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1131069

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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 Indian Ocean Territory
	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 merits of the statement by the Prime Minister of Mauritius at the UN general Assembly on 22 May 2019 that the eviction of the population of the Chagos Islands by the UK Government was akin to a crime against humanity.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	262406
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>The UK does not accept this characterisation of events. Mauritius has not previously described matters in this way. Nor has this description been used by either the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Advisory Opinion, or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Tribunal members in the Award in respect of the circumstances of the removal of Chagossians.</p><p>The UK has expressed sincere regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed from British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in the 1960s and 1970s.</p><p>The Government has committed £40 million for Chagossians who are now living elsewhere – to provide employment support, English language training and projects to help preserve their heritage.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 13/06/2019 14:10:47 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1128922

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
	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 publish a response to EDM 2425 entitled UN Condemnation of UK occupation of the Chagos Islands.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	259287
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2019 answer text <p>As set out in Written Ministerial Statement - HCWS1528 of 30 April and in the statement by the UK Permanent Representative at UNGA on 23 May, we were disappointed that this matter was referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and UN General Assembly. An Advisory Opinion of the ICJ is advice provided to the United Nations General Assembly at its request; it is not a legally binding judgment. The Government has considered the content of the Opinion carefully, but we do not share the Court's approach. The basic principle that the ICJ should not consider bilateral sovereignty disputes without the consent of both states concerned has been circumvented and this could have wide-reaching implications for all UN member states.</p><p>With regard to Chagossians we are continuing our work to design a support package worth approximately £40m, to improve Chagossian livelihoods in the communities in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK where they now live.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 06/06/2019 15:34:05 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1108714

	registered interest
	date	01/04/2019
	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	Colombia: 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, if he will publish a response to EDM 2232 on Peace and Protection of Defenders in Colombia.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	239266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>I share the Hon Member's concern regarding the implementation of the Peace Accords between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The UK continues to support the peace process, contributing over £40 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund since 2015 to projects that are bringing sustainable peace to the country. We have expressed concern to the Colombian Government over delays to the transitional justice system, which is a critical part of the peace process.</p><p>I share also the Hon Member's concern about the ongoing killings and threats by armed criminal groups in Colombia, a subject we raised in January at the UN Security Council in New York and in March at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. At the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in May 2018, Colombia accepted the UK's recommendations to improve protection of human rights defenders. The UN Verification Mission's mandate acknowledges the importance of human rights, and the mission cooperates closely with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.</p><p>The Human Rights programmes led and funded by the British Embassy in Bogotá make a real difference to the lives of many human rights defenders, social leaders and, in particular, victims of sexual violence in conflict. We continue to work with civil society groups in the UK and Colombia to bring individual cases to the attention of the Colombian authorities, including the two specific cases cited in Early Day Motion 2232.</p><p>We condemned the bombing of a police academy in Bogotá on 17 January by the National Liberation Army (ELN), which claimed 20 innocent lives and caused the breakdown of peace talks. We urge an end to violence to allow productive negotiations to resume.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 04/04/2019 15:29:09 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1077228

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	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	Nicaragua: Demonstrations
	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 Government of Nicaragua on the repression and criminalisation of social protest in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	225543
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>​We remain deeply concerned about reports of human rights violations in Nicaragua and are alarmed by the use of terrorism charges to criminalise protests. Our Ambassador to Nicaragua raised these issues with the Nicaraguan Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs during a visit to Managua between 5 and 7 February, and separately in a meeting of 25 February in San Jose, Costa Rica.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 28/02/2019 17:09:12 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1077229

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	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	Nicaragua: Civil Society
	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 effect on civil society organisations in Nicaragua of the closure of the Information Center and Advisory Services in that country; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	225544
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>We strongly condemn the persecution of human rights organisations in Nicaragua, including the steps taken by the authorities to revoke the legal status of human rights Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The UK regularly raises our concerns with the Nicaraguan Government. During meetings on 5-7 and 25 February, our Ambassador urged the Nicaraguan Government to reinstate NGO registration and to allow international bodies, such as the UN and the Organization of American States, back to continue their vital work.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 04/03/2019 15:33:20 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1037131

	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Coinage
	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 Treasury's news story of 6 January 2019 New pound coin goes global with rollout to British overseas nations, whether his Department has any plans to design and mint a £1 coin celebrating the heritage of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	205968
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>We recognise the importance of the heritage of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and its biodiversity as one of the last undisturbed ecosystems in the world. Although the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration does mint commemorative coins, it does not have plans to mint one of the new £1 coins for BIOT.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 15/01/2019 16:32:21 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

984741

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Fisheries
	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 to ensure that fishing rights in the Chagos Archipelago remain available to Mauritius in so far as those rights relate to the territorial sea under the terms of the 18 March 2015 Arbitration Award between the Republic of Mauritius and the UK under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	177754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2018 answer text <p>The UK is committed to implementing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Tribunal Award. Since this ruling, senior officials from the UK and Mauritius have met on three occasions to discuss implementing the Award. In line with the Award, the UK will continue to work with Mauritius to agree the best way to meet our obligation to ensure fishing rights in the territorial sea remain available to Mauritius, so far as practicable. The Arbitral Award did not require the termination of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) but the UK will continue to approach discussions with an open mind about the best way to ensure proper conservation management of this unique marine environment.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 17/10/2018 10:29:14 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

984742

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Natural Resources
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is the policy of the Government that there should be no human footprint in the Chagos Islands, other than Diego Garcia.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	177755
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>There is no Government policy precluding a human footprint in the Chagos Islands.</p><p><br>Sovereignty patrols of the Outer Islands are regularly conducted by British Forces. The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) patrol vessel conducts regular patrolling of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) to combat Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. <br>The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration (BIOTA) also grants permits to scientists who wish to conduct research in the Territory (subject to meeting relevant requirements).</p><p><br>A small number of permits for yachts are also issued, with strict conditions, by BIOTA to enable vessels to rest at specific anchorages in order to provide safe passage through the Indian Ocean.</p><p><br>The support package for the Chagossians, announced in November 2016, will also enable Chagossians to maintain a connection with the territory through an increased programme of visits to BIOT. Each visit includes a visit to the outer islands for those who were born on them.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 19/10/2018 09:07:26 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

984743

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Nuclear Powered Vessels
	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 nuclear (a) armed and (b) powered surface or submarine vessels have entered the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory since the Marine Protected Area was established.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	177756
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold data on the operational movements of naval vessels.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 19/10/2018 09:14:50 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

984744

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2018
	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 Indian Ocean Territory: Nature Conservation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what emergency procedures are in place to protect the flora and fauna of the British Indian Ocean Territory in the event of an accident involving military aircraft or naval vessels.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
	tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
	uin	177757
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2018 answer text <p>There are established procedures in place to deal with accidents involving vessels and aircraft that could impact upon the exceptional environment and wildlife of the British Indian Ocean Territory. These include emergency response plans for hazardous waste and/or oil or petrol spills. These plans are practised regularly including large scale simulated scenarios.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 19/10/2018 09:19:12 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady