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1126295

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Christianity: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a departmental, or cross-governmental strategy, was devised to prevent or ameliorate the global persecution of Christians between 2003 and 2018; and if so, whether they will place a copy of the relevant documents in the Library of the House.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL15655
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>There has been no cross-government strategy on the global persecution of Christians between 2003 and 2018, however the promotion of human rights has and remains at the heart of our foreign policy and we regard freedom of religion or belief as a universal human right. In my role as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, I regularly raise the importance of this issue with international counterparts. We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith or belief, including Christians, wherever it happens and whatever the religion or belief.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/05/2019 12:42:47 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1126302

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2019
	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	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the government of Pakistan to continue to uphold  the right to freedom of religion or belief in that country.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL15662
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>​The UK has a long history of supporting Freedom of Religion or Belief for all people. We stand up for everyone's right to practise or not practise a religion that is in line with their conscience, wherever they are in the world.</p><p>We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. I raised the treatment of religious minority communities with Pakistan's Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, during my visit to Islamabad in February, and in subsequent telephone calls.</p><p>Under the Government's Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom. In November 2018, the Government announced a new £12 million fund to bolster the work of civil society and Non-Governmental Organisations to promote respect, and the value of religious diversity and tolerance.</p><p>On 30 January 2019, the Foreign Secretary and the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, launched an Independent Review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians overseas. The Bishop submitted his interim report on 3 May; he will submit his final report in the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/05/2019 12:58:58 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

1126704

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether reports of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment may, in some circumstances, be published without the prior consent of the state in question.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL15721
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>​The UK encourages Council of Europe members to engage fully with the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). The UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe has intervened in the Committee of Ministers in the past, calling on Member States to agree to the publication of all CPT reports concerning that State. The UK Government promotes a general policy of transparency by authorising the publication of the visit reports and the UK responses thereon, encouraging other Member States to do likewise. We shall continue to take this approach.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/05/2019 13:03:21 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1126705

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the Council of Europe about finding ways to ensure that all members implement the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL15722
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>​The UK unreservedly condemns the use of torture and works closely with international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice, including making robust statements in multilateral organisations and by Ministers. The UK encourages Council of Europe members to engage fully with the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Where necessary, the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe will intervene in the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers meetings to call on member states to engage with the recommendations of the Committee's reports.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/05/2019 13:06:07 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

1127011

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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	Brunei: LGBT+ People
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Brunei about abrogating the laws under which homosexuals can be stoned to death.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lexden
	uin	HL15772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brunei’s Foreign Minister, Dato Erywan, on 4 April to express the UK’s concerns about the impact of the Sharia Penal Code. On 11 April, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and the Finance Minister, Dato Amin Liew, in London. The Prime Minister wrote to His Majesty The Sultan on 1 May. We welcome the assurances thereafter provided by the Sultan on 5 May. In particular, confirmation that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and the commitment to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Following this announcement, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and Dato Amin Liew on 7 May. I also welcomed these assurances during my meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infocommunications, Dato Mutalib on 16 May.</p><p>The announcement by His Majesty the Sultan demonstrates the importance of engaging in respectful dialogue and diplomacy to address sensitive issues. The assurances provided by the Sultan are positive and go some way to addressing our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. We urge Brunei to build on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and minorities.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 23/05/2019 13:07:04 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4202 label Biography information for Lord Lexden

1127206

	registered interest
	date	16/05/2019
	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	Bahrain: 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 representations he has made to the Bahraini ambassador on that country's laws on human rights.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
	tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
	uin	255371
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain, including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting that most recently took place in February 2019. We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme, including the introduction of the new legislation on alternatives to punishment and new proposed legislation on juvenile justice. Bahrain remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country and the British Government continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its human rights obligations, in both public and private conversations.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 23/05/2019 14:29:57 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
	tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1126850

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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: Sick Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	254713
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>Based on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) human resources management system, 41 FCO UK-based staff took sick leave related to stress in 2018. This does not include staff who were absent but no sick leave reason is recorded against them. This accounts for 0.85 per cent of FCO UK-based staff using our headcount figure as of 31 December 2018 (4,839). Sick leave for reasons related to stress in 2018 accounted for 10.5 per cent of total recorded sick days, and equated to 0.3 Average Working Days Lost per person. The cost to the paybill of all sick leave taken by FCO UK-based staff in 2018 was £3,386,787. Of this, the cost of sick leave taken for stress-related reasons was £355,898.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 23/05/2019 15:51:37 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1127530

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	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	Libya: Asylum
	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 has taken to resettle vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya; and what support his Department provides to dedicated search and rescue teams in the Mediterranean for those trying to flee Libya.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	256340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>​Following the UNHCR's urgent appeal for resettlement places, the UK has committed to participate in the resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees who have been evacuated by UNHCR from Libya to Niger. This is in addition to the UK's existing commitment to resettle up to 3,000 vulnerable refugee children and their families from the Middle East and North Africa more widely by 2020 under the Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme. The UK Government currently supports the EU's Operation Sophia through the provision of staff to its Operational Headquarters. Presently the Operation's naval operations are temporarily suspended, however should the Operation's air surveillance assets observe a vessel in distress, relevant information is sent to the nearest Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre to coordinate a response.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 23/05/2019 15:58:28 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1127585

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	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: 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 has with his Turkish counterpart on political prisoners participating in hunger strikes in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	256371
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>​I raised the issue most recently with the Turkish Ambassador on 13 May. While strongly condemning the ongoing violence perpetrated by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, we have encouraged the Turkish authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture following their visit to Imrali prison where Mr Öcalan is detained. In this regard, I welcome the fact that Mr Öcalan was granted access to two lawyers on 2 May. I also note the comment made by Mr Öcalan, via his lawyers, that individuals should not pursue these hunger strikes to the point of serious illness or death.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 23/05/2019 16:02:52 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1127503

	registered interest
	date	20/05/2019
	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	Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade
	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 the Written Statement of 25 March 2014 on Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, what effect the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey on 2 October 2018 has had on the application of guidance under sub paragraphs (a) and (b) of criteria six to decisions on licensing exports to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	256325
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>A licence would not be issued to Saudi Arabia or any other destination if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The situation is kept under careful and continual review. As the Foreign Secretary has said, the Government condemns Jamal Khashoggi’s killing in the strongest possible terms. The Government remains clear that anyone found responsible must be held fully accountable. The UK was signatory to the joint statement on 7 March at the United Nations Human Rights Council which reiterated condemnation of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. The statement called for investigations into the killing to be prompt, effective and thorough, independent and impartial, and transparent.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 23/05/2019 15:32:40 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown