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724139

registered interest
date	25/04/2017
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	South Sudan and Sudan: Security
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 his Department has made of the security situation in Sudan and South Sudan.
tabling member constituency	Gordon
tabling member printed	Alex Salmond
uin	71892
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2017 answer text <p>Despite some improvements, the security situation in Sudan remains concerning; particularly in Darfur and the Two Areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. We continue to urge the Government of Sudan and the opposition to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities to allow for humanitarian access. We are deeply troubled by the fighting and displacement in South Sudan, particularly in the regions of Greater Upper Nile and the Equatorias. The UK continues to pursue every opportunity to call on all parties to cease hostilities, allow access for humanitarian workers and engage in genuine dialogue.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/04/2017 08:15:18 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	577 label Biography information for Alex Salmond

724143

registered interest
date	25/04/2017
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	Yemen: Peace Negotiations
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 progress has been made on securing a peace settlement in Yemen.
tabling member constituency	Ochil and South Perthshire
tabling member printed	Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
uin	71946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2017 answer text <p>Securing a peace settlement to end the conflict is the Government’s top priority in Yemen. We continue to provide financial and diplomatic support to the UN Special Envoy’s efforts to agree a negotiated solution. The UK has played a leading role in working with the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman to find a peaceful solution. We will continue to seek regional consensus on the way forward, and to encourage the Yemeni parties to the conflict to engage constructively and in good faith find a political solution.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/04/2017 08:17:12 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4427 label Biography information for Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

724151

registered interest
date	25/04/2017
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: Capital Punishment
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 Government of Iran on the use of the death penalty in that country.
tabling member constituency	Ochil and South Perthshire
tabling member printed	Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
uin	71970
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2017 answer text <p>The UK opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and regularly raise our objections at senior levels with the Iranian government, both bilaterally and through the EU. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have both set out our concerns with their counterparts, as has our Ambassador in Tehran. I have also discussed concerns over Iran’s human rights record with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Iran’s Ambassador to the UK.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/04/2017 08:12:59 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4427 label Biography information for Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh

723131

registered interest
date	21/04/2017
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	Diplomatic Service: Qualifications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the murder and manslaughter teams in Consular Directorates are required to have particular qualifications to handle the cases they deal with; and what training such staff receive to carry out that work.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	71543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>All members of the Murder and Manslaughter Team complete the mandatory training for all front line consular staff at the start of their roles. They then complete a further programme of assessed learning specifically designed for those handling murder/manslaughter cases. The team also take opportunities for wider learning and development on trauma and crisis work to ensure they provide the best support to families of those murdered and killed overseas.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:52:14 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

723141

registered interest
date	21/04/2017
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	Democratic Republic of Congo: 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 recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
tabling member constituency	Woking
tabling member printed	Mr Jonathan Lord
uin	71546
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>The UK is deeply concerned by the continuing violence in many parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We frequently raise the issue with the Government of DRC who are ultimately responsible for providing security for their citizens. We also recognise the need for the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) to deliver more, especially since its mandate was renewed in March. We have pushed hard in the UN Security Council for the protection of civilians to be the mission’s first priority. A growing body of evidence implicates elements of the Congolese security services in killings and other human rights violations. We have made clear that those who commit such violations, will face consequences for their actions. EU sanctions are currently being considered.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 15:12:55 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4090 label Biography information for Mr Jonathan Lord

723144

registered interest
date	21/04/2017
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 Nationals Abroad
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 British citizens are estimated to be living abroad, by country.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	71595
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>The FCO does not record the volume of British citizens living abroad. The United Nations in their report on <em>'Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin' </em>estimated in 2015 that 4,917,460 British citizens were living outside of the UK. The report can be found at <a href="http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:53:59 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

723145

registered interest
date	21/04/2017
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	Diplomatic Service
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 non-frontline UK-based Consular Regional Directors are based overseas; in which countries those directors are based; and what the total cost is of those posts.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	71588
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>​We have six Consular Regional Directors in our overseas network providing strategic leadership to our front line consular services around the world. They are based in the Netherlands, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and the USA at a total cost of £761,349 per annum.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:47:24 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

722990

registered interest
date	20/04/2017
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	Diplomatic Service
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 UK-based consular staff at Executive Officer grade are currently serving overseas in frontline consular work.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	71405
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>There are around 600 staff working in our overseas consular network. These comprise a mix of UK based and local staff providing a balance of experience, skills, local knowledge and language. Of these, there are currently 10 UK-based FCO Grade B3 officers (Executive Officers). In addition, there are a further 27 UK-based FCO Grade C4 and C5 officers (Higher Executive Officers/Senior Executive Officers) and six UK-based FCO Grade D7 (Civil Service Grade 6) Consular Regional Directors providing strategic leadership to the front line overseas.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:45:16 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

722994

registered interest
date	20/04/2017
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	Diplomatic Service: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what training consular staff receive before they start work; how long such training courses last; and what proportion of training time is spent on cases of murder, missing persons, rape and sexual assault.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	71406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>All front line staff undertake mandatory training designed to give them the relevant skills and knowledge to provide appropriate support in a range of circumstances, including cases of murder, missing persons, rape and sexual assault. Our training is aligned with our Consular Strategy 2016-2020 and is constantly updated in line with ongoing customer feedback, formal evaluations and policy or legal developments.</p><p>Frontline Consular staff, in London and overseas, undertake mandatory &quot;Introduction to Consular Work&quot; and &quot;Safeguarding children and young persons&quot; e-learning courses during their first week in the role. This is followed within three months by an &quot;Assistance Guidance Assessment&quot;, which is conducted to a pass standard, and a five-day &quot;Essential Assistance Workshop&quot;, an interactive course with activities focused on building customer care skills for handling the full range of consular casework with particular emphasis on the most vulnerable.</p><p>Staff then follow a programme of continuous development relevant to their role. This comprises a range of learning activities including e-learning, workshops and discussions with specialist agencies and NGOs dealing specifically with bereavement, rape and sexual assault which are designed to further enhance the skills, knowledge and behaviours of consular staff dealing with these and other vulnerable customers. There are also opportunities for staff to practice customer care skills through telephone handling skills practice programme.</p><p>We have also developed a learning retention and evaluation tool to help embed knowledge following training courses. This involves a series of online timed and targeted questions for a five month period.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:50:13 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

722995

registered interest
date	20/04/2017
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 Nationals Abroad: Missing Persons
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what changes in procedures have been implemented in handling the cases of missing persons overseas and in training staff in how to handle such cases in the last 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	71407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2017 answer text <p>The FCO regularly reviews all aspects of policy and guidance for assisting British nationals in difficulty overseas. The package of support and guidance for staff on handling cases of missing persons overseas is currently under review. The review includes the development of specific training material for handling such cases. The FCO has developed a close working relationship with the NGO 'Lucie Blackman Trust' to support the friends and families of British nationals who are missing overseas. The FCO has also published on gov.uk the public leaflet 'Missing persons abroad' which explains what practical help FCO staff can offer to people when a British national goes missing abroad, what people can do themselves and where they can go for additional help.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/04/2017 14:56:01 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake