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514458

registered interest
date	20/04/2016
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	Iran: Foreign Relations
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 state of UK relations with Iran.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	34895
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2016 answer text <p>16 January 2016 marked Implementation Day of the Iran nuclear deal which, along with the subsequent lifting of international sanctions, has the potential to represent a new era in Iran’s relationship with the wider world. Since the Foreign Secretary reopened our Embassy in August 2015, significant progress has been made in developing the bilateral relationship between the UK and Iran. We welcomed Foreign Minister Zarif to London on 4 February 2016, in what was the first bilateral visit of an Iranian Foreign Minister since 2003. We look forward to the Business Secretary leading a trade delegation to Tehran in May, building on previous visits by Lord Maude and Transport Minister Robert Goodwill.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 25/04/2016 16:03:41 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

421377

registered interest
date	14/10/2015
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	Israel: Housing
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 has made to the Israeli government on the planned demolition of the village of Umm al-Hiran.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	11999
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>The Government is deeply concerned about the proposals to demolish Bedouin villages in Israel. I visited the Khan al Ahmer Bedouin during my visit in October 2014 and saw the devastating impact resettlement plans had on the communities. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv are monitoring the situation of Umm al-Hiran closely. Embassy officials have also been in contact with the Adalah Legal Centre who continue to provide updates on the legal situation. They have also been in contact with organisations that work within the Bedouin community, such as Itach-Maaki and The Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation-Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development, to help inform the UK’s lobbying of the Israeli authorities on this issue. On 10 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised their concerns about the Bedouin with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 21/10/2015 16:01:59 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

421385

registered interest
date	14/10/2015
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	Palestinians: Detainees
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 of the recommendations of the 2011 report on Palestinian children in military custody, funded by his Department, have been carried out.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	11958
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>Since the publication of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded independent report on Children in Military Custody in June 2012, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention.</p><p>Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv held roundtable meetings with Israeli officials, most recently on 19 May. These meetings confirmed that progress is being made including a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress with Israeli officials.</p><p>On 2 June, the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns met the Israeli Military Advocate General and the Israeli Ambassador to London where the issue of child detention was discussed. She made clear that while we welcome improvements, we continue to push for the full implementation of changes and to encourage further changes in practice.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 21/10/2015 13:44:19 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

421387

registered interest
date	14/10/2015
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	Gaza
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 he is giving to EU proposals to provide sea access to Gaza.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	11959
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>The EU, with UK encouragement, has examined a number of options to encourage an easing of movement and access into and out of Gaza. This includes the possibility of EU assistance in establishing a sea-link from Gaza to another international port, currently envisaged in Cyprus. The UK and EU have consistently called on the Government of Israel to ease movement, including at sea, and will continue to do so. We have also been pushing for an increase in the size of the fishing zone off the coast of Gaza, in line with the limit of twenty nautical miles stipulated in the Oslo accords. On 10 September, during Israeli Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr David Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), emphasised the importance of improving access to Gaza.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/10/2015 15:01:05 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

421079

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff
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 (a) locally engaged and (b) UK-based staff worked in each overseas post in financial years (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2010-11 and (iv) 2014-15.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	11569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>It is not possible to provide a breakdown of UK based and Locally Engaged Staff prior to 2012/13.</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided details of UK based staffing at posts in the Annual Accounts and Reports for 2014/2015. The latter can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-and-commonwealth-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015.</p><p>The number of locally engaged staff by post for 2014-15 is shown below [attached file].</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 21/10/2015 12:23:01 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood attachment 1 file name PQ 11569 how many locally engaged staff and UK based - table of LE Staff.docx title Number of LE staff by post for 2014-15
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

349953

registered interest
date	11/06/2015
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	UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
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 encourage the US to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	2259
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2015 answer text <p>We have regular dialogue with United States on maritime issues, including on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The United States is aware of our support for UNCLOS and Foreign Office legal advisers and officials regularly raise the issue with US counterparts to encourage the US to become party.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 19/06/2015 12:51:12 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

166742

registered interest
date	28/11/2014
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	Islamic State
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 his Department has made of the revenue available to the ISIL derived from the territory it controls; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	216435
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/12/2014 answer text <p>The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)’s main sources of revenue come from oil sales and extortion. Other sources have included foreign donors, kidnap ransom payments, and money stolen during its advances in recent months.</p><p>Air strikes targeting oil infrastructure and the liberation of oil fields have significantly reduced ISIL’s ability to access and refine oil.</p><p>As part of our strategy to combat ISIL, the UK led work on UN <br>Security Council Resolution 2170 which was adopted unanimously on 15 August. It condemns ISIL, the al-Nusra front and other terrorist groups listed under Al-Qaeda sanctions. The resolution urges members to take measures to choke ISIL’s sources of finance.</p><p>We are working with countries in the Middle East to counter the threat from terrorists and extremists across the region. Combating ISIL and degrading its financial support is a priority and we continue to discuss these issues with our partners, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/12/2014 09:59:28 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

166744

registered interest
date	28/11/2014
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	Turkey
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Turkish authorities on preventing the smuggling of oil produced in territories controlled by ISIL.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	216461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2014 answer text <p>We maintain a close and regular dialogue with Turkey about matters connected with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including preventing the smuggling of oil. I visited Turkey 29-30 November and discussed issues related to ISIL with President Erdoğan.</p><p>On 10 November the UK convened a meeting of the Core Group of the Friends of Syria which includes Turkey. We reaffirmed our commitment to a genuine political transition in co-operation with the UN Special Envoy; supporting the National Coalition to deliver services and protect the Syrian people; and strengthening measures against the Syrian regime including restricting its access to oil and military hardware.</p><p>In New York on 23 September, President Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations in the fight against terror. Together we have endorsed recent action at the UN to tighten the net around ISIL’s finance and recruitment operations (UNSCRs 2170 and 2178).</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 04/12/2014 14:59:01 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

147534

registered interest
date	10/11/2014
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	UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the US administration with a view to encouraging that country to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	214106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>We have a regular dialogue with US State Department on maritime issues, including on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and have actively encouraged the US to sign up. In 2009 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the US was committed to ratifying UNCLOS and the Administration tried – unsuccessfully - to promote this policy in 2012. Nevertheless joining UNCLOS remains a priority for the US Administration.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:45:26 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

106294

registered interest
date	04/11/2014
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	Argentina
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 whether sale of Swedish Gripen fighters to Argentina would be contrary to the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	213299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK has not received any export licence applications related to the sale of Swedish Gripen fighters to Argentina.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/11/2014 14:15:37 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching