. As the Swiss Franc strengthened the cost of loans rose. Those affected complain that they were not properly advised that interest rates and exchange rates could rise which would affect the cost of their mortgage over time. We are also aware of allegations that lawyers and property professionals were working collectively and against the best interests of foreign buyers.</p><p>The British Government has no authority to intervene in matters concerning Cypriot domestic legislation. However, we continue to work with the Cypriot government to assist in finding resolutions to problems related to property purchases in Cyprus. This has included organising working visits to the UK for staff from the Cypriot Land Registry and the Financial Ombudsman. The High Commission is involved in assisting with public sector reform - specifically with the Ministry of Justice and local government – which will ultimately impact on the way property issues are dealt with.</p><p>Although we cannot intervene in individual cases, we do raise wider property problems by lobbying at high level. Both the Leader of the House of Commons and First Secretary of State, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I have raised property issues experienced by British nationals with the Cypriot Foreign Minister, Ioannis Kasoulides. Most recently I raised the subject with Mr Kasoulides on 23 July and Cyprus property mis-selling was raised in the UK Parliament on 22 July. The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Defence of the Interests of British Property Owners in Cyprus also met and discussed the issue on 14 October. Our former and current High Commissioners in Cyprus have regularly raised property issues with the Cypriot Attorney-General and the Finance Minister.</p><p>Our lobbying is having an effect. The Cypriot government has set up a Ministerial Committee to look at addressing property issues. This is a positive step and we are working with the authorities to encourage the committee to take effective action.</p><p>We recognise the significant impact that property disputes has on many families in the UK, some of whom risk losing their life savings. We strongly believe that those affected should continue to pursue their cases through the Cypriot (and if appropriate the UK) courts though we recognise that for many this will be an expensive and protracted route. In parallel we remain committed to lobbying at high level to encourage the Cypriot government to take effective action to resolve existing problems and to reform the property sector to prevent such problems occurring in the future.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 04/11/2014 15:14:47 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1486 label Biography information for Mr David Anderson

101555

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the reasons were for the time taken by his Department to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on Virunaga National Park.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	212379
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>I understand that the unacceptably long delay in providing a response to the correspondence in question was caused by administrative difficulties in transferring the response between Government Departments. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) responded to 95 per cent of all ministerial correspondence within its twenty-day deadline in 2013 and I am sorry that, in this instance, the response was not received as promptly as it should have been. The letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire was recieved by the FCO on 8 September and a response was sent to her on 30 September.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 03/11/2014 16:18:04 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

101557

registered interest
date	29/10/2014
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	Iran
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 the Iranian authorities on the imprisonment of Maryam Naghash Zargaran.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	212410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>We are aware of the imprisonment in Iran of Maryam Naghash Zargaran. We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian Government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 03/11/2014 14:53:35 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms