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1105184

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Belarus: Diplomatic Relations
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 he has made of the UK’s diplomatic relations with Belarus.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	237136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>​The UK has steadily increased its engagement with Belarus since the release of political prisoners and consequent lifting of the majority of EU Restrictive Measures in February 2016. UK engagement is focused on building regional stability in Europe's Eastern Neighbourhood and on encouraging Belarus' closer participation in the international rules-based system. This includes encouraging Belarus to show greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We also continue to promote the economic, commercial and cultural links between our countries. I met President Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Makei respectively in September 2017 and in March 2018.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 01/04/2019 13:57:03 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

1105185

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Belarus: Human Rights and Press Freedom
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 steps his Department has taken to promote (a) human rights and (b) press freedom in Belarus.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	237137
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>​The UK remains concerned about the human rights situation in Belarus. We continue to urge Belarus to show greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including media freedom. Our Ambassador in Minsk raised these issues most recently with the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister in a meeting on 19 February 2019. Our Embassy subsequently attended the trial of the editor of the independent online media outlet, tut.by. The UK also joined EU partners in raising human rights concerns during the EU-Belarus Coordination meeting on 12-13 December 2018. Through the Global Britain Fund, our Embassy funds a number of Human Rights projects, including support for Non-Governmental Organisations advocating a moratorium on the death penalty and support for the growth of independent media in Belarus.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 01/04/2019 14:01:03 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

1105186

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Baltic States and Eastern Europe: Disinformation
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 with his overseas counterparts to tackle the distribution of disinformation in (a) Ukraine, (b) Belarus and (c) the Baltic States.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	237138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>​We have a regular dialogue with international partners on the challenge posed by hostile state disinformation, including to align donor support in this field. The Foreign Secretary discussed disinformation at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 21 January in the context of the European Commission's ambitious Action Plan Against Disinformation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's own dedicated Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme aims to protect national security by countering disinformation directed at the UK and its Allies from Russia. It funds projects in a number of different countries that seek to enhance independent media, support civil society organisations that expose disinformation and share good practice with partner governments. Media plurality, institutional resilience and public awareness provide strong defences against disinformation, whatever the source, and sit at the heart of our efforts. In particular, we are supporting a new Open Information Partnership of European Non-Governmental Organisations, charities, academics, think-tanks and journalists which are working to respond to manipulated information in the news, social media and across the public space.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 03/04/2019 15:24:39 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

1105187

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Bahrain: Integrated Activity Fund
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 he has made of the effectiveness of the his Department's Integrated Activity Fund in Bahrain .
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Stephen Gethins
uin	237139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>All programming is subject to governance arrangements and evaluation to ensure it continues to deliver in line with objectives.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 03/04/2019 16:13:01 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4434 label Biography information for Stephen Gethins

1105249

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Sahel: Human Rights
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 is taking to prioritise respect for human rights and the rights of minorities when working in partnership with countries of the Sahel.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	237063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>​We regularly raise these issues with the countries of the Sahel and in multilateral fora. This includes through the EU's &quot;Article 8&quot; political discussions with these countries, the Universal Periodic Review and the Human Rights Council – where most recently the UK called on the Government of Mali to denounce and tackle human rights abuses, including all forms of violence against women, girls and members of other vulnerable groups.</p><p>We also press partners on the importance of compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law in security operations and provide funding for the establishment of a compliance framework for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.</p><p>To help improve protection of civilians in the Sahel in the context of growing instability, the UK is also providing funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross to ensure humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict, and to promote respect for international humanitarian law in the region</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 01/04/2019 14:31:27 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1105253

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Offenders: Foreign Nationals
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 strengthen UK co-operation with international partners to ensure the (a) prosecution and (b) extradition of people who commit international crimes.
tabling member constituency	Sutton Coldfield
tabling member printed	Mr Andrew Mitchell
uin	237020
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle the most serious international offences, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. We assist other countries in prosecuting offences that take place within their territory of jurisdiction and collaborate with other states to develop credible international criminal justice mechanisms. The UK continues to provide political, financial and logistical support to the International Criminal Court (ICC) alongside other ad-hoc international tribunals and international mechanisms mandated by the UN.</p><p>The UK has mutual legal assistance arrangements with other countries, and permits the surrender of its own nationals subject to statutory safeguards. Countries that are party to the relevant conventions dealing with international crimes are able to make requests to the UK, either as part of systematic treaty-based co-operation, or on a case-by-case basis. The UK may also consider requests from countries where there are no extradition arrangements.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 01/04/2019 16:40:19 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell

1105317

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Bahrain: Detainees
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 his making to his Bahraini counterpart on the welfare of female human rights defenders detained in Isa Town Prison.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	237192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>The UK has a continuing dialogue with the Government of Bahrain and all Bahraini human rights oversight bodies. We continue to encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight body. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 03/04/2019 16:16:08 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1105330

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Chemical Weapons
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in implementing an EU sanctions regime on the use of chemical weapons.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
uin	237098
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2019 answer text <p>​The UK played a key role in EU efforts to establish a new Chemical Weapons sanctions regime, which was adopted on 15 October 2018. This regime enables an asset freeze and travel ban to be imposed on those involved in the use and proliferation of chemical weapons, regardless of their nationality or location. On 21 January 2019, the EU added 9 individuals and 1 entity to the regime, which included those involved in the proliferation and use of chemical weapons in Syria, and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate responsible for the use of a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury in March 2018. This strong collective action sends a clear message that the use of these barbaric weapons will not be tolerated under any circumstances.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 03/04/2019 15:17:24 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1105340

registered interest
date	26/03/2019
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	Christianity: Oppression
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 steps the Government is taking to help tackle the persecution of Christians overseas.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
uin	237101
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2019 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to using our influence to defend Freedom of Religion or Belief as a universal human right which should be enjoyed by everyone. That is why the Prime Minister appointed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon as her Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Lord Ahmad regularly raises this topic with international counterparts and through the Human Rights Council. In recent years we have seen reports of a particular rise in the persecution of Christians. The Foreign Secretary launched the independent review of FCO support for persecuted Christians on 30 January. The Review will be led by the Bishop of Truro, and will map levels of persecution and discrimination against Christians around the world, and provide robust recommendations on how the FCO can respond. A final report will be presented to the Foreign Secretary this summer.</p> answering member constituency Cities of London and Westminster answering member printed Mark Field question first answered 02/04/2019 15:22:57 answering member 1405 label Biography information for Mark Field
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1104765

registered interest
date	25/03/2019
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: British Indian Ocean Territory
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 19 March 2019 to Question 230785, whether the Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory plans to be accompanied by Mauritian Government officials on future visits to the Chagos Archipelago.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	236513
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2019 answer text <p>We are continuing to keep our visit programme under review throughout the year.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 28/03/2019 16:52:09 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown