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522552

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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: Prisoners
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 Bahrain on the health risks to Zainab al-Khawaja and her child in detention; and if he will press for the release of Ms al-Khawaja and her child.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	39140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>We have raised Zainab Al Khawaja’s case regularly with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels. I am pleased to inform you that shortly after the Foreign Secretary visited, Zainab Al Khawaja and her 18 month son were released from prison on 31 May.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 09/06/2016 15:26:03 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

522553

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Malawi: Albinism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the President of Malawi on the rise in albinism-related crimes in that country.
tabling member constituency	Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
tabling member printed	Corri Wilson
uin	39161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>We are concerned by reports of a rise in human rights violations against persons with albinism in Malawi. Our High Commissioner to Malawi discussed the issue during a meeting with the Malawian Foreign Minister on 27 April and also with United Nations Independent Expert on the rights of persons with Albinism Ms Ikponwosa Ero, during her visit to Malawi on 29 April. Malawian President Mutharika has condemned the attacks and ordered the perpetrators to be brought to justice. <br> <br>UN research recorded a total of 66 incidents in the last 14 months, 40% related to exhuming graveyards to collect body parts and 24% the sale of body parts by perpetrators including traditional healers. <br> <br>In a recent press conference he said attacks on albinos are barbaric and ordered security agencies to intensify actions against perpetrators. So far 69 suspects have been arrested, awaiting prosecution.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 09/06/2016 13:58:56 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4448 label Biography information for Corri Wilson

522554

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Andargachew Tsege
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the Ethiopian authorities to secure the release of British citizen Andargachew Tsege from detention in that country.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff West
tabling member printed	Kevin Brennan
uin	39178
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Mr Tsege’s case with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister during his visit to Ethiopia on 1 June 2016. The Foreign Secretary received assurances that Mr Tsege will be allowed access to independent legal advice to allow him to discuss options under the Ethiopian legal system. During the Foreign Secretary's visit, a senior Foreign Office official (travelling as part of the delegation) visited Mr Tsege in prison.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 09/06/2016 14:00:04 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	1400 label Biography information for Kevin Brennan

522555

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Egypt: National Security
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 Egyptian counterpart on the charging of Mr Mina Thabet with undermining national security.
tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
uin	39194
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>We are aware of Mr Thabet’s case and are concerned about the decreasing space for civil society to operate in Egypt. We urge the Government of Egypt to allow NGOs to operate freely.</p><p>I have raised our concerns about pressure on NGOs with the Egyptian Ambassador to London and made a statement on 22 March on this issue. My officials regularly raise our concerns with representatives from the Egyptian Government in both Cairo and London, and will continue to do so.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 09/06/2016 15:26:55 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

522558

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Armed Conflict: Schools
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 Government plans to sign the Safe Schools Declaration following the World Humanitarian Summit discussions on Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises held on 23 and 24 May 2016.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	39037
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2016 answer text <p>The UK is committed to upholding the Geneva Conventions in their entirety and expects other states to do the same. Under our International Humanitarian Law obligations the UK already affords schools and educational establishments a high degree of protection during military operations. Whilst we welcome the spirit and intention of the Safe Schools Declaration, we remain concerned that the supporting Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during armed conflict do not mirror the exact language and content of International Humanitarian Law. We have no current plans to sign the Safe Schools Declaration.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 10/06/2016 11:29:47 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

522560

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Cuba: Foreign 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 steps he is taking to improve relations between the UK and Cuba.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	38990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2016 answer text <p>Our engagement with Cuba is growing. I was the first British Minister to visit Cuba in a decade in 2014 and saw for myself Cuban efforts to reform their economy and encouraged further progress. The Secretary of State for Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond), became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Cuba since 1959 when he visited in April. Whilst there he signed a bilateral agreement restructuring Cuba's debt to the UK, as well as agreements on financial services, energy, culture and education. He also met Cuban Ministers and discussed how to improve the business environment in Cuba for British companies. These agreements build on the steadily increasing engagement between the UK and Cuba in recent years. Examples of cooperation include the joint work between the UK and Cuba to combat Ebola in Sierra Leone and a trade mission to Cuba last year, led by the nobel member the Rt Hon. The Lord Hutton of Furness and supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which saw significant progress on projects worth over £350 million.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2016 12:59:23 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

522561

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Cuba: Foreign 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 meetings he had with representatives of the Cuban government during his visit to Cuba in April 2016.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	38991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2016 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) was the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Cuba since 1959. During his visit the Foreign Secretary met Raúl Castro, President of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice-President, and Rodrigo Malmierca, Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment. The Foreign Secretary also met representatives from Cuba’s civil society.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2016 13:02:44 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

522562

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Cuba: Foreign 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 assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the bilateral EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement and the end of the common position on UK relations with Cuba.
tabling member constituency	Dundee West
tabling member printed	Chris Law
uin	38992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2016 answer text <p>Negotiation of the EU-Cuba Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) has concluded after a number of years. The PDCA will support our Cuba policy to seek greater political dialogue, increase trade and investment, strengthen cooperation and support development that benefits the Cuban people.</p><p>The 1996 Common Position was widely seen as outdated, prompting negotiations for a new agreement in the form of the PDCA. The Common position remains the basis for the EU’s policy towards Cuba.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2016 13:05:10 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4403 label Biography information for Chris Law

522565

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Egypt: 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 reports he has received on the number of people defending human rights in Egypt who are under arrest or subject to travel bans, asset freezes or intimidation.
tabling member constituency	Orkney and Shetland
tabling member printed	Mr Alistair Carmichael
uin	39059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2016 answer text <p>We are concerned about the decreasing space for civil society to operate in Egypt, including the reopening of a case against more than 30 human rights organisations. Human rights defenders have been subject to measures including questioning, travel bans and judicial applications for asset freezing against individuals and their families. Officials continue to follow the proposed asset freeze against investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat and human rights defender Gamal Eid closely.</p><p>I raised these concerns with the Egyptian Ambassador in London and made a statement on 22 March. My officials regularly raise our concerns with representatives from the Egyptian Government in both Cairo and London.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 09/06/2016 15:25:03 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1442 label Biography information for Mr Alistair Carmichael

522566

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
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	Ethiopia
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to next visit Ethiopia.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	39246
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2016 answer text <p>My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) visited Ethiopia on 1 June 2016. The Foreign Secretary keeps his visit plans under constant review.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 08/06/2016 13:58:48 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake