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174738

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Turkey
	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 Turkey.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	221362
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>We and our EU partners monitor closely the human rights situation in Turkey. The UK supports the European Commission’s assessment of human rights in Turkey, set out in its 2014 Annual Progress Report on Turkey’s EU accession.</p><p>In 2014, Turkey made progress on its human rights reform agenda and adopted an Action Plan for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations. Turkey also continued to build the capacity of its human rights institutions. We welcome this progress and the continuing efforts of the Turkish government aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue.</p><p>However, as the EU’s report has underlined, there is still much to do to implement action plans, strengthen further the institutional framework, and bring Turkish human rights legislation into line with European and international standards, including on rights for minority religious and ethnic groups. The report also highlighted areas of concern over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, the rule of law, and restrictions on the freedom of expression, including temporary bans on social media imposed by the Turkish government. We will continue to work with our EU partners and international institutions, such as the EU and Council of Europe, to support Turkey in its continuing reform agenda.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 27/01/2015 16:15:06 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

174736

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Hamas
	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 in response to the decision of the General Court of the European Union on Hamas.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	221360
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>The EU General Court judgment is procedural and does not mean the EU and UK have changed their position on Hamas. The effects of the EU Hamas listing, including asset freezes, remain in place. We are studying the detail of the judgment carefully, and will work with partners to ensure that the Hamas listing at the EU is maintained. Hamas’ military wing has been proscribed in the UK since 2001 under separate UK legislation. This is not affected by the EU General Court judgment.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/01/2015 14:43:18 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

174737

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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	Libya
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to help the Libyan government bring peace and stability to that country.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	221361
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>The UK Government, working closely with our international partners, continues to support the people of Libya and the efforts of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya, Bernardino Leon, to resolve the political crisis. Since 2011, the UK has also funded much practical support to Libya. The current focus is on contributing to UN political settlement efforts through the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Libyan Political Transition, Jonathan Powell. The UK is also providing expert advice to the Constitutional Drafting Assembly; helping to enhance the quality and coverage of media reporting of events in Libya; providing support in the areas of border controls and humanitarian demining; and helping Libyan institutions to effectively manage their public finances.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/01/2015 14:52:47 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

174735

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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 assessment his Department has made of the election in Sri Lanka and the prospects for an independent war crime inquiry in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	221359
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>The Sri Lankan Presidential Election was generally peaceful and well-managed with a high voter turnout. We commend Sri Lanka’s Election Commission for its conduct of the election, and all Sri Lanka’s political parties and people for accepting the final result and committing to the peaceful transfer of power. The result on the day reflected the will of the Sri Lankan people.</p><p> </p><p>However, we also note the view of Commonwealth Observers that an inadequate electoral and legal framework coupled with an unequal pre-electoral environment, meant the election contest fell short of key benchmarks for democratic elections. We hope that this is something Sri Lanka will now address, with the support of the international community.</p><p> </p><p>We are encouraging the new government to engage with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, including over the UN Human Rights Council resolution agreed in March 2014. This is consistent with the Prime Minister's, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), statement after the elections that the UK “encourages President Sirisena to support the ongoing UN Office of the High Commission for Human rights investigation into human rights abuses so that the issues of the past can be addressed and the country can move forward to a brighter, peaceful future where all Sri Lankan’s can play a role.”</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/01/2015 14:48:10 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord