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174402

registered interest
date	19/01/2015
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	North Korea
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 North Korea's nuclear activities.
tabling member constituency	Ribble Valley
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Evans
uin	221224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p>We keep the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic missile programmes under constant review. We are concerned that the DPRK has restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, coupled with reports that a nearby uranium enrichment facility has been expanded. DPRK threats to conduct a fourth nuclear test are extremely worrying and only serve to destabilise regional security further. We continue to urge the DPRK to comply with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, to refrain from any further provocations, to abide by its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and to permit full access by the International Atomic Energy Agency.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/01/2015 15:46:40 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	474 label Biography information for Mr Nigel Evans

174016

registered interest
date	15/01/2015
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	North Korea
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 human rights in North Korea; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	221042
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned by the UN Commission of Inquiry’s findings of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). We have seen no evidence to suggest the human rights situation has improved since the Commission published its report in February 2014. <br><br>On 22 December, following a request by the UK and others, the UN Security Council formally recognised the human rights situation in the DPRK as a potential threat to international peace and security and held a first discussion of this new agenda item. During this meeting the UK repeated its serious concern at the human rights situation in the DPRK and its belief that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, then the international community must be ready to do so. <br><br>We also reitarated that the DPRK authorities bear primary responsibility for protecting human rights in DPRK and expressed our regret that the DPRK had withdrawn the offers of engagement made ahead of the UN General Assembly Third Committee resolution in November 2014.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 20/01/2015 15:03:04 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

173401

registered interest
date	13/01/2015
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	North Korea
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 the Government has had with the South Korean authorities about (a) North Korean progress towards viable nuclear weapons and (b) protecting UK companies from North Korean hacking.
tabling member constituency	Belfast North
tabling member printed	Mr Nigel Dodds
uin	220567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p>The UK and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are close partners and regularly discuss matters relating to the Korean Peninsula, as well as broader international security concerns. The most recent Ministerial discussions were on 3 December 2014, when the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), held strategic talks with the ROK Foreign Minister, Yun Byung-se. These talks covered a range of issues including international security. The Foreign Secretary made clear during these discussions our concern that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Separately, the ROK is one of a range of international partners with which we have engaged to help protect the UK and British businesses from cyber attacks. The Government is also working closely with industry to address the threat and impact of cyber attacks, as part of the UK Cyber Security Strategy.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 20/01/2015 14:47:35 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1388 label Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn

172516

registered interest
date	07/01/2015
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	North Korea
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 tackle the persecution of Christians in North Korea.
tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
tabling member printed	David Simpson
uin	220024
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), particularly by the reports of the persecution of Christians detailed by the UN Commission of Inquiry and elsewhere. We have called on the DPRK to respect the provision in its constitution guaranteeing “freedom of belief in religion”. Our belief is that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, the international community must be ready to do so. We worked with likeminded partners to ensure the resolutions adopted at the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly included strong language to make clear there can be no impunity for human rights violations and to call for appropriate action to ensure accountability.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 13/01/2015 14:54:56 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

171136

registered interest
date	17/12/2014
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	North Korea
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 reports he has received that North Koreans with dwarfism are subject to segregation and forced sterilisation; and what steps the British Embassy in Pyongyang is taking in its disability programmes in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to raise this issue with their North Korean counterparts.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	219117
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p>Reports that North Koreans with dwarfism are subject to segregation and forced sterilisation have persisted for many years. They are referred to in the UN Commission of Inquiry report (para 327), citing the Korea Institute for National Unification’s 2013 White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea pp. 442-444. This paper, available online, reports conflicting testimony from defectors on this issue, with some reporting those with dwarfism are segregated and/or sterilised, some that they are not, and others that they used to be but are not any longer. It also reports testimony from defectors who saw people with dwarfism in their local communities, in some cases married and with children. The paper notes that it can be difficult to verify testimonies given most do not mention exact dates. <br><br>Our engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on disability issues aims to build the capacity of the DPRK to promote and protect disability rights and provide small-scale practical support to those with disabilities. There are many human rights issues that we have raised through this and our wider work, although this is not one of them.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 05/01/2015 15:44:47 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

170690

registered interest
date	16/12/2014
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	North Korea
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 the British Embassy in Pyongyang has had with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) officials on reports to the UN Commission of Inquiry of widespread use of sexual violence against women within the Workers' Party of Korea, the government of the DPRK and the Korean People's Army.
tabling member constituency	The Cotswolds
tabling member printed	Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
uin	219046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p>We welcome the spotlight shone by the Commission of Inquiry report on horrific and systemic violations of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), not least with regard to sexual violence against women. We have urged the DPRK authorities, through both our Embassy in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London, to respond in detail to the contents of the report and to address the violations that it documents. The DPRK continues to reject the Commission’s findings and will not engage on the detail of the Commission’s report.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 05/01/2015 15:40:55 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	249 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

170881

registered interest
date	16/12/2014
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	North Korea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea, in particular the recommendation that those responsible should be tried for crimes against humanity.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3828
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/12/2014 answer text <p>Following the publication of the Commission’s report in February 2014, the UK has worked with the EU and like-minded partners to ensure strong resolutions on DPRK human rights at both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, including language condemning the ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in the DPRK, commending the work of the Commission of Inquiry and encouraging the UN Security Council to consider the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the Commission and take appropriate action to ensure accountability. <br><br>We have also worked to ensure formal discussion of DPRK human rights by the UN Security Council. On 5 December the UK, along with nine other members of the Security Council, sent a joint letter to the President of the Security Council, requesting that the situation in the DPRK be placed on the Council’s agenda. A meeting to discuss this new agenda item took place on 22 December. During this first discussion the UK used our intervention to express our concern at the human rights situation in the DPRK and our belief that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, the international community must be ready to do so. We also underlined that the DPRK authorities bear primary responsibility for protecting human rights and expressed our regret that they have withdrawn the offers of engagement made in the run up to the Third Committee vote.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 31/12/2014 11:20:06 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

170884

registered interest
date	16/12/2014
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	North Korea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (214687) on 21 November, how many North Korean citizens were able to access United Kingdom-funded small-scale projects focused on human rights, rather than humanitarian goals, throughout 2013.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/12/2014 answer text <p>Promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law forms a core part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s work. We aim to make a difference to people’s lives by helping to build the capacity of governments and civil society to promote and protect human rights across the globe, including where possible within the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The nature of human rights projects means it is difficult to define them in terms of how many people were able to “access” them. For example, in 2013 one project in support of human rights in the DPRK was the funding of the UN Commission of Inquiry to visit London and hear testimony from refugees. No North Korean citizens participated in this project and very few will have heard of the Commission’s report, but this does not mean the project was not a meaningful contribution to human rights in the DPRK.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 31/12/2014 11:20:26 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

170885

registered interest
date	16/12/2014
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	North Korea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what change will be delivered in North Korea by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Thomson Foundation project "Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the internet world", in respect of the unavailability of the internet in that country and the United Nations Commission of Inquiry’s findings on freedom of expression and freedom of information in that country; and what assessment they have made of concerns that North Korean journalists benefiting from the project are members of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3832
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/12/2014 answer text <p>The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) maintains extremely tight control over media and restricts access to foreign broadcasting. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded project ‘Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the internet world’ is an on-going media project which intends to increase interaction between the DPRK and international media organisations. The objective is to promote a more open culture of news reporting in line with internationally accepted journalistic norms and technical standards, by encouraging greater discussion and dialogue within DPRK broadcasting. Rather than benefitting the Workers’ Party of Korea, the project seeks to encourage greater interaction between the participants and the outside world.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 31/12/2014 11:19:50 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

170259

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	North Korea
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded organisations in North Korea pay their in-country partners in North Korean Won or in foreign currency; and how the British Embassy pays its North Korean staff.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL3755
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/12/2014 answer text <p>Foreign and Commonwealth Office projects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are usually delivered through international partners, such as the British Council, International Committee of the Red Cross or the Royal United Service Institute. Where we or partners make payments in-country for specific goods or services, this is usually done in euros. Our Embassy in Pyongyang does not pay for project costs in North Korean won.</p><p>The local staff who work at our Embassy in Pyongyang are not directly employed by the Embassy, but employed and assigned by the DPRK government. This arrangement is common to all Embassies and international organisations working in the DPRK. Basic salaries are paid to the DPRK’s General Services Bureau, while allowances, overtime and bonuses are paid directly to individuals. All payments are made in euros.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 31/12/2014 11:26:55 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool