Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

164152

registered interest
date	21/11/2014
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	North Korea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of radio broadcasts to North Korea as a means of engagement with ordinary North Koreans on issues such as human rights.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	215562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/11/2014 answer text <p>The best available source of information on access to media devices in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a survey conducted by InterMedia as part of its 2012 report ‘A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment’. http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Opening_FINAL_InterMedia.pdf. The report includes a section on the effectiveness of radio broadcasts which is best read in context and taking into account the authors’ caveats about the report’s findings. It is clear that, for those North Koreans willing and able to take the risk of listening, cross-border radio broadcasts can provide access to information that is otherwise not available within the DPRK. There are a number of radio stations that broadcast into the DPRK for this reason. Without further information, it is difficult to quantify the effectiveness of these stations.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 28/11/2014 15:26:57 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

164153

registered interest
date	21/11/2014
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	North Korea
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 implement its objective of improving human rights in North Korea in addition to talks with counterparts in the North Korean government.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	215563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>We are maintaining pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) human rights record through international fora such as the UN Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council. Most recently this has involved working with EU colleagues and Japan to sponsor a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee and lobbying to ensure it was adopted by a significant majority, sending an important signal that the systematic and widespread human rights violations in the DPRK will no longer be ignored by the international community.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/11/2014 14:28:50 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

155470

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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	Central African Republic
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) technical and (b) financial assistance the UK plans to provide to the Central African Republic for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214361
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The UN Mission to the Central African Republic (CAR), MINUSCA, assumed responsibility for peacekeeping in CAR on 15 September. MINUSCA is funded from the UN’s Peacekeeping Budget, to which the UK is a significant contributor.</p><p>The mission’s mandate specifies that it should provide “support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former armed elements, with specific attention to children, and the repatriation of foreign elements, as well as community violence-reduction programmes”. However, the Mission remains in its early stages and has faced operational challenges due to high levels of violence across the country. Once security improves, and staff numbers increase, the UN will, with the support of the international community, begin to take forward work aimed at disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of rebel fighters.</p><p>We remain in regular contact with the MINUSCA leadership. An experienced Foreign and Commonwealth diplomat, Diane Corner, started as the UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Representative to MINUSCA on 1 September.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge grouped question UIN 214362 question first answered 18/11/2014 16:15:31 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

155471

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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	Central African Republic
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what training the UK is providing to the UN Mission troops in the Central African Republic, on (a) reporting sexual violence, (b) protection of civilians from sexual violence and (b) other issues.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The UN Mission to the Central African Republic (CAR), MINUSCA, assumed responsibility for peacekeeping in CAR on 15 September. MINUSCA is funded from the UN’s Peacekeeping Budget, to which the UK is a significant contributor.</p><p>The mission’s mandate specifies that it should provide “support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former armed elements, with specific attention to children, and the repatriation of foreign elements, as well as community violence-reduction programmes”. However, the Mission remains in its early stages and has faced operational challenges due to high levels of violence across the country. Once security improves, and staff numbers increase, the UN will, with the support of the international community, begin to take forward work aimed at disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of rebel fighters.</p><p>We remain in regular contact with the MINUSCA leadership. An experienced Foreign and Commonwealth diplomat, Diane Corner, started as the UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Representative to MINUSCA on 1 September.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge grouped question UIN 214361 question first answered 18/11/2014 16:15:31 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

155480

registered interest
date	11/11/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the issues of human rights and religious liberty in Iran were raised by Ministers and officials of his Department in their recent discussions with their counterparts in that country.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214233
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK most recently raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, including the rights of religious minorities, with the Iranian Government during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 31 October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/11/2014 14:11:09 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

147508

registered interest
date	10/11/2014
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	North Korea
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 HM Embassy in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea has had with the government of that country on the compatibility of international human rights law with domestic North Korean law.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>We take every opportunity to ensure the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) government is aware of our serious concern about the human rights situation in the DPRK, and we do specifically raise the incompatibility of its domestic law with international human rights law. On 9 October, the British Ambassador met the Deputy Director of the International Organisations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Han Tae Sung, and underlined the strength of UK concern on this issue. In July, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director for Asia Pacific visited Pyongyang and, during meetings with the DPRK government and the Workers’ Party of Korea, called for serious progress to be made in improving the human rights situation in accordance with international law. On 28 August, the British Chargé d’Affaires in Pyongyang, together with other EU heads of mission, met DPRK Foreign Minister, Ri Su Yong, who indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue with the EU on human rights, which is being pursued.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 19/11/2014 16:02:21 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

147521

registered interest
date	10/11/2014
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	North Korea
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 substantially or wholly UK-based charitable organisations and social enterprises which operate in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214137
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text <p>One UK headquartered charitable organisation, Save the Children International, has a permanent office in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Substantially or wholly UK-based charitable organisations or social enterprises operating in the DPRK are not required to make us aware of their activities. Therefore, it would be difficult to make a reliable estimate on the numbers of such organisations engaged in any sort of activity in DPRK.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 19/11/2014 15:58:26 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

147547

registered interest
date	10/11/2014
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
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 officials in his Department have had with the Iranian government on Iran's compliance with Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (a) in general and (b) with reference to the reported comments on 6 October 2014 by Ali Yamesi, the adviser to President Rouhani on religious and ethnic minorities, on the illegality of religious conversion in Iran.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	214045
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2014 answer text The right to freedom of religion or belief, including the right to change one’s faith or beliefs, is a right which is enshrined in international human rights law. The UK government has consistently urged the Iranian government to respect the rights of all minority religious groups, in line with their international commitments. The UK last raised our concerns about freedom of religion in Iran during our inputs in Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires to Iran also raised the issue of freedom of religion with Iranian human rights officials during a visit to Iran in March 2014. answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 19/11/2014 14:22:17 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

114653

registered interest
date	05/11/2014
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	North Korea
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 the Government is taking to implement Recommendation 1224 of the report from the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (A/HRC/ 25/ CRP.1), in light of paragraph 39 of the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (A/HRC/26/43).
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	213481
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p>Paragraph 1224 of the Commission of Inquiry’s report (A/HRC/25/CRP.1) recommends that states and others should provide more support for the work of civil society organisations to improve the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), including efforts to document violations and to broadcast accessible information into each country. In paragraph 39 of his June 2014 report (A/HRC/26/43) the Special Rapporteur notes that the Human Rights Council called on all parties concerned, including United Nations bodies, to consider implementation of the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry. The Rapporteur also says that he interprets “all parties concerned” as all-encompassing.</p><p>The UK does not disagree with this interpretation, but it is clear that different parties will have different roles with regard to individual recommendations.</p><p>The UK has previously funded projects related to the documentation of violations that have been implemented by civil society organisations based in South Korea and we remain open to funding similar projects in the future. We have also worked with international non-governmental organisations and the DPRK’s Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD) for example to improve the treatment of disabled people in the DPRK. This complements wider international efforts, like those of the US who support broadcasts into the DPRK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 17/11/2014 15:31:02 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

114782

registered interest
date	05/11/2014
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department have raised the cases of Farshid Fathi, Behnam Irani, Shahin Lahouti and other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran when in conversations with representatives of the Iranian government.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	213478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>We have not raised these cases directly with the Iranian Government, however we remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, most recently during our representations to the United Nations Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights in Iran on 31 October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/11/2014 14:58:36 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce