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660124

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Zimbabwe: Bank Notes
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 implications for economic stability in Zimbabwe of the government in that country issuing bank notes in its own currency equivalent to the US dollar.
tabling member constituency	Rochford and Southend East
tabling member printed	James Duddridge
uin	58021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>Zimbabwe faces a serious economic crisis. Bond notes have provided some short term liquidity, but they are not a sustainable solution to Zimbabwe’s economic challenges. Without fundamental reform, taking into account the advice of the International Financial Institutions, an economic collapse is a real prospect. The British Embassy in Harare continues to monitor the situation and we are keeping our travel advice under review.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:30:05 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge

660125

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Ghana: Customs
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 efficiency of the customs service in Ghana.
tabling member constituency	Rochford and Southend East
tabling member printed	James Duddridge
uin	58023
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>Ghana's customs service falls under the responsibility of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) with whom we share a good relationship.</p><p>We support the World Bank's respected and influential annual Doing Business Survey, which reports on many of the key issues that businesses face in countries across the world. One important indicator that the report examines relates to trading across borders. The effectiveness of a country's customs procedures are highly relevant to this indicator. For Ghana, the 2016 survey indicated a small improvement in the country's relative ranking for trading across borders. However, burdensome procedures and corruption at borders are among the most problematic factors for trade in Ghana. Customs procedures lack efficiency and exporting and importing require time-consuming paperwork to clear goods at the border. Corruption and bribery in these processes are widespread. A recent report by US based GAN Integrity found that whilst Ghana performs best in the West African region for road governance in relation to customs services, controls and demands for bribes are increasing at the Tema port exit.</p><p>We continue to follow these matters closely and regularly raise concerns about the ease of doing business including corruption with the Government of Ghana.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:26:00 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge

660126

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
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 help ensure evacuation routes remain available for civilian use in Aleppo.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	58040
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>The UK Government is following closely developments as eastern Aleppo is evacuated. We supported UN Security Council Resolution 2328, adopted on 19 December, which asks the UN to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo. We will maintain pressure for this resolution to be implemented and for the evacuation of all those who wish to leave to continue.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:32:04 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

660127

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
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 on the number of civilians remaining in Aleppo.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	58046
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>​Last week the UN estimated that there were 40,000 civilians remaining in eastern Aleppo. Since then thousands have been evacuated, but there are still many civilians awaiting evacuation. The situation remains fluid and numbers of those remaining and being evacuated are changing each day. The UK has called for the safe evacuation of all those civilians who wish to leave. On 19 December with partners, we successfully secured the adoption of a UN Security Council Resolution which demands full access for the UN across Syria and in particular requests the UN to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo. All parties must now comply fully with this Resolution. It is crucial that the UN oversees these evacuations to ensure civilian protection.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:34:32 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

660128

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
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 on evacuation corridors in Aleppo being blocked.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	58047
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>The UK is following closely developments as eastern Aleppo is evacuated. There have been many obstacles to the evacuation process and pauses once the process started. People are now being evacuated and the UK will continue to press for this process to continue safely and under the coordination of the UN.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:36:18 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

660129

registered interest
date	16/12/2016
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
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 availability of evacuation routes for civilians leaving eastern Aleppo.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	58048
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>The regime has only opened one evacuation route through the Ramouseh corridor in regime controlled south west Aleppo and has restricted the involvement of impartial humanitarian actors in the process. We are extremely concerned at the way the regime and its backers have been conducting themselves in the areas where it has retaken control. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported the summary execution of 82 people, including women and children; there have also been reports of people disappearing as they reach regime held areas; and of young men being forced to join the Syrian army. That is why we supported UN Security Council Resolution 2328 which was passed on 19 December. It demands full access for the UN across Syria and in particular requests the UN to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo. We will maintain pressure for this resolution to be implemented and for UN monitors to have completely unfettered access.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:38:50 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

659534

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
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	LGBT People: Oppression
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries he has identified as actively persecuting LGBT citizens; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in those countries relating to such persecution.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	57918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2016 answer text <p>Defending the rights of LGB&amp;T people is an important part of the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office's human rights work. There are many countries in which LGB&amp;T people are discriminated against, including by the state. For example, there are 73 countries that criminalise private, consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex. All UK Embassies and High Commissions monitor and raise human rights issues in their host countries. We will continue to encourage all governments to respect the rights of LGB&amp;T people, especially those that criminalise homosexuality and those that fail to defend the rights of LGB&amp;T people against social prejudice and violence.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 21/12/2016 16:08:58 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

659535

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
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	Pakistan: Ahmadiyya
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 the UK Government has made to the government of Pakistan on (a) the treatment of Ahmadiyya Muslims in that country and (b) the reported raid on the offices of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah on 5 December 2016 by that country's Counter Terrorism Department.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	57938
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2016 answer text <p>I am aware of the raid on the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah on 5 December. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.</p><p>The Government regularly raises our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. During his visit to Pakistan in November, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. The Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of law.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 20/12/2016 13:50:12 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

659536

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
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	Mudawi Ibrahim Adam
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 government of Sudan on the arrest of the human rights defender Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam and his driver Adam El-Sheikh Mukhtar on 7 December 2016.
tabling member constituency	Foyle
tabling member printed	Mark Durkan
uin	57974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2016 answer text <p>Whilst we have not yet raised this case specifically with the government of Sudan, we have expressed our support for the African Commission on Human and People's Rights' call for the release of Dr Mudawi made on 17 December.</p><p>We regularly make representations to the government of Sudan on arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders. Most recently, together with our Troika (US and Norway), EU and other international partners we released a statement on 7 December condemning the increase in political detentions and newspapers' censorship.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 21/12/2016 11:33:15 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1594 label Biography information for Mark Durkan

659537

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
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 ensure the safety of the residents of Aleppo who were evacuated from that city on 15 December 2016.
tabling member constituency	Gordon
tabling member printed	Alex Salmond
uin	57916
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2016 answer text <p>The UK was active in the UN Security Council in the adoption of a Resolution on 19 December on humanitarian protection. Our top priority in Syria is the protection of civilians, especially in Aleppo, given the relentless siege there. On 15 December the Foreign Secretary summoned the Russian and Iranian ambassadors to make clear our profound concern about events in Aleppo and to urge them to allow full UN access to ensure civilian protection.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/12/2016 11:22:56 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	577 label Biography information for Alex Salmond