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521029

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	UN Mission in South Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the demolition of Palestinian houses in al-Sowana neighbourhood and Shu'fat village.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL278
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>Whilst we have not raised these specific demolitions, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv has raised our concerns on demolitions with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May, and urged them to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/06/2016 11:46:07 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

521030

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Uganda: Refugees
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the arrest of 13 Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints in the West Bank between 12 and 18 May.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL279
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>We have no plans to raise these arrests with the Israeli authorities.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/06/2016 11:46:18 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

521031

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Nepal: Earthquakes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to protect the Golan Heights from further Israeli settlement expansion, discriminatory policies against the native Syrian population, and the extraction of natural resources from the area.
tabling member printed	Baroness Tonge
uin	HL280
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government regards the Golan Heights – along with East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza – as Occupied Territory. We continue to call on Israel, as the Occupying Power, to uphold its obligations under international law in the Occupied Territories, including abiding by UN Security Council Resolution 497 (1981). We have been clear that Israel must comply with its obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/06/2016 11:46:52 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	200 label Biography information for Baroness Tonge

521046

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Arms Trade: Treaties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he made his most recent assessment of UK compliance with (a) the Cluster Munitions Convention, (b) the Arms Trade Treaty and (c) the EU Consolidated Arms Export Criteria.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	38234
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>a) The UK provides an annual report to the Secretary-General of the UN on its compliance with the CCM. The UK submitted its last report on 29 April 2016. It completed destruction of its stockpile of cluster munitions in December 2013, more than 5 years ahead of the schedule set by the Convention.</p><p>b) The UK has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and is applying its standards through implementation of robust and transparent national export controls of all conventional arms and ammunition. As part of its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, the UK recently submitted its first annual report (covering 2015) to the Treaty Secretariat ahead of the 31 May 2016 deadline.</p><p>c) Each year the Government submits a report to Parliament on the UK’s Strategic Arms Export Controls. The most recent report, covering 2014, was published on 23 July 2015. The Government considers that it complies fully with the Consolidated Criteria.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 06/06/2016 13:31:58 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

521145

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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: Bomb Disposal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will produce resources, equipment, personnel and training to Yemeni organisations to assist in the de-mining of areas affected by the use of cluster munitions.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	38339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK is supporting UNDP led efforts to urgently re-build the capacity of Yemen's national demining institutions and support mapping and clearance operations to reduce the physical and social-economic impact of mines and explosive remnants of war on people and communities. The UK is contributing £1.05 million for this work in 2016 through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund. This is part of the UK’s wider efforts to help address Yemen's urgent humanitarian needs and contribute to effective stabilisation.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 02/06/2016 12:47:46 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

521187

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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: Pay
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 average hourly earnings were of his Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
uin	38221
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2016 answer text <p>The table below shows the average hourly salary rates for all employees (Senior Civil Service and below) within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. However, I would note to the Hon. Member that such simple overall averages do not paint an accurate figure of our workforce and recruitment practices. The table therefore also includes a breakdown for each Foreign and Commonwealth Office grade.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2015</p></td><td colspan="3"><p>2016</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Grade</p></td><td><p>BME</p></td><td><p>Non-BME</p></td><td><p>Unknown</p></td><td><p>BME</p></td><td><p>Non-BME</p></td><td><p>Unknown</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>A1</p></td><td><p>9.76</p></td><td><p>9.95</p></td><td><p>9.55</p></td><td><p>9.59</p></td><td><p>9.71</p></td><td><p>9.59</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>A2</p></td><td><p>11.14</p></td><td><p>11.07</p></td><td><p>11.09</p></td><td><p>11.18</p></td><td><p>11.09</p></td><td><p>11.07</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>B3</p></td><td><p>13.01</p></td><td><p>13.11</p></td><td><p>13.06</p></td><td><p>13.04</p></td><td><p>13.16</p></td><td><p>13.08</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>C4</p></td><td><p>15.06</p></td><td><p>15.15</p></td><td><p>15.36</p></td><td><p>15.39</p></td><td><p>15.64</p></td><td><p>15.64</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>C5</p></td><td><p>18.28</p></td><td><p>18.97</p></td><td><p>18.93</p></td><td><p>18.66</p></td><td><p>19.01</p></td><td><p>19.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>D6</p></td><td><p>25.75</p></td><td><p>24.91</p></td><td><p>25.30</p></td><td><p>26.49</p></td><td><p>25.86</p></td><td><p>26.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>D7</p></td><td><p>30.05</p></td><td><p>30.75</p></td><td><p>31.21</p></td><td><p>30.60</p></td><td><p>31.09</p></td><td><p>30.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SMS1</p></td><td><p>36.48</p></td><td><p>36.48</p></td><td><p>37.61</p></td><td><p>36.45</p></td><td><p>36.63</p></td><td><p>36.20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SMS2</p></td><td><p>46.37</p></td><td><p>46.80</p></td><td><p>49.78</p></td><td><p>46.78</p></td><td><p>47.39</p></td><td><p>48.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SMS3</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>64.79</p></td><td><p>70.00</p></td><td><p>60.94</p></td><td><p>66.32</p></td><td><p>66.45</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SMS4</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>92.52</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>96.16</p></td><td><p>89.66</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Overall</p></td><td><p>15.81</p></td><td><p>20.82</p></td><td><p>20.64</p></td><td><p>16.15</p></td><td><p>21.58</p></td><td><p>19.81</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Civil Service is changing, and our recruitment seeks to reflect the make-up and composition of our nation as a whole. Historically, BME staff were under-represented, both in terms of previous recruitment patterns and the number and proportion in higher grades. These factors have contributed to the differences in overall average salaries.</p><p>We are making progress - the proportion of BME staff in the Civil Service has risen from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2015 - but we recognise that there is still more to do.</p><p>In March, the Government published its 2016 Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service. It provides a progress update on initiatives to increase diversity in the Civil Service, including cross-Government talent programmes aimed at under-represented groups.</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success</a></p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 08/06/2016 14:19:33 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

521188

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Iran: 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 recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
tabling member printed	Charlotte Leslie
uin	38148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2016 answer text <p>The human rights situation in Iran continues to cause great concern, in particular its use of the death penalty and the restrictions on freedom of expression and belief. Although President Rouhani pledged to improve the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Iran when he was elected, we are yet to see concrete improvements.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 02/06/2016 12:41:06 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3933 label Biography information for Charlotte Leslie

521189

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Colombia: Paramilitary Forces
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 make representations to his Colombian counterpart on (a) the incidence of killings by paramilitaries, (b) the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado in April 2016 and (c) steps by the Colombian government to tackle the existence and operations of paramilitaries in that country.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	38122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>The increased violence which has been perpetrated over the last few months by organised groups in Colombia has indeed been worrying. I am concerned about the security situation and raised this in my meeting with President Santos on 12 May. The investigation into the shooting of Alcides de Jesús Cotes Jurado is ongoing and our embassy is following it closely. Embassy officials regularly discuss the challenges posed by armed criminal groups in their meetings with the Colombian government. Following an escalation of the security situation in recent months, the Defence Minister announced a new approach to tackling the prevalence of organised armed groups in Colombia. The UK supports a peaceful Colombia, where authorities effectively tackle organised crime and promote democratic practices nationwide, to benefit all Colombians.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 06/06/2016 15:44:17 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

521190

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Iran: Baha'i Faith
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 make representations to the government of Iran on the imprisonment in 2008 of seven Bahá' í leaders in that country.
tabling member constituency	Knowsley
tabling member printed	Mr George Howarth
uin	38149
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK regularly raises our concerns at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. We call on the Iranian Government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 02/06/2016 13:45:32 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	481 label Biography information for Sir George Howarth

521191

registered interest
date	24/05/2016
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	Kashmir: 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 recent assessment he has made of the (a) security situation and (b) incidence of terrorism in Kashmir.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	38185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2016 answer text <p>We assess that there is a high threat of terrorism throughout India and Pakistan.</p><p>Officials in our High Commissions in Delhi and Islamabad continuously monitor the security situation in Kashmir. I discussed this issue with the Indian Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Foreign Minister in Delhi on 30.05.16. Our Deputy High Commissioner to India visited Indian administered Kashmir from 23 to 29 May.</p><p>We advise against all travel to Indian administered Kashmir with the exception of (i) travel within the cities of Jammu and Srinagar (ii) travel by air to the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, (iii) travel between these two cities on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, and (iv) travel within the region of Ladakh.</p><p>We advise against travel on the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan administered Kashmir as far as Gilgit.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 06/06/2016 15:45:18 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello