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100168

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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	Hong Kong
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the recent political unrest in Hong Kong.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	211374
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>We have been monitoring events in Hong Kong closely over recent weeks including, in particular, through regular reports from our posts in Hong Kong and Beijing. We also continue to meet regularly at senior level with both the Chinese authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to discuss the situation. I met Hong Kong Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen on 14 October. <br><br>We have consistently called on all sides to ensure that the demonstrations are peaceful and in accordance with the law, including in my response to a Westminister Hall Debate on 22 October, in my Written Ministerial Statement of 13 October, and in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement on 2 October on the question of constitutional reform. We encourage all parties to engage in dialogue and work towards a consensus that allows a significant step forward for democracy.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:35:32 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

100169

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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	Taiwan
	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 UK's trading relationship with Taiwan.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	211377
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The UK and Taiwan enjoy a strong trading relationship. In 2013 total bilateral goods trade between the UK and Taiwan was £4.59bn. UK exports of goods to Taiwan increased 7.8% year-on-year to £1.16bn, the second highest level in history. Trade in services have been increasing over the last decade reaching £958m in 2012 (figures for 2013 will be available in November).</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) in Taipei promote the trading relationship through engagement with industry, trade missions and trade visits, for example, the visit of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in January to promote financial services collaboration, and the bilateral trade talks in July.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:33:31 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

100172

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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	Senkaku Islands
	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 international counterparts on the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands.
	tabling member constituency	Romford
	tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
	uin	211370
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>Whilst the UK does not take a position on underlying sovereignty claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, we have a clear interest in maintaining regional peace and stability. We regularly discuss East Asian regional security issues with our international partners.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:25:04 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

99841

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	North Korea: South Korea
	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 relations between North and South Korea after clashes on the 38th parallel.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	211090
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>In recent weeks, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have exchanged fire across the Demilitarised Zone which separates both countries. On 10 October, DPRK troops fired at balloons containing leaflets sent by South Korean non-governmental organisation activists across the border resulting in the ROK military returning fire. On 19 October, the ROK fired warning shots at DPRK troops approaching the border resulting in another exchange of fire. No casualties were reported. <br><br>We call on both sides to exercise restraint. Both the DPRK and ROK have recently engaged in dialogue, including holding high-level military talks on 15 October. We welcome the news that a provisional agreement was reached for the resumption of inter-Korean high level dialogue and hope this leads to real progress, including on reunions of families separated during the Korean War.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:20:19 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

99832

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	North Korea
	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 has taken to ensure the findings and recommendations of the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are submitted to the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court; and what further steps his Department has taken pursuant to the findings of that inquiry.
	tabling member constituency	Congleton
	tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
	uin	211190
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not a State Party to the International Criminal Court, so it has no jurisdiction in the absence of a UN Security Council resolution. The UK worked with the EU and likeminded partners to ensure a strong DPRK resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council, including a call for the UN General Assembly to submit the report of the Commission of Inquiry to the UN Security Council for its consideration and appropriate action. In April, we and other Security Council members took part in an informal public “Arria” briefing by the Commission of the Inquiry.</p><p>The UK has also played an active role in raising human rights violations in the DPRK in other meaningful ways. For example, in May we raised the need for a continued focus on human rights during a UN Security Council Sanctions Committee and in June I visited Geneva, where I took part in an Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the DPRK, Mr Mazuki Darusman and raised the importance of DPRK human rights with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.</p><p>In addition to recommendations on accountability, the Commission of Inquiry made a number of recommendations with regard to human rights dialogue and people-to-people contact. Through our Embassy in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London the UK continues to support activity in both these areas.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:53:47 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

99847

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	North Korea
	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 consider implementing sanctions against individuals and entities suspected of perpetrating crimes against humanity, as detailed in the UN Commission of Inquiry on North Korea.
	tabling member constituency	Congleton
	tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
	uin	211128
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>The UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) recommended the introduction by the UN Security Council of targeted sanctions on human rights grounds. Existing UN and EU sanctions against the DPRK are based on UN Security Council Resolutions prohibiting the further development of the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. They target goods and activities that support those programmes, and individuals and organisations, both inside and outside the DPRK, who have acted in breach of these Resolutions. <br><br>Any introduction of sanctions on human rights grounds would require the establishment of a new sanctions regime. The UK would want any new sanctions proposals to have a clear impact on the human rights situation in North Korea without any unintended negative effect on the general population. Any sanctions against individuals or organisations would also have to meet the strict requirements established in recent legal cases where sanctions have been successfully challenged in the UK and European courts.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:23:44 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

100177

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	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	South Sudan
	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 the Government is taking to ensure a comprehensive arms and ammunition embargo is imposed on all parties in South Sudan.
	tabling member constituency	East Lothian
	tabling member printed	Fiona O'Donnell
	uin	211256
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>An EU arms embargo is already in place in South Sudan. This is supported by a targeted EU sanctions regime of restrictive measures against specific individuals, adopted in July 2014 with strong UK support. We also believe that discussions on the content of a potential UN Security Council sanctions resolution should begin in New York soon and we are engaging closely with key partners to that end.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:09:29 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire previous answer version 24221 answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	3964 label Biography information for Fiona O'Donnell

99838

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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
	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 encourage the Sri Lankan government to cooperate with a UN investigation into alleged war crimes.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	211041
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>We continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to co-operate fully with the UN Human Rights Council resolution of March 2014, which calls for an international investigation into alleged violations of international law on both sides of Sri Lanka’s recent conflict. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has raised this point directly with members of the Sri Lankan government and in public statements. We also continue to call for the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, to use their leverage to encourage Sri Lanka’s co-operation. <br><br>More recently, during the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council in September, our Ambassador to the UN also called upon the Sri Lankan government to co-operate with the investigation and ensure those co-operating with the investigation can do so without fear of intimidation or reprisal.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 17:37:44 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

100389

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	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	Thailand
	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 the government of Thailand in the last six months regarding the prosecution of Andy Hall.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	211574
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>I have been following Mr Hall’s case since 2013, and raised it while I was in Thailand in May 2013. Officials at our Embassy in Bangkok and at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London continue to monitor his case closely, ensuring that it is raised with the Thai authorities where appropriate. We continue to remind the Thai authorities of their obligations to ensure international human rights standards are upheld. We fully support the right of activists to carry out their work and voice their opinion in order to promote human rights peacefully.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:38:17 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

99833

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	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	Honduras
	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 reports he has received on the International Finance Corporation World Bank Loans to Honduran company DINANT.
	tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
	tabling member printed	Katy Clark
	uin	211140
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p>I am aware of the International Finance Corporation’s loan to palm oil company Dinant. I am also aware of the subsequent review carried out by the World Bank. The British Government is committed to advancing respect for human rights and our officials are promoting the importance of business and human rights around the world. We will continue to monitor this case closely.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2014 14:26:35 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	1590 label Biography information for Baroness Clark of Kilwinning