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1197607

registered interest
date	20/05/2020
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	Mubarak Bala
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Nigerian counterpart on the arrest of the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Mubarak Bala.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	49700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government, along with international partners, is monitoring the arrest of Mubarak Bala closely. The Nigerian authorities are yet to confirm the charges against Mr Bala. I raised Mr Bala's case with the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs during our call on 21 May. Our High Commission in Abuja is discussing the case with the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Police.</p><p>The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Rehman Chishti MP, is also personally looking into Mr Bala's case on an urgent basis, and has raised this matter with international counterparts. On 6 May, Mr Chishti spoke with the Chief Executive of Humanists UK and stressed the UK's engagement on this case. The Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, also discussed Mr Bala's case with the Chief Executive on 20 May.</p><p>We will continue to stress the importance of a transparent investigation that respects Mr Bala's human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief. Defending freedom of religion or belief for all remains a UK policy priority and we will continue to use our voice internationally to protect this human right, championed by Mr Chishti.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 02/06/2020 15:05:43 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1197740

registered interest
date	20/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Myanmar
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the business activities are of (a) Shan Orchard, (b) Frontiir Co. Ltd, (c) Solar Home Pte Ltd, (d) MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, (e) Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, (f) Advans Myanmar and (g) Irrawaddy Green Tower Project as invested in by CDC Group; and whether (i) the Government of Myanmar and (ii) local state authorities have shareholdings in each business.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	49886
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The business activities of these investments are:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Business name</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Business activities</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Shan Orchard</p></td><td><p>An agri-business focussed on the production of avocados</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Frontiir Co. Ltd</p></td><td><p>An internet service provider</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Solar Home Pte Ltd</p></td><td><p>A provider of pay-as-you-go solar home systems.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd</p></td><td><p>A microfinance institution</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd</p></td><td><p>A microfinance institution</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Advans Myanmar</p></td><td><p>A microfinance institution</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Irrawaddy Green Tower</p></td><td><p>An infrastructure provider of telecommunications towers</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Neither the Government of Myanmar or local state authorities are on the shareholder lists of any of the above businesses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 02/06/2020 16:21:07 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1197179

registered interest
date	19/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Myanmar
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total invested by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in (a) Shan Orchard, (b) Frontiir Co. Ltd, (c) Solar Home Pte Ltd, (d) MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, (e) Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, (f) Advans Myanmar and (g) Irrawaddy Green Tower Project in Myanmar was in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	49008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>As stated in Written Question 46671, CDC has invested a total of $78,795,576 into the above companies over the last five years (2015-19). A $50,000,000 direct debt investment was made in Irrawaddy Green Tower Project in 2016. A $20,000,000 direct equity investment was made in Frontiir Co. Ltd in 2019. The remainder has been invested through 4 investment funds. These are Anthem Asia Myanmar SME Venture Fund, Insitor Impact Asia Fund Private Ltd, Myanmar Opportunities Fund II and Advans S.A. These funds have made six investments over the last five years in Shan Orchard, Solar Home Pte Ltd, MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, Advans Myanmar and Frontiir Co Ltd.</p><p>CDC discloses on its website the amount it invests into companies, projects and investment funds. The amount invested by those funds into underlying investments is not disclosed as this information is commercially sensitive</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 02/06/2020 16:18:24 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1197180

registered interest
date	19/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	CDC: Myanmar
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the (a) Environmental and Social Due Diligence and (b) assessment against the Commonwealth Development Corporation Code of Responsible Investing for the investments in companies (a) Shan Orchard, (b) Frontiir Co. Ltd, (c) Solar Home Pte Ltd, (d) MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, (e) Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, (f) Advans Myanmar and (g) Irrawaddy Green Tower Project in Myanmar.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	49009
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>CDC’s rigorous due diligence process involves assessing a wide range of Environmental and Social, as well as Business Integrity risks and involves the production of multiple separate documents and reports. Ordinarily, CDC does not publish the suite of documents related to the due diligence it undertakes in the course of making investments because these documents contain commercially confidential or sensitive information about the business being reviewed.</p><p>On that basis, DFID does not intend to publish the documents related to the due diligence of investments listed above.</p><p>CDC does publish an overview of expected development impact, including key elements related to Environmental and Social issues, for new investments into companies and funds. The next update of CDC’s database will be available from July when CDC publishes its Annual Review.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 02/06/2020 16:19:29 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1197182

registered interest
date	19/05/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	UK Border Force: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times UK Border Force officials have requested assistance from Public Health England officials to deal with suspected cases of covid-19 at each UK Port of Entry in each of the last five months.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	49010
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>Border Force does not hold the detailed data requested.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 02/06/2020 10:18:59 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196405

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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	Eritrea: Arrests
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 the location of 20 people arrested by the Eritrean security forces in November 2019 in the Mendefera and Adi Quala areas in the Southern Zone of the State of Eritrea.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48457
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of reports that at least 20 Muslim males, including local businessmen, religious teachers and community leaders, were arrested in Mendefera and Adi Quala on 28 November by Eritrean security forces. It is difficult for diplomatic staff to verify such reports given the lack of free media reporting in Eritrea and Eritrean Government restrictions on internal travel by diplomats.</p><p>Eritrea remains a priority country for the FCO in our annual human rights reporting, and we will continue to monitor the situation there. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights in Eritrea with their Government and in international fora. On 26 February, the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights delivered a statement during the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council expressing concern at continuing human rights abuses; she welcomed Eritrean acceptance of Universal Periodic Review recommendations with an offer to support their implementation, and called for the UN Special Rapporteur to be allowed to visit Eritrea.</p><p>During visits to Eritrea, the FCO's Head of East Africa Department, in November 2019, and the Home Office International Director, in February 2020, both raised human rights issues with senior members of the Eritrean government, including Freedom of Expression and National Service. In April our Ambassador in Asmara raised the prospect of releasing prisoners given their increasing risk of infection from Covid-19 with the President's chief political adviser, Yemane Gebreab.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 14:15:45 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196406

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
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	Ethiopia: Refugees
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 his Ethiopian counterpart on that country's change to its asylum policy in January 2020 towards Eritrean refugees.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government is concerned about the recent changes in Ethiopia's status determination procedures for asylum seekers. We have sought a dialogue with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) on its changes so that we can discuss how they will be delivered and the implications for those fleeing from Eritrea and elsewhere. Through our £170 million refugee and migration programme in Ethiopia (2016-2023), the UK is a leading donor to the refugee response in Ethiopia and plays a proactive role in the coordination of the refugee response alongside UN agencies, other donors and the GoE.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 14:18:12 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196408

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Eritrea: Humanitarian Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the (a) covid-19 pandemic and (b) ongoing locust infestation in the Horn of Africa on the humanitarian situation in Eritrea.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>We are deeply concerned about COVID-19 and the desert locust outbreak compounding high humanitarian need already caused by residual effects of war and climate change induced disasters in Eritrea. Limited health infrastructure, limited diagnostic capacity, low levels of sanitation coverage and high pre-existing levels of malnutrition and morbidity, raise the Eritrean population’s vulnerability. The locust outbreak is destroying crops, livelihoods and essential food supplies. The impact of COVID-19 on domestic market supply chains and household food and income sources could also be significant.</p><p>Existing humanitarian and development programmes in Eritrea are being adapted to address current food security challenges. The UK has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £4 million to UNICEF in 2019-20 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services. The UK has provided £7 million to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Emergency Appeal for the locust outbreak, which includes Eritrea. With the UK’s support, the FAO is spraying pesticides on the ground and by air to prevent further damage to crops and livelihoods.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 14:56:37 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196409

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Eritrea: Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation of (a) Eritrean asylum seekers and (b) unaccompanied children who are being turned away from the Ethiopian border.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>Recent changes in the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) asylum policies, alongside the impact of COVID-19, are affecting the ability of Eritreans to acquire refugee status in Ethiopia. The policy changes have seen a reduction in the numbers of Eritreans registering with the GoE and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian agencies are now concerned that many Eritreans, including unaccompanied children, arrive in Ethiopia but do not complete the formal registration processes that facilitate access to lifesaving protection and other forms of assistance. This makes it challenging to assess their humanitarian needs.</p><p>We are not aware that unaccompanied children are being turned away at the Ethiopian border. However, in an effort to limit transmission of COVID-19 GoE asylum personnel are no longer deployed at border crossings, which complicates registration processes for newly arrived asylum seekers. Despite these complications we are encouraged that recent COVID-19 planning documents shared by the GoE stress Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold the right to asylum.</p><p>In Ethiopia, the UK has allocated £22.2 million to COVID-19 activities with urgent support now reaching refugees and other communities across the country. Ongoing UK funded programmes are also being adapted to meet COVID-19 needs, which refugees are also benefitting from.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 27/05/2020 15:11:28 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

1196677

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Personal Income: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to support people who are paid a substantial part of their income via commission and have lost that income as a result of the covid-19 outbreak where that income is not covered as part of the calculation for payments under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
uin	48461
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>The objective of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is to enable employers to keep people in employment. To achieve this, the grants compensate employers for the payments that they are contractually obliged to make, in order to avoid the need for redundancies. Covering discretionary payments, for example commission, would go beyond the objectives of the scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that for some employees, the pay in scope for this emergency grant package will be less than the overall sum they usually receive. The Government is supporting people on low incomes who need to rely on the welfare system through a significant package of temporary measures. This includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1 billion increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants. These changes will benefit new and existing claimants. Anyone can check their eligibility and apply for Universal Credit by visiting <a href="https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 02/06/2020 06:52:47 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty