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864289

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
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	Bangladesh: Elections
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the Government of Bangladesh on the disqualification of the leader of the opposition from participation in parliamentary elections in that country.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Dr Paul Williams
uin	132773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2018 answer text <p>On 8 February 2018, Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was convicted of corruption charges relating to misappropriation of funds. She was sentenced to a five year prison term. It would not be appropriate for the Government to seek to interfere in the judicial processes of another country.</p><p>I remain concerned about the political unrest in Bangladesh and the absence of dialogue among Bangladesh's political parties. The UK is committed to supporting democracy in Bangladesh. The Foreign Secretary met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Ali during his visit to Bangladesh from 9 to 10 February. In public and in private he stressed the importance of free and fair elections and affording political space to the opposition. The UK, together with international partners, will continue to encourage a peaceful way forward, and dialogue, between political parties in Bangladesh.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 23/03/2018 11:21:36 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4666 label Biography information for Dr Paul Williams

864374

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
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	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Cleaning Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the rate of remuneration for cleaners in his Department.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	132858
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2018 answer text <p>Cleaning services to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) UK Estate, are provided by Interserve, as part of a facilities management contract. Interserve are responsible for setting rates of pay for their staff and have informed the FCO that they currently pay £9.75 per hour to staff for cleaning the FCO’s London buildings and the National Living Wage at an hourly rate of £7.50 out of London.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/03/2018 14:12:20 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

864458

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
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	United Arab Emirates: Christianity
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 his Department has made to the Government of the United Arab Emirates on the persecution of Christians in that country.
tabling member constituency	South Antrim
tabling member printed	Paul Girvan
uin	132941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2018 answer text <p>Human rights, including the protection of freedom of religion or belief, is a UK foreign policy priority. As part of our bilateral relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we discuss human rights at both ministerial and official levels. We note the positive steps the UAE has made in this area, including the establishment of the Ministry of Tolerance in 2016, with the objective of supporting religious tolerance and diversity. Promoting dialogue between different faiths was a key theme of the visit of HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the UAE in 2016. This included a reception hosted at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque involving a discussion with leaders of the Christian faith in the UAE.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/03/2018 14:51:59 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4633 label Biography information for Paul Girvan

864468

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
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	Commonwealth: Elections
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 free and fair elections in Commonwealth nations.
tabling member constituency	South Antrim
tabling member printed	Paul Girvan
uin	132951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/03/2018 answer text <p>We are committed to upholding the principles of the Commonwealth Charter, including the inalienable right of individuals to participate in free and fair elections. Our High Commissions regularly engage with a range of political actors and institutions across the Commonwealth in support of those principles.</p><p>We also support the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat in this field: both its co-ordination of Commonwealth Election Observer Groups and the technical assistance it provides to improve electoral systems, practice and legislation in Commonwealth member states. In addition, the UK works closely with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to promote stronger parliamentary democracy in the Commonwealth.</p><p>The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April will discuss the protection and promotion of democracy. The UK will also join the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, which acts as the custodian of the values and principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 21/03/2018 17:25:39 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4633 label Biography information for Paul Girvan

864483

registered interest
date	15/03/2018
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	Iran: Visas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Iran on ensuring that visa applications from Iranian nationals to visit the UK are processed as quickly and fairly as possible.
tabling member constituency	Spelthorne
tabling member printed	Kwasi Kwarteng
uin	132966
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2018 answer text <p>​In 2016 UK Visas &amp; Immigration launched a full UK visa service at their Visa Application Centre in Tehran. We continue to work with the Government of Iran on all migration issues and the Foreign Secretary discussed these issues during his visit to Iran in December 2017.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 23/03/2018 14:14:00 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
tabling member	4134 label Biography information for Kwasi Kwarteng

862039

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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: Missing Persons
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 Sri Lanka on the establishment in that country of an office on missing persons.
tabling member constituency	Ilford North
tabling member printed	Wes Streeting
uin	132458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>​The UK supports the full implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1, under which Sri Lanka committed to implement a range of measures to promote human rights, accountability, reconciliation, and devolution of political powers following the end of its civil war. We have consistently encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to establish a credible Office of Missing Persons and have raised this issue regularly at all levels, including in our public diplomacy.</p><p>I encouraged Foreign Minister Marapana to continue to make progress on the operationalisation of an Office of Missing Persons when I met him in Colombo in October 2017. I also wrote to Foreign Minister Marapana on 7 March setting out UK views ahead of the 37<sup>th</sup> session of the UN Human Rights Council and emphasised the importance of establishing transitional justice mechanisms.</p><p>We welcome the appointment of OMP commissioners and will continue to encourage the Government to ensure that their important work begins very soon.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:17:27 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4504 label Biography information for Wes Streeting

862046

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Syria: Armed Conflict
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March to Question 129926, what response the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas received from the Russian Ambassador to the UK on 27 February 2018 regarding the UK’s concerns about the ongoing targeting of civilians in eastern Ghouta; and whether the Government has made any further representations since that date.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	132465
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>On 27 February, I met with the Russian Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, stressing UK concern at the current situation in Syria, particularly the crisis in Eastern Ghouta. I urged Russia to use its influence to ensure the Syrian regime adhered to the ceasefire demanded by UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2401 to allow rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access and non-conditional medical evacuations which are urgently needed. The Ambassador said that Russia would implement Resolution 2401. The Foreign Secretary also wrote to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 27 February regarding the crisis in Eastern Ghouta and urging Russia to uphold its commitments to ensure that UNSCR 2401 is implemented in full.</p><p>The UK has repeatedly urged Russia bilaterally and in other multilateral fora to use its influence to ensure that the Assad regime allows rapid, unimpeded and sustained UN-led humanitarian access to deliver urgently needed food and medical supplies to Eastern Ghouta, and adheres to the ceasefire demanded by UN Security Council Resolution 2401. The UK called for an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council on 2 March and proposed a resolution which the UN Human Rights Council adopted on 5 March calling for the full and immediate implementation of UNSCR 2401. In the UN Security Council, the UK most recently raised its concerns with Russia at the UN Secretary General's briefing to the Security Council on Resolution 2401 on 12 March.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 19/03/2018 16:14:04 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

862050

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Zimbabwe: Emigration
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 Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK to return to Zimbabwe.
tabling member constituency	Mid Sussex
tabling member printed	Sir Nicholas Soames
uin	132469
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2018 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly meets representatives from the Zimbabwean diaspora to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe.</p><p>The UK continues to call for free and fair elections and has called on the Zimbabwean Government to forge a new path free from oppression and misrule and to deliver a full programme of political and economic reform.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 20/03/2018 17:45:51 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin previous answer version 48369 answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	116 label Biography information for Lord Soames of Fletching

862073

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	China: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to seek regular reports from the British Embassy in Beijing on the wellbeing of the two delegates of the Chinese Parliament who voted against the plan to abolish presidential term limits.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Frank Field
uin	132492
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>According to the rules of procedure of the National People's Congress, constitutional amendments are voted on via anonymous ballot.</p><p>Amendments to China's constitution are ultimately a matter for the Chinese authorities, but we encourage all of our partners to abide by international norms and standards.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 19/03/2018 15:04:09 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

862097

registered interest
date	14/03/2018
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	Falkland Islands: Fossil Fuels
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what the process is for approving licences for hydrocarbon activity in the Falklands; which bodies are consulted with for that process; and what (a) funding and (b) staff are allocated to undertake those assessments.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	132516
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>​Oil exploration in the Falkland Islands is governed by the Falkland Islands Offshore Minerals Ordinance of 1994. Subject to this Ordinance, and with the consent of the Foreign Secretary, the British Government appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands may, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, grant to any person a licence for the purposes of exploration or production in the controlled waters, or in the sea-bed or subsoil thereof, of the Falkland Islands. Any oil company can apply for a license by contacting the Falkland Islands Government's Department of Mineral Resources. The Director of Mineral Resources, in consultation with other Falkland Islands Government departments, will make the recommendation to the Governor of the Falkland Islands.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 19/03/2018 15:52:06 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy