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573435

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Bangladesh: British Council
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 took place between (a) his Department and the British Council and (b) the UK High Commission in Dhaka and the British Council in Bangladesh before the decision was taken to close that Council's centres in that country; and what timetable is in place for reopening those centres.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Jim Fitzpatrick
uin	44114
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK High Commission in Dhaka have maintained close contact with the British Council before and since the closure, following the 1 July terrorist attack at Holey Bakery. The Council has completed its security review and is taking the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of its staff and buildings before reopening.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:29:44 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	197 label Biography information for Jim Fitzpatrick

573438

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Kashmir
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 Indian government on the killing of protestors in the Kashmir Valley in July 2016.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	44134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The United Kingdom abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have changed our travel advice. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:37:26 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

573439

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Kashmir
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 he has had with the Commonwealth Secretary General on the situation in Kashmir.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	44135
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>I have not discussed Kashmir with the Commonwealth Secretary General. The long standing position of the United Kingdom is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:39:13 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

573442

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Kashmir
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 at the UN on implementation of Security Council Resolution 47 on Kashmir.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	44188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2016 answer text <p>The United Kingdom does not intend to support an international conference or a plebiscite on Kashmir in line with UN Security Council Resolution 47. I have not had any discussions at the UN on this issue. The longstanding position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 09/09/2016 12:37:44 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

573443

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Bangladesh: 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 reports his Department has received on the changing level of threat of Islamist terrorism in Bangladesh.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	44159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The British Government is concerned by the increase in terrorist and extremist-related violence in Bangladesh. Since the 1 July 2016 attack on the Holey Bakery Café in Dhaka, targeting foreign nationals, the Government has continued to raise its concerns over security directly with senior officials in the Bangladeshi government. We will continue to engage with regional partners and the wider international community to support efforts to address terrorism, extremism and to promote human rights in Bangladesh.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:41:51 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

573444

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Bangladesh: 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 steps his Department plans to take to assist Bangladeshis living in the UK to bring their families to the UK in the event of an escalation in political violence in Bangladesh.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	44161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The UK has consistently called upon all parties to refrain from using violence, intimidation and confrontational action. The UK will continue to engage constructively with all political parties in Bangladesh and with international partners, to strengthen democratic accountability and build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections. We are under no obligation to consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and it is not appropriate to do so. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach; that is the fastest route to safety.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:45:55 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

573445

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Bangladesh: 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 account his Department plans to take of alleged human rights abuses in Bangladesh in advising on any future trade deal with that country; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of imposing sanctions on Bangladesh in order to improve that country's respect for political and other rights.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	44162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the United Kingdom takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy. We will engage fully with a broad range of stakeholders, including both governments and business over the coming weeks and months, taking a large number of political and economic factors into consideration.</p><p>We are concerned about protection of human rights in Bangladesh, but believe that engagement, not sanctions, is the correct course of action. Sanctions would isolate Bangladesh at a time when it is, like so many, facing the global threat of terrorism. Trade sanctions would have a damaging effect on Bangladesh’s development and on efforts to bring people out of poverty.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:54:01 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

573446

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Bangladesh: 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 steps his Department has taken to encourage the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to (a) hold fair and open elections in 2019 and (b) ensure Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal investigates impartially the 1971 War of Independence.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham Jones
uin	44160
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The United Kingdom will continue to engage constructively with all political parties in Bangladesh and with international partners, to strengthen democratic accountability and build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections. Peaceful, credible elections are the true mark of a mature functioning democracy, and all political parties share a responsibility for delivering them. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office named Bangladesh as one of its 30 Human Rights Priority Countries in its 2015 report. The report cited the confrontational actions of the two main political parties as one of the areas of particular concern.</p><p>The Government has made clear its support for Bangladesh’s efforts to bring to justice those accused of atrocities committed during the 1971 War of Independence. However, this must be done in a way that meets appropriate international legal standards. NGOs continue to raise concerns about the process and we urged the Bangladesh government to ensure compliance with these standards during Bangladesh’s second Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in 2013. We continue to emphasise these points in our discussions with the Bangladeshi authorities.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:44:06 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

573451

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	China: Dogs
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 Chinese government on the treatment of dogs during that country's Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
tabling member constituency	North Cornwall
tabling member printed	Scott Mann
uin	44110
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The United Kingdom Government takes seriously all reports of animal cruelty. We are committed to raising standards of animal welfare and to phasing out cruel and inhumane practices both in the UK and overseas. However, there are limits to what the UK can do. Consumption of dog meat is legal in the People’s Republic of China and the UK has no legal grounds to intervene or take trade measures to prevent this.</p><p>We have instead focused our efforts on co-operation with China to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. We also work through the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), to promote the welfare of a range of species internationally, such as stray dogs and farmed animals. We encourage China, as a member of OIE, to meet the required standards.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:24:04 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	4496 label Biography information for Scott Mann

573678

registered interest
date	02/09/2016
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	Marriage
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 is taking to encourage recognition of same-sex marriage in countries where it is not currently recognised.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	44600
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2016 answer text <p>The United Kingdom is committed to tackling discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. We take discrimination to include the non-enjoyment of equal civil rights by all members of society, including the right to marry. Through our diplomatic network, Her Majesty's Government regularly demonstrates its support for the principle of same sex marriage and encourages others to follow that example.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 08/09/2016 13:56:32 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff