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428371

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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: 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 (a) human rights situation in Sri Lanka and (b) detention of Tamil political prisoners in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	16358
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2015 answer text We warmly welcomed the resolution on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka and adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 1 October. Since President Sirisena came to power in January, there have been improvements in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, including on freedom of expression, some return of military held land, and improved relations between different communities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide a further assessment in our 2015 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the detention of Tamil political prisoners without trial. We have been encouraged by the recent announcements that bail has been granted to 39 prisoners being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 24/11/2015 18:00:05 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

428542

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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	Colombia: Hunger Strikes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian government about the FARC prisoners on hunger strike.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	16472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2015 answer text We understand that there are members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on hunger strike in 13 prisons across the country. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in Colombia’s judicial process, we have in the past raised concerns regarding due process and prison conditions with the Government of Colombia – particularly in relation to imprisoned trade unionists. That said we do not currently intend to make specific representations to the Colombian government about the current hunger strike by members of the FARC. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 19/11/2015 16:21:44 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

428368

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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: Terrorism
	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 Sri Lankan counterpart on the application of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1978 in Sri Lanka.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	16355
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2015 answer text We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the detention of prisoners without trial. I met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, the Honourable Mangala Samaraweera MP, on 14 September in Geneva. I was encouraged by our discussion and by his speech to the UN Human Rights Council. Amongst other commitments, he told members of the UN Human Rights Council that the Sri Lankan government would review and repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with anti-terrorism legislation in line with contemporary international best practices. We will continue to monitor closely the situation of detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and to raise issues of ongoing concern with the Sri Lankan government. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 24/11/2015 17:49:06 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

428370

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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: Political Prisoners
	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 Sri Lankan counterpart on the detention of Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	16357
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2015 answer text We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the detention of Tamil political prisoners without trial. I met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, the Honourable Mangala Samaraweera MP, on 14 September in Geneva. I was encouraged by our discussion and by his speech to the UN Human Rights Council. He told members of the UN Human Rights Council that the Sri Lankan government would review and repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act and replace it with anti-terrorism legislation in line with contemporary international best practices. I have also been encouraged by the recent announcements that bail has been granted to 39 prisoners being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 24/11/2015 17:58:17 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

448668

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2016
	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: Terrorism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 16355, how his Department monitors the situation of detainees in Sri Lanka held under its Prevention of Terrorism Act 1978.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	24811
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016 answer text The British High Commission in Colombo is in regular contact with government officials, Tamil National Alliance MPs, and civil society representatives about the situation of detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. We also work on this issue with other diplomatic missions, the EU and UN bodies. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 04/02/2016 12:45:59 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

428369

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2015
	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: Political Prisoners
	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 implications for his policies of reports that Tamil political prisoners have been on hunger strike in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	16356
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2015 answer text <p>We noted that on 17 November the hunger strike by Tamil detainees was temporarily suspended until 15 December. We regularly raise matters of concern with the Sri Lankan government, including the detention of prisoners without trial. Our policy is unchanged and we remain committed to working closely with the Sri Lankan government and international partners to support the implementation of the commitments made by Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in September, and in the UN Human Rights Council resolution of 1 October.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 24/11/2015 17:54:41 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

419101

	registered interest
	date	16/09/2015
	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 support his Department is giving to strengthen democracy and parliamentary oversight in Sri Lanka.
	tabling member constituency	Pendle
	tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
	uin	10440
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>Through our bilateral support to Sri Lanka, we are seeking to strengthen democracy, improve good governance and the rule of law. We funded a programme of voter education and support to domestic election observers during the January and August elections at a cost of £120,000. Staff from the British High Commission in Colombo were involved in the EU Election Observer Mission both in the run up to and on the day of the 17 August parliamentary elections.</p><p>We are working closely with others, including the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, on building the capacity of the new Parliament and on strengthening political parties. We welcome the involvement of UK Parliamentarians, including the recent visit of my hon. Friend, in supporting this work.</p><p>Our spending on democracy related projects this year will be around £200,000. We are also supporting a project to provide training to local media in investigative journalism techniques, which should help strengthen freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 12/10/2015 14:51:04 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

448672

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2016
	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: 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 steps his Department plans to take to support the implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka.
	tabling member constituency	Enfield North
	tabling member printed	Joan Ryan
	uin	24815
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016 answer text <p>The UK is committed to supporting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, which are fundamental elements of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) announced £6.6 million of funding for Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2015 which will be used for providing support in these areas. We will coordinate our efforts with the Sri Lankan government and with international partners to target support at areas where it is most needed. We will regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our funding and assess opportunities for providing further support.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 04/02/2016 16:06:21 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	166 label Biography information for Joan Ryan

168654

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Taiwan
	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 UK's relationship with Taiwan; and what plans he has to strengthen ties between the UK and Taiwan.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
	uin	217641
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>The UK enjoys a strong and flourishing relationship with Taiwan, in the fields of trade, investment, education and culture. We consistently seek ways to develop this relationship further. Recent examples include: a visit to Taiwan in September by Dame Julia King, the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador; the “GREAT Taste of Britain” campaign to promote British culture and food in Taiwan in October; and a visit by delegation of UK companies in November with the objective of sharing the UK’s experience on renewable energy.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 15/12/2014 15:24:59 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth

168655

	registered interest
	date	08/12/2014
	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	Taiwan
	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 he has made of the role of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK in promoting closer links between the UK and Taiwan.
	tabling member constituency	Knowsley
	tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
	uin	217642
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>The Taipei Representative Office plays an important role in promoting trade, investment, education and culture links with Taiwan. It regularly engages with UK business, industry and educational institutes. For example the Representative of the Taipei Representative Office led a business delegation to Bath in November in order to build upon commercial links.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 15/12/2014 15:27:25 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth