Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1216126

registered interest
date	22/06/2020
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	Marine Environment: Treaties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a senior UK Government Minister plans to attend the fourth session of the Inter-Governmental Conference when it is re-scheduled.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	62492
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been closely involved in the negotiation of a new Implementing Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction - the BBNJ Agreement - as an important step forward in addressing the challenges that the ocean faces. The UK is pressing for an ambitious Agreement. It will be a key mechanism in enabling the designation of at least 30 per cent of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas by 2030.</p><p>Unfortunately, due to the impacts of COVID-19, the fourth session of the Inter-Governmental Conference, scheduled for 23 March to 3 April in New York, was postponed. The UK is supportive of re-scheduling the fourth session for the earliest possible opportunity that will enable all delegations to be present for the negotiations in New York. The precise make-up of the UK delegation will need to take into account any social distancing measures that may be in place for the re-scheduled session, but it will be a strong delegation. The UK also strongly supports intersessional work, which is vital to ensure that we maintain momentum towards the successful conclusion of these important negotiations.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge grouped question UIN 62493 question first answered 25/06/2020 13:54:28 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

1205625

registered interest
date	19/06/2020
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	Nigeria: Violence
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 his policies of the report published by the all-party Parliamentary group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief on 15 June 2020 entitled Nigeria: unfolding genocide.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	61797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>We welcome the APPG's report and the detailed analysis it provides on the complex issues of intercommunal violence across multiple states of Nigeria and acts of terrorism committed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa in North East Nigeria. The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of violence in Nigeria. We are considering the report and its recommendations in detail and I will provide a full response in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge grouped question UIN 61799 question first answered 24/06/2020 15:33:40 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1205627

registered interest
date	19/06/2020
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	Nigeria: Violence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide (a) financial, (b) technical and (c) capacity building support to his Nigerian counterpart to implement the recommendations in the report published by the all-party Parliamentary group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief on 15 June 2020 entitled Nigeria: unfolding genocide.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	61799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>We welcome the APPG's report and the detailed analysis it provides on the complex issues of intercommunal violence across multiple states of Nigeria and acts of terrorism committed by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa in North East Nigeria. The UK Government strongly condemns all acts of violence in Nigeria. We are considering the report and its recommendations in detail and I will provide a full response in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge grouped question UIN 61797 question first answered 24/06/2020 15:33:40 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1205630

registered interest
date	19/06/2020
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	Nigeria: Religion
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will introduce mandatory training for staff of his Department in Nigeria on (a) patterns of discrimination and conflict with religious characteristics and (b) how religion and religious actors interact with the societal and conflict context.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	61802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>Our staff are encouraged to develop an understanding of religion and its role within society, including in conflict situations and in countries like Nigeria where religion is important to most people's identity. Specific training on religion is available to all staff through the FCO's Diplomatic Academy. In addition, our Nigerian local staff provide first-hand insight into the role of religion and religious actors within Nigerian society, including conflicts affecting the country. We also use expertise from the FCO's Africa Research Group and conflict-prevention experts.</p><p>We are now working on an enhanced training offer related to religion as part of our commitment to implement the recommendations made in the Bishop of Truro's independent review. This work is being led by the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Rehman Chishti MP.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 25/06/2020 08:37:41 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge previous answer version 31773 answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1205635

registered interest
date	19/06/2020
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	Yu Wensheng
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 is making to the Chinese government about the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng following a secret trial.
tabling member constituency	Aberavon
tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
uin	61718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned by reports of lawyer Yu Wensheng's sentencing to four years in prison. Yu's detention, secret trial, and lack of access to a lawyer of his choosing, raise serious concerns over the rule of law, due process, and judicial transparency in China. We have raised Yu's case directly with Chinese officials, and issued multiple statements of concern about his sentence. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on both 9 March and 8 June.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 25/06/2020 07:56:02 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams previous answer version 31742 answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1205101

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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	Sri Lanka: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State, what steps the Government plans to take with international partners at the Human Rights Council to deliver international accountability in relation to alleged war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan civil war, with reference to the Sri Lankan Government’s recent repudiation of its commitments under Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 and the termination of that process in March 2021.
tabling member constituency	Aberavon
tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
uin	61517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government regularly engages with international partners on the importance of truth, accountability and justice for all victims of the civil war in Sri Lanka. At the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, the UK works closely with the Core Group on Sri Lanka, and made clear our continued support for justice for victims of conflict in a joint statement delivered at the UNHRC in February. While in Geneva in February, the Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to underline this message, and the Foreign Secretary raised the importance of accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka during a call with Foreign Minister Gunawardena in May. On 20 May, in a call with the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, Lord Ahmad, who is also the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, welcomed her recent engagement on Sri Lanka.</p><p>The British High Commission in Colombo continues to engage with international partners on this important issue. The UK has long supported Sri Lanka's accountability commitments made to the UNHRC through resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 as the best way to establish truth regarding alleged crimes committed by all sides during the Sri Lankan civil war, as well as to achieve accountability and reconciliation.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 23/06/2020 16:11:10 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1205102

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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	Sri Lanka: 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 discussions the Prime Minister, as Chair in Office of the Commonwealth, has had with the Commonwealth Secretariat on the need for a Commonwealth good offices initiative to Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Aberavon
tabling member printed	Stephen Kinnock
uin	61518
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The Prime Minister, as Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, has not held discussions with the Commonwealth Secretariat on a Commonwealth good offices initiative to Sri Lanka, but we are monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka closely. Respect for human rights, democracy and good governance are fundamental tenets of the Commonwealth Charter, and we encourage all member states to uphold those shared commitments.</p><p>The UK is also a member of the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and has long supported Sri Lanka's commitments under UNHRC resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1 on accountability, justice and reconciliation following the Sri Lankan civil war.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 23/06/2020 16:13:23 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4359 label Biography information for Stephen Kinnock

1205103

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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, Commonwealth and Development Office: Development Aid
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 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's spending will adhere to the OECD Development Assistance Committee's internationally agreed standards for aid spending; and whether that Office will retain the legal safeguards and scrutiny mechanisms provided by the (i) International Development Committee, (ii) Independent Commission for Aid Impact and t(iii) International Development Acts.
tabling member constituency	Milton Keynes North
tabling member printed	Ben Everitt
uin	61629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>There are no plans to repeal or replace any of the Acts. Spending 0.7 percent of our national income on aid is enshrined in law. We will continue to be guided by our responsibilities under the International Development Act, including a commitment to poverty reduction. The Government will undertake the necessary parliamentary process to transfer responsibilities under the International Development Act to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.</p><p>The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to parliament for how it spends UK aid. The form this takes is a matter for parliament.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 23/06/2020 16:04:29 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4836 label Biography information for Ben Everitt

1205109

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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: Reorganisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister on 16 June 2020, Official Report, column 678, what discussions he had with the Prime Minister on the Prime Minister’s consultation with (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts prior to the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
tabling member constituency	City of Durham
tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
uin	61595
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government continues to engage with UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations on all relevant issues. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.</p><p>By aligning our efforts, merging the departments will allow us to bring together our international effort and maximise our influence around the world. This will ensure that all of our national efforts, including our aid budget and expertise, are used to make the UK a force for good in the world. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly grouped question UIN 61596 61597 question first answered 23/06/2020 15:51:48 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy

1205110

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
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: Reorganisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 16 June 2020, Official Report, column 678, what assessment he made of the potential merits of the outcomes of the Prime Minister's consultation with (a) international aid organisations and (b) humanitarian and development experts on the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
tabling member constituency	City of Durham
tabling member printed	Mary Kelly Foy
uin	61596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government continues to engage with UK and international Non-Governmental Organisations on all relevant issues. The Prime Minister has concluded that in the next decade, international issues will be even more important to the lives of our citizens and our own national interest; that the world will become even more complex and competitive, with growing, interconnected challenges and opportunities for the UK; and that therefore we need a new all-of-government approach if we are to secure our values and interests in a changing world.</p><p>By aligning our efforts, merging the departments will allow us to bring together our international effort and maximise our influence around the world. This will ensure that all of our national efforts, including our aid budget and expertise, are used to make the UK a force for good in the world. This will strengthen our ability to lead the world's efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and allow us to seize the opportunities ahead, as we prepare to take on the G7 presidency and host COP26 next year.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly grouped question UIN 61595 61597 question first answered 23/06/2020 15:51:48 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4753 label Biography information for Mary Kelly Foy