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583131

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Yemen: Military Intervention
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 estimate his Department has made of the number of Yemeni civilians that have been (a) killed, (b) injured and (c) displaced as a result of military action by Saudi Arabia in 2016.
tabling member constituency	South Down
tabling member printed	Ms Margaret Ritchie
uin	46496
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2016 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not record reported number of civilian casualties, injured or displaced.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) monitors incidents of alleged international humanitarian law (IHL) violations by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen using available information. This is used to form an overall view on the approach and attitude of Saudi Arabia to IHL. It is important to make clear that neither the MOD nor the FCO reaches a conclusion as to whether or not an IHL violation has taken place in relation to each and every incident of potential concern that comes to its attention. This would simply not be possible in conflicts to which the UK is not a party, as is the case in Yemen.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 10/10/2016 14:22:20 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

583132

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Syria: Humanitarian Aid
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 Government has had with other members of the International Syria Support Group on reports by the UN that forces loyal to President Assad have blocked aid convoys from entering East Aleppo.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	46491
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2016 answer text <p>​The UK has consistently called within the ISSG, UN and other international fora for unimpeded humanitarian access to all of Syria. It is abhorrent and illegal to use starvation as a weapon of war, yet the Asad regime continues to block humanitarian access as part of his &quot;starve or surrender&quot; tactics. Almost 600,000 people are living under siege in Aleppo and elsewhere in the country. A further 4.6 million are living in areas where humanitarian access is extremely restricted.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/10/2016 13:40:03 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

583133

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade
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 whether British arms exports are being used for political repression against Shia dissidents within Saudi Arabia.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	46492
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2016 answer text <p>Each licence application for Saudi Arabia is carefully scrutinised against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria to ensure the exports are compatible with our national and international obligations. Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment against the Consolidated Criteria. We have robust procedures in place and we do not export equipment where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used for internal repression. This system of export licensing promotes the UK's prosperity by supporting responsible exports that meet the legitimate defence and security needs of other states, whilst refusing licenses of exports where to do so would be in breach of our legal obligations.</p><p>We will not pursue trade to the exclusion of human rights. They can and should be complementary.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/10/2016 13:46:27 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

583136

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Syria: 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, which UK officials were present at discussions on the peace process in Syria between the US and Russia.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	46339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2016 answer text <p>​Discussions to re-establish a nationwide Cessation of Hostilities have been led bilaterally between the US and Russia as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). The UK participates in full meetings of the ISSG as well as through our Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/10/2016 13:32:23 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

583137

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Ukraine: 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 discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the peace process in Ukraine.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	46340
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2016 answer text <p>The Foreign Secretary has discussed the Minsk Peace Process to resolve the on-going conflict in eastern Ukraine with a range of European partners and counterparts, including bilaterally with Foreign Ministers from France and Poland as well as multilaterally at recent EU and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe summits. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed the conflict with President Poroshenko and Foreign Minister Klimkin of Ukraine during a recent visit to Kyiv, and stressed the need for progress on Minsk implementation during a phone call last month with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 14/10/2016 13:13:59 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

583138

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Syria: 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 discussions he has had with his US counterpart on recent discussions on the peace process in Syria between Russia and the US.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	46341
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2016 answer text <p>​The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), discusses Syria regularly with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Both the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State Kerry attended International Syria Support Group meetings on 20 and 23 September in New York. The Foreign Secretary and Secretary Kerry met again, along with their French, German, Italian and EEAS counterparts, to discuss Syria in Boston on 24 September. The conflict in Syria was discussed at the UN Security Council on 17, 21 and 25 September.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/10/2016 13:35:55 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

583139

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	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 country specialists for (a) Russia, (b) China, (c) North Korea, (d) the US, (e) Syria and (f) India are employed by his Department.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	46472
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2016 answer text <p>It is not possible to identify the exact number of country specialists working on these countries within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Career Diplomats develop longer-term expertise on countries, linked to their language skills and pattern of relevant work in London or in post. We also have expertise within our local staff colleagues across the network. In London, we have at any one time approximately 10 specialist Research Analysts focussed on these countries and additional Research Analysts working on relevant regional issues and countries.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 12/10/2016 16:25:40 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

583140

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Gibraltar: Territorial Waters
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to article 3 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea's classification for the breadth of the territorial seas not exceeding 12 nautical miles, for what reason Gibraltar has a three nautical mile limit on its territorial waters.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	46430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/10/2016 answer text <p>​The 1987 Territorial Sea Act extended UK waters up to the 12 nautical miles maximum permitted by Article 3 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, the provisions of this Act were not extended to the British Overseas Territories, so the United Kingdom’s claim to territorial waters remains up to 3 nautical miles from Gibraltar. Where the extent of territorial waters is less than 3 nautical miles, this is due to the proximity of the Spanish coastline and a determined median line. We retain the option to extend the reach of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters to the maximum extent of 12 nautical miles permitted under UNCLOS and keep this option under review. The United Kingdom is the only State entitled to a territorial claim over the 3-12 nautical mile zone in respect of Gibraltar.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 13/10/2016 16:09:08 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

583142

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Yemen: 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, whether the UK will support an independent, international investigation into alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen at the Human Rights Council.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	46418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2016 answer text <p>We are pleased that we could reach a strong consensus Yemen resolution at the Human Rights Council. It is vital that the international community continues to be active in supporting efforts to improve the human rights situation in Yemen.</p><p>The Government is not opposing calls for an international independent investigation, but, first and foremost, we want to see the Saudis investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) which are attributed to them; and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that any lessons learned will be acted upon.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 10/10/2016 14:12:57 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

583143

registered interest
date	14/09/2016
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	Diego Garcia: Military Bases
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the outcome has been of recent discussions with the US administration on renewal of the military base in the British Indian Ocean Territory; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	46439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2016 answer text <p>​The Government welcomes the US presence on Diego Garcia and as such, we continue to discuss with the US Government their continued use of Diego Garcia. US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out that the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until end December 2036. An announcement on the outcome of discussions will be made to Parliament and the public in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 12/10/2016 16:21:53 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith