Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>We are working with countries across the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf to reduce the threat from Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Conflict, including that in Yemen, allows terrorist organisations to establish themselves and spread their message of violence and extremism. We continue to work with our partners, including those in the Gulf, to deny terrorist organisations the space in which to operate. We are also playing a major role in supporting a resolution of the conflict to further reduce risks to the UK.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-10-24false2017-10-24T15:49:12.973Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-10-16al Qaeda1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contribution the UK is making to degrading Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the Gulf.falseLeicester EastKeith Vaz107836Department for International Development<p>Recently, I witnessed the transformative work DFID is doing in Nigeria, with the Government and the private sector, to build a better future for the largest youth population in Africa. DFID is providing critical healthcare in the early stages of life, educating over 1 million children, and supporting livelihoods, jobs and investment across the country, and has raised the incomes of 1.38 million Nigerians since 2015.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-09-13false2017-09-13T11:02:12.067Z20International DevelopmentInternational Development2017-09-05Young People: Nigeria1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures the Government is putting in place with the Nigerian Government to support the economic and developmental potential of Nigeria's youth population.falseEdmontonKate Osamor8872Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeThe human rights situation in Iran, including the harassment and persecution of Christians, is of serious concern. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with the Iranian Government as a notable element of his visit to Iran on 9-10 December. I did likewise during my visit on 5 August.North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-12-21false2017-12-21T14:45:59.493Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-12-18Youcef Nadarkhani1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Iran on the appeal by Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani against his 10-year prison sentence and two years in exile.falseChipping BarnetTheresa Villiers119999Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The UK has longstanding concerns about Iranian involvement in Yemen, which we have raised with the Iranian Government. The Foreign Secretary will discuss a variety of regional and bilateral issues with his counterparts on any future visit to Iran. I made a statement on 9 November expressing concerns about reports that Iran has provided the Houthis with ballistic missiles, which threaten regional security and prolong the conflict.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-11-20falseNorth East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-11-20T17:59:27.2Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-11-15Yemen: Weapons1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss the matter of arms smuggling into Yemen with his Iranian counterpart during his forthcoming visit to that country.falseLeicester EastKeith Vaz113415Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>I refer to my answer of 20 July (PQ 4676): we welcome the agreement on 15 June of a Presidential Statement, sponsored by the UK as penholder, which called upon the parties to the conflict to agree the modalities for a ceasefire, take steps to address the humanitarian crisis, and restart political talks. We are now working urgently with our international and regional partners to ensure that the Security Council's words are converted into action.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-09-12false2017-09-12T15:26:58.737Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-09-07Yemen: UN Resolutions1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Matthew Rycroft, the UK's Permanent Ambassador to the UN, on a new UN Security Council resolution on Yemen.falseLeicester EastKeith Vaz9453Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The conflict in Yemen has allowed terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda and Daesh to establish themselves and spread their message of violence and extremism. They continue to pose a threat to Yemen, the region and beyond. As the UK no longer maintains a presence on the ground in Yemen, we are working with partners to monitor the threat from these organisations and disrupt any attack planning. In the longer term, an enduring political settlement, strong security institutions and effective governance will be needed to deny terrorist organisations the space in which to operate.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-10-20false2017-10-20T12:21:20.9Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-10-12Yemen: Terrorism1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to degrade Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen.falseLeicester EastKeith Vaz107587Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The Saudi-led Coalition continues to seek to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen and defend its own southern border against artillery and missile strikes by Houthi forces and those allied to former President Saleh. Sporadic fighting is taking place in western Yemen, including along the Saudi border, around Midi, north east of Sana'a and in the vicinity of Sirwah. We remain concerned by the ability of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Daesh to exploit ungoverned spaces in Yemen. The conflict has also resulted in security threats to international shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb. Restarting peace talks remains the priority: a political solution is the best way to bring stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to find a political solution to end the conflict.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-10-18false2017-10-18T16:30:42.897Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-10-10Yemen: Politics and Government1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.falseSouth ShieldsMrs Emma Lewell-Buck106898Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>The Saudi-led Coalition continues to seek to reinstate the legitimate government in Yemen and defend its own southern border against artillery and missile strikes by Houthi forces and those allied to former President Saleh. The conflict sees skirmishes and sporadic fighting in a number of areas in western Yemen, including along the Saudi border, around Midi, north east of Sana'a and in the vicinity of Sirwah. We remain concerned by the ability of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and Daesh to exploit ungoverned spaces in Yemen. The conflict has also resulted in security threats to international shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb. Reinstating peace talks remains the top priority: a political solution is the best way to bring stability to Yemen and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to find a political solution to end the conflict.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-10-20false2017-10-20T12:24:02.537Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-10-12Yemen: Politics and Government1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Yemen.falseLeicester EastKeith Vaz107588Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>Peace talks are the top priority. There is no military solution to the conflict and only a political solution can bring long-term stability to Yemen. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith. The UK has played a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key actors to seek a peaceful solution. As part of this, I hosted a Ministerial-level meeting with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, US and UN Special Envoy at the UN General Assembly in September.</p><p>The UK also proposed the Presidential Statement passed at the UN Security Council in June this year, which called for an end to the fighting and a return to UN-led peace talks. We are now working with our international and regional partners to ensure that the Security Council's words are converted into action as a matter of urgency. We call on all parties to respect these unified and clear demands from the international community.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-10-26false2017-10-26T14:07:18.967Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2017-10-18Yemen: Peace Negotiations1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department is taking to support efforts to restart talks between warring parties in Yemen and their international allies.falseHuddersfieldMr Barry Sheerman108572Department for International Development<p>In 2015/16 DFID provided £90m in direct assistance to Yemen; in 2016/17 £112m; and in 2017/18 we are providing £139m. On top of this DFID also provides support to Yemen through our global programmes and through our multilateral contributions.</p><p>Our contribution this year makes us the second-largest donor to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor to Yemen overall. At the same time, the UK continues to play a leading role in lobbying for a political solution to the conflict, as well as pressing the international community to step up their own contributions to Yemen.</p>North East BedfordshireAlistair Burt2017-09-11false2017-09-11T16:57:56.043Z20International DevelopmentInternational Development2017-09-06Yemen: Overseas Aid1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much overseas development aid the Government has provided to Yemen since 2015.falseNorth East FifeStephen Gethins92821001649