491 House of Commons Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false Argyll and Bute To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has received the interim report of the (a) UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and (b) Independent Review Group. Biography information for Brendan O'Hara 1 2024-03-26T17:13:05.347Z Sutton Coldfield Mr Andrew Mitchell false 2024-03-26 Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell <p>We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.</p><p>We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again. We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion - not least because UNRWA have a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.</p> UNRWA 208 19880 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-03-21 Brendan O'Hara Arms Trade: Export Controls 2024-03-19 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Argyll and Bute 2024-03-22T09:08:14.693Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-22 Biography information for Leo Docherty <p>Parliamentary scrutiny is a matter for the House. In January 2024, the Business and Trade Committee (BTC) became the Parliamentary scrutiny committee with oversight of arms export controls, a role formerly carried out by the Committees on Arms Exports Controls (CAEC). The Government is committed to keeping the BTC updated on export controls.</p> false To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a replacement to the Committee on Arms Export Controls. 19381 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 208 Brendan O'Hara 1 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-03-18 208 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false International Law: Arms Trade Brendan O'Hara To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a scrutiny body within his Department that is tasked with assessing the consequences of individual arms licences on the Government's international legal obligations. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-03-21T14:32:54.193Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-21 <p>The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world. We examine each new application on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Criteria maintain the UK's high standards on counter proliferation and give effect to the UK's international obligations and commitments.</p> Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Argyll and Bute 1 19074 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Argyll and Bute Brendan O'Hara 1 To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what account of ongoing geopolitical fragility his Department takes in considering applications for licences for the export of arms to states in sensitive areas. 2024-03-18 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false 2024-03-21T14:33:54.113Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-21 <p>The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework for export licence applications and require us to think hard about the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. We consider a range of factors, including examining the political and security conditions in the destination country, the nature of the equipment to be exported, the organisation or unit which will ultimately be the user of the equipment, and all available information about how similar equipment has been used in the past and how it is likely to be used in the future. We can and do respond quickly and flexibly to changing or fluid international situations. We take the principles of responsible export control set out in the Criteria incredibly seriously.</p> Arms Trade: Export Controls 19075 208 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Brendan O'Hara Arms Trade: Export Controls 1 19076 208 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false 2024-03-18 Argyll and Bute 2024-03-21T14:35:07.537Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-21 <p>All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 2, covering respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination, as well as respect by that country for international humanitarian law.</p> Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what account of the risk of atrocity crimes being committed by states his Department takes in considering applications for licences for the export of arms to such states. To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department (a) makes an assessment of the potential impact on observance of international humanitarian law and (b) communicates that assessment to the Department for Business and Trade before the grant of an arms licence. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-03-21T17:34:39.2Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-21 <p>The Government operates a robust and thorough assessment of licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria. The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK's export control responsibilities and specifically on criterion two which includes respect by that country for international humanitarian law.</p> Arms Trade: Export Controls 1 19077 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Brendan O'Hara Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false 2024-03-18 Argyll and Bute 208 Brendan O'Hara 208 2024-03-21T14:36:09.307Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-03-21 <p>The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world. Licence applications are assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria.</p> 2024-03-18 Arms Trade: Export Controls 1 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 19078 Argyll and Bute To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the risk of a state not complying with orders from international courts in the decision process for the grant of an arms licence. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Brendan O'Hara 16381 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1 208 Colombia: Indigenous Peoples Argyll and Bute false Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-02-29 2024-03-05T11:26:44.253Z Macclesfield David Rutley false 2024-03-05 Biography information for David Rutley <p>Supporting the Colombian Government in its commitment to secure a broad and lasting peace will remain an important priority of this Government. At the UN Security Council on 11 January, Our Ambassador urged the Colombian Government to take further steps to protect vulnerable groups including indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities most affected by conflict. Through the UK's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) which has provided £79 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Colombia and prioritise funding interventions to help protect indigenous communities, including through the OHCHR (UN Human Rights Office).</p> To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of displacement of the Wiwa indigenous peoples in Colombia. Argyll and Bute Brendan O'Hara To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help tackle the deportation of asylum seekers from the North Caucasus region to Russia. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office false 2024-02-05T13:01:26.553Z Aldershot Leo Docherty false 2024-02-05 <p>The UK has consistently condemned the significant deterioration in the human rights situation in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In multilateral fora the UK continues to call for Russia to meet its international obligations, including at the The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and UN. The situation in Chechnya and Ingushetia is particularly egregious, as highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia. The UK has repeatedly called on Russia to end human rights violations in Chechnya, conduct effective investigations into reports and ensure that those responsible are held to account. The UK regularly discusses migration issues with our international partners.</p> Russia: Asylum 11617 2024-01-26 1 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 208 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Argyll and Bute false Apollinaris Darmawan 1 9224 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 2024-01-18T12:04:49.657Z Berwick-upon-Tweed Anne-Marie Trevelyan false 2024-01-18 Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan <p>The UK government is aware of Apollinaris Darmanwan's imprisonment. The UK government is committed to upholding freedom of speech and promoting freedom of religion in Indonesia. Officials at the British Embassy in Jakarta routinely meet members of all six officially recognised faiths and discuss the importance of freedom of religious belief.</p> 208 Brendan O'Hara Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the imprisonment of Apollinaris Darmawan in Indonesia. 2024-01-11 0 10 1