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1142053

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Sudan: 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 progress has been made in negotiations to find a peaceful outcome to the situation in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
uin	282180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The UK welcomes the Constitutional Declaration agreed by the Transitional Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change in Sudan, which sets out the plan for transition to civilian-led government. We congratulate Dr. Abdalla Hamdok on his appointment as Prime Minister of Sudan and commend his commitment to freedom, peace and justice. The UK also commends the role of the African Union and Ethiopia in their efforts to support the mediation that has helped to deliver this agreement. We will support the newly-appointed civilian-led government and will continue to engage all sides and international partners to help deliver a coordinated international response and package of practical support that maintains pressure on delivering the transition agreement as well as long-term political and economic reform.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 03/09/2019 12:44:53 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1142124

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Venezuela: 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 plans he has to meet representatives of the Lima Group to discuss the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
tabling member printed	Graham P Jones
uin	282300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>On 4 February the former Minister for Europe and the Americas attended a Lima Group meeting in Ottawa at the invitation of the Canadian Foreign Minister. He addressed the meeting and spoke with several Lima Group colleagues including the Colombian, Brazilian and Chilean Foreign Ministers and the Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister. On 18 June, the former Foreign Secretary and the former Minister for Europe and the Americas met President Duque and Foreign Minister Holmes of Colombia, and discussed the situation in Venezuela and the impact on Colombia, the most impacted country in the region. On 5 August I spoke the Peruvian Foreign Minister, where they discussed the situation in Venezuela and its impact on the region. We continue to work closely with the Lima Group, the Organisation of American States, the United States and like-minded European and international partners to find a peaceful solution to the Venezuela crisis.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 03/09/2019 11:58:01 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

1142133

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Sino-British Joint Declaration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his Department's policy to fulfil the UK's obligations under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	282464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>​The British Government takes extremely seriously our longstanding duty to uphold the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN, and remains in force until 2047. We will continue to monitor closely events in Hong Kong, speaking publicly on issues of concern. We regularly raise our concerns directly with the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Governments. The Foreign Secretary raised Hong Kong, and the importance of the Joint Declaration, with Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi on 31 July. He also spoke to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on 9 August, and reiterated our support for Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, and our commitment to 'One Country, Two Systems'.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 09/09/2019 15:02:43 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1142181

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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: Foreign Relations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to (a) meet and (b) have discussions with representatives of the Iranian Government within the next week.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	282485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>​The UK remains in close contact with Iran, including at Ministerial level. The former Foreign Secretary spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and agreed the importance of finding diplomatic solutions to de-escalating the current situation, while noting the importance of Gibraltar enforcing EU sanctions against Syria through its legal processes. I met with our senior Iranian Government representatives in Tehran in June.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 03/09/2019 10:49:35 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1142209

registered interest
date	25/07/2019
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	Burma: Rohingya
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 (a) Myanmar and (b) Bangladeshi counterpart on the safe repatriation of the Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
uin	282246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>We are clear that any repatriation of refugees must be safe, voluntary, dignified and meet international humanitarian principles and standards. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the conditions for such repatriation do not yet exist in Rakhine.</p><p>Following recent reports of potential repatriations, we worked closely with the UNHCR, and engaged with the Governments in Bangladesh and Myanmar to underline that returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified. We welcome Bangladesh's continued commitment to the principle of voluntariness and note Myanmar's acknowledgement that some Rohingya have a right to return. We will continue to make representations to the Governments of both Bangladesh and Myanmar.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 09/09/2019 15:06:24 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

1141631

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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	Organs
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 international counterparts on tackling the illegal trade in human organs; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Gedling
tabling member printed	Vernon Coaker
uin	281598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>I have not had recent discussions with the Chinese Government on allegations of forced organ harvesting. However, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, set out the Government's position in Parliament on 25 July. Lord Ahmad said,</p><p>&quot;I note the time and energy that the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China has dedicated to this issue. Officials have reviewed the evidence thoroughly. While the evidence is not incontrovertible, we take these allegations seriously and have consulted the World Health Organization and international partners. The evidence provided disturbing details about the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, and raised worrying questions about China's transplant system. We continue to monitor all available evidence.&quot;</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 03/09/2019 16:07:59 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	360 label Biography information for Lord Coaker

1141762

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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 and Pakistan: Christianity
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 help tackle the persecution of Christians in (a) Pakistan and (b) Nigeria.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	281597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, as we are about those of other faiths or beliefs, in many parts of the world. The former Foreign Secretary commissioned an Independent Review into the subject, led by the Bishop of Truro, and the Government has accepted all of its recommendations.</p><p>Officials and Ministers regularly raise the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government. The former Foreign Secretary discussed the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during his visit to the UK in June 2019. Minister of State, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised our concerns with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 February. We have also supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom and, in November 2018, announced a new £12m fund to bolster the work of civil society and NGOs to promote respect, and the value of religious diversity and tolerance.</p><p>The UK is committed to supporting Nigeria in upholding the right to freedom of religion or belief, as protected by its constitution. The recent escalation in intercommunal violence has affected multiple states of Nigeria and communities of all religions. We regularly engage faith-based organisations and raise our concerns with the Nigerian government. In northeast Nigeria, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa seek to undermine the right to freedom of religion by attacking both Muslims and Christians who do not subscribe to their extremist views. The UK remains committed to supporting Nigeria in tackling the insurgency through a substantial and increasing package of security, humanitarian and development support.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 05/09/2019 14:15:03 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1141888

registered interest
date	24/07/2019
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: Newspaper Press
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on purchasing (a) national newspapers and (b) newspaper online subscriptions since 2016; and how many copies of each national newspaper were purchased in that time period.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	281677
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent a total of £725,286 on newspapers supplied centrally in financial years 2016-17 to 2018-2019 for FCO staff in the United Kingdom and its diplomatic missions overseas. £617,911 of this was spent on online/electronic newspaper subscriptions which are made available digitally to all staff and £29,658 on print copies for use by its departments in London. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office purchases these through pan-government frameworks and contracts and encourages staff to use newspapers digitally wherever possible in order to ensure efficiency savings. The remaining amount of £77,717 was spent locally by overseas diplomatic missions over the three financial years.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>FY 16-17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 17-18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 18-19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total FCO spend on newspapers </strong></p></td><td><p>£270,820</p></td><td><p>£312,394</p></td><td><p>£142,072*</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>FY 16-17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 17-18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 18-19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Spend on online/electronic newspaper subscriptions provided centrally for access by all FCO staff</strong></p></td><td><p>£232,527</p></td><td><p>£285,118</p></td><td><p>£100,266*</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Spend locally by overseas diplomatic missions</strong></p></td><td><p>£29,813</p></td><td><p>£17,213</p></td><td><p>£30,693</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>* In this financial year the FCO made adjustments to record spending on annual subscriptions according to the proportion actually spent within the same financial year. In many cases that total spend is now spread over more than one financial year.</p><p> </p><p>Titles and number of daily copies of print national newspapers delivered under contract to FCO London</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Newspaper title**</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 16-17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 17-18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>FY 18-19</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Express</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>1 copy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Express Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>1 copy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Mail</p></td><td><p>4 copies</p></td><td><p>5 copies</p></td><td><p>8 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Mail Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>1 copy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Mirror</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Mirror Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Telegraph</p></td><td><p>9 copies</p></td><td><p>12 copies</p></td><td><p>10 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Daily Telegraph Sat</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Financial Times</p></td><td><p>4 copies</p></td><td><p>5 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Financial Times Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Guardian</p></td><td><p>7 copies</p></td><td><p>6 copies</p></td><td><p>10 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Guardian Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>i-Newspaper</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mail on Sunday</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>1 copy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Observer</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sun</p></td><td><p>6 copies</p></td><td><p>5 copies</p></td><td><p>6 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sun Sat</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunday Express</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunday Mirror</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunday People</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunday Telegraph</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sunday Times</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>5 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sun on Sunday</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>2 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Times</p></td><td><p>13 copies</p></td><td><p>16 copies</p></td><td><p>24 copies</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Times Sat</p></td><td><p>3 copies</p></td><td><p>5 copies</p></td><td><p>4 copies</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>**Non-UK national newspaper titles to the value of £28 over the three financial years above have been omitted</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 09/09/2019 08:53:02 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1141247

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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	Armenia: Genocide
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 Government plans to recognise the Ottoman Empire's killing of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1917 as genocide.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
uin	280960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>​It is the policy of the British Government that recognition of genocide is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. While the terrible suffering cannot be forgotten and we must remember and honour the victims of the past, we continue to believe the United Kingdom's priority today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples and Governments of Turkey and Armenia and to find a way for these two countries to face their joint history together.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 03/09/2019 11:56:05 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1141321

registered interest
date	23/07/2019
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: Foreign Relations
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 he is taking to de-escalate tensions with Iran.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	280904
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2019 answer text <p>The UK remains in close contact with Iran and other international partners, including at Ministerial level, to find diplomatic solutions and to avoid provocative actions. The UK encourages positive engagement from all sides and will continue to work closely to de-escalate tensions.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 03/09/2019 15:47:03 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham