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438097

registered interest
date	14/12/2015
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	The Gambia: Civil Society
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding support the British (a) Council and (b) Embassy in The Gambia provides to civil society organisations in that country.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	20007
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2015 answer text <p>Over the past two financial years, the British Embassy in The Gambia has provided funding support to civil society organisations totalling £81,965. This funding has focused on ten projects relating to human rights, good governance, education, health and disease prevention and environmental conservation. The funding is part of the Embassy’s Bilateral Programme Fund and comes under Overseas Development Assistance. There is no British Council in The Gambia.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 17/12/2015 13:15:46 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

438098

registered interest
date	14/12/2015
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	The Gambia: 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 recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in The Gambia.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	20008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2015 answer text <p>The UK remains concerned about The Gambia’s human rights record. We are the only EU Member State with a resident Ambassador and have a leading role in pressing the Gambian government for improved respect for human rights. We welcome some recent positive steps taken by President Jammeh, such as banning Female Genital Mutilation and the unconditional release of over 300 prisoners – including 60 high profile political prisoners. However, more needs to be done. Through our bilateral dialogue, and alongside EU partners, we will continue to make clear to the Government of The Gambia the need for further progress on its human rights record.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 17/12/2015 13:18:51 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady

437367

registered interest
date	11/12/2015
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	Torture
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 his Department's Policy paper, UN Human Rights Council: United Kingdom 2017-2019 candidate, published on 9 December 2015, for what reason reference to the prevention of torture included in previous candidature policy papers was omitted from that policy paper.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	19757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2015 answer text <p>Our UN pledges reflect our enduring commitment to promoting universal human rights. Our work to prevent torture globally is intrinsic to this. Our pledges renew the UK’s commitment to encourage the ratification and implementation of core UN human rights instruments - this includes the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and its Optional Protocol. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said, “torture is always wrong”. We continue to call on all states to set up meaningful national preventative mechanisms to put an end to all use of torture and remain committed to torture prevention work globally as evidenced by the launch of the new edition of the Torture Reporting Handbook on 24 September.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 16/12/2015 17:43:52 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

437154

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by his Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Mr Mark Hendrick
uin	19651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2015 answer text <p>Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers aim to respond to all correspondence from Honourable Members within 20 working days of receipt. However, due to the complex nature of certain items of correspondence, it is not always possible to meet this deadline.</p><p>FCO Ministers responded to around 81 per cent of correspondence from parliamentarians between 1 January and 30 September 2015 within 20 working days. During this period, FCO Ministers sent a total of 5702 letters to Members of Parliament, Peers and Members of the Public.</p><p>Detailed information on the average time taken to respond to correspondence is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 16/12/2015 16:48:41 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington previous answer version 35754 answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

437155

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Members: Correspondence
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 reply to the letter of 26 November 2015 from the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West regarding mass executions in Saudi Arabia.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
uin	19623
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2015 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) received the letter from the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Margaret Ferrier) on 27 November 2015. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) will respond to the hon. Member by 24 December.</p><p>FCO Ministers aim to respond to all correspondence from Members of this House, both written and electronic, within 20 working days of receipt, in line with Cabinet Office guidance.</p><p><br>https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441892/Cabinet_Office_Guidance_on_correspondence.pdf</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 15/12/2015 18:05:03 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

437156

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Diplomatic Service: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which UK embassies have a human rights adviser on their staff.
tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
tabling member printed	Andy Slaughter
uin	19577
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2015 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) 2014 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report stated that we have an estimated 240 full-time equivalents who work directly on human rights. That number included two contracted Human Rights Advisers within the Human Rights and Democracy Department in London, and two Human Rights Advisers at the UK Mission in Geneva. However, as the Foreign Secretary explained in his Independent article on 10 December, [http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/promoting-human-rights-is-not-about-who-can-shout-the-loudest-a6767386.html], human rights work is not just the preserve of a few specialised staff but the responsibility of all British diplomats and an important part of the training our staff receive.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 15/12/2015 18:03:17 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

437157

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Dogs: Meat
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 received from diplomatic representatives in the UK of states where the trade of dog meat for consumption is active subsequent to the debate in the House on the dog meat trade of 5 November 2015.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	19548
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2015 answer text <p>Since the debate on 5 November my Department has not received any representations from any diplomatic missions in the UK on the dog meat trade, nor have Ministers made representations to their counterparts abroad. As highlighted during the debate by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), I am contacting our Ambassadors in the countries concerned to review our activities in this area.</p><p>The Government is committed to raising the standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. I raised animal welfare issues during my visit to the region in February and will continue to make representations when appropriate.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire grouped question UIN 19549 19550 question first answered 15/12/2015 17:51:06 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

437158

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Dogs: Meat
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 Ministers have made to their counterparts abroad or to their diplomatic representatives in the UK on the practice of consuming and selling dog meat for consumption subsequent to the debate in the House on the dog meat trade of 5 November 2015.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	19549
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2015 answer text <p>Since the debate on 5 November my Department has not received any representations from any diplomatic missions in the UK on the dog meat trade, nor have Ministers made representations to their counterparts abroad. As highlighted during the debate by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), I am contacting our Ambassadors in the countries concerned to review our activities in this area.</p><p>The Government is committed to raising the standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. I raised animal welfare issues during my visit to the region in February and will continue to make representations when appropriate.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire grouped question UIN 19548 19550 question first answered 15/12/2015 17:51:06 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

437159

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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	Dogs: Meat
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 has taken or plans to take on the practice of consuming and selling dog meat for consumption in addition to the steps he set out in the debate in the House on the dog meat trade of 5 November 2015.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	19550
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2015 answer text <p>Since the debate on 5 November my Department has not received any representations from any diplomatic missions in the UK on the dog meat trade, nor have Ministers made representations to their counterparts abroad. As highlighted during the debate by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), I am contacting our Ambassadors in the countries concerned to review our activities in this area.</p><p>The Government is committed to raising the standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. I raised animal welfare issues during my visit to the region in February and will continue to make representations when appropriate.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire grouped question UIN 19548 19549 question first answered 15/12/2015 17:51:06 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

437160

registered interest
date	10/12/2015
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: Military Intervention
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 issue a response to Early Day Motion 846, Use of explosive weapons and human rights violations in Yemen.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow North
tabling member printed	Patrick Grady
uin	19536
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2015 answer text <p>We are aware of reports on alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Coalition, including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian, including child casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, and take these very seriously. We have regularly raised our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities and received assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with Saudi Arabia on those assurances and have offered advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL.</p><p>We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh and pro-government forces, including attacks on civilians in Aden and Taiz; intimidation of UN ships attempting to dock at Aden; the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes; the use of child soldiers; and the targeting of aid workers and restrictions on humanitarian access. We have also raised the importance of compliance with IHL with the Houthis.</p><p>The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. All exports of arms and controlled military goods to Saudi Arabia are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Licensing Criteria.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 17/12/2015 13:51:05 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4432 label Biography information for Patrick Grady