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177160

registered interest
date	02/02/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
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 20 January 2015, Official Report, column 79, whether he met the Saudi Arabia Deputy Foreign Minister; and with whom he has discussed the case of Raif Badawi.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire South
tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Alexander
uin	222907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>Due to the late King’s ill health at the time, the <del class="ministerial">Deputy</del> <ins class="ministerial">Vice</ins> Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not attend the Counter ISIL meeting in London as had been planned. Instead, I raised the case of Raif Badawi with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to London, as the most senior member of the Saudi delegation, at the inaugural meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, on 22 January.</p> answering member constituency Runnymede and Weybridge answering member printed Mr Philip Hammond question first answered 05/02/2015 11:13:30 question first ministerially corrected 05/02/2015 13:43:29 answering member 105 label Biography information for Lord Hammond of Runnymede previous answer version 43055 answering member constituency Runnymede and Weybridge answering member printed Mr Philip Hammond answering member 105 label Biography information for Lord Hammond of Runnymede
tabling member	632 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Alexander

177164

registered interest
date	02/02/2015
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	British Council
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to note 19 on page 106 of the British Council's Annual Report, 2013-14, what the reasons were for the losses and special payments.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
uin	222848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>As stated in the British Council's Annual Report, during the year ended 31 March 2014, the British Council made no payments that fall within the category of special payments as defined in Managing Public Money.</p><p> </p><p>The losses referenced in the Annual Report fall into three major categories:</p><p>1) £1.9m worth of claims waived or abandoned. This included a write off of £1.7m worth of fees for work done in 2011-12. These fees were owed by education institutions in a country where the deteriorating political and security situation meant they are not likely to be recoverable in the foreseeable future. £0.4m of this was provided for in the year to March 2013 and only the balance was charged in the year ended March 2014. The debt was part of the Council’s full cost recovery work and no grant-in-aid funds were involved. Approval was sought from HMT and granted.</p><p> </p><p>2) £540k worth of fruitless payments. This included:</p><p>a) £402k (122 cases) of historic contract balances from 2007 to 2010 in relation to funds granted to beneficiaries under the Youth in Action agreement, which were deemed ineligible for reimbursements to the British Council by the European Union. These were provided for in the year to 31 March 2013.</p><p>b) £137k in relation to a final court judgement of damages due from a long running court case in the UAE about a failed premises project that concluded in January 2014.</p><p> </p><p>3) £170k worth of cash losses. This included net losses from frauds in Kenya and Senegal disclosed in the Governance Statement on page 54 of the Annual Report.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 05/02/2015 18:19:48 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

177171

registered interest
date	02/02/2015
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	Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has allocated to the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Mary Creagh
uin	222958
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>The new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) will replace the Conflict Pool in April 2015. The Conflict Pool received an allocation from the Treasury of £683m in 2014/15 - no allocation was made to the CSSF. The CSSF allocation from the Treasury for 2015/16 will be £1033m. Departmental allocations are being finalised and Parliament will be informed in due course.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 17:56:57 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1579 label Biography information for Mary Creagh

176913

registered interest
date	30/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
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 seek lifting the travel ban on Samar Badawi, the wife of Saudi activist Waleed Abulkhair.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Ian Austin
uin	222796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>We maintain a regular dialogue with the Saudi authorities on a range of human rights issues. While our Embassy officials in Riyadh have had some contact with human rights defenders, it is often the view of defenders that involvement with foreign representatives and organisations can make their work harder.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 14:19:00 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

176914

registered interest
date	30/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
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 human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Ian Austin
uin	222797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>The British Government’s position on human rights is a matter of public record. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) country of concern because of the human rights situation in the country, particularly the use of the death penalty, access to justice, women’s rights, restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. The UK condemns the use of torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. We regularly make our views known including through the UN Universal Periodic Review process and the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We maintain a regular dialogue with the Saudi Arabian authorities on a range of human rights issues.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 14:19:49 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

176915

registered interest
date	30/01/2015
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	Saudi Arabia
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 the Government has made to the government of Saudi Arabia in support of the release of Waleed Abulkhair from prison in that country.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Ian Austin
uin	222806
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>We are aware of the case of Walid abu Al-Khair and follow it closely. We will continue to maintain a regular dialogue with the Saudi authorities on a range of human rights issues, including of human rights defenders. While our Embassy officials in Riyadh have had some contact with human rights defenders, it is often the view of defenders that involvement with foreign representatives and organisations can make their task of pressing for reform harder.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 14:22:30 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1511 label Biography information for Lord Austin of Dudley

176636

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
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	South Sudan
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current assessment of the situation in South Sudan; and what actions they are taking to work with religious leaders to promote reconciliation in the current civil war there.
tabling member printed	Lord Boateng
uin	HL4545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text We remain deeply concerned by the situation in South Sudan. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced and thousands killed. We welcome the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) agreement of 1 February between the parties to the conflict but this needs to be implemented and a transitional government formed. Throughout the peace negotiations we have been clear that any transitional government must listen to the diverse range of voices that exist within South Sudan including the important role that religious leaders can have in the reconciliation process. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 05/02/2015 15:22:52 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	147 label Biography information for Lord Boateng

176650

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
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	UK Membership of EU
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that it is in the interest of the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union.
tabling member printed	Lord Tebbit
uin	HL4559
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>Membership of the EU brings the UK many benefits, including jobs and investment and a strong collective negotiating voice to negotiate free trade agreements. But the British Government is clear that the EU must reform to make it more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 05/02/2015 15:25:48 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	952 label Biography information for Lord Tebbit

176771

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
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	Yemen
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) UK and (b) locally-engaged personnel are working for the UK Government in Yemen.
tabling member constituency	Leicester East
tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
uin	222649
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text <p>The safety and security of our staff overseas is our priority. I should like to assure the right hon. Member that due to the fluid political and security situation in Yemen we regularly review our staffing levels. But for security reasons we do not comment on staff numbers.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 14:14:14 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

176772

registered interest
date	29/01/2015
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	Yemen
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of British passport holders in Yemen.
tabling member constituency	Leicester East
tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
uin	222650
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2015 answer text 114 British nationals have contacted the Embassy to inform us that they are in Yemen, but there may also be other British Nationals in Yemen who have not done so. Since March 2011 we have consistently advised against all travel to Yemen and that any British Nationals in Yemen should leave. Our travel advice is clear that the British Government will not be able to evacuate British nationals if they remain in Yemen against this advice. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/02/2015 14:18:00 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz