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419064

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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: Referendums
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the EU on ensuring that local authorities are not unduly influenced to publish material supporting a vote to remain a member of the EU.
tabling member constituency	Clacton
tabling member printed	Mr Douglas Carswell
uin	10393
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>Under the terms of the draft Referendum Bill, local authorities will be subject to the same statutory restrictions on what they can publish in the final 28 days of the campaign as other public bodies. Both ministers and officials have discussed the UK referendum with the European Commission. The European Commission has informed us that they view the referendum as a matter for the British people, and do not intend to take part in the campaign.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 12/10/2015 15:00:16 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	1527 label Biography information for Mr Douglas Carswell

419099

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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	Middle East
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 meetings he has had with (a) Israeli and (b) Palestinian officials in the last year; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	10499
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>In the last year, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has held three meetings with Israel officials and two meetings with Palestinian officials. He also visited Israel and the OPTs in July 2015. I have also held numerous meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, and visited the region last October.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 12/10/2015 13:24:50 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

419100

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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	Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council
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 for the next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council to take place.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Dr Paul Monaghan
uin	10436
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>The next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council will take place in London in the week beginning 30 November 2015.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 12/10/2015 13:11:27 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4383 label Biography information for Dr Paul Monaghan

419101

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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	Sri Lanka: Politics and Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to strengthen democracy and parliamentary oversight in Sri Lanka.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	10440
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>Through our bilateral support to Sri Lanka, we are seeking to strengthen democracy, improve good governance and the rule of law. We funded a programme of voter education and support to domestic election observers during the January and August elections at a cost of £120,000. Staff from the British High Commission in Colombo were involved in the EU Election Observer Mission both in the run up to and on the day of the 17 August parliamentary elections.</p><p>We are working closely with others, including the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, on building the capacity of the new Parliament and on strengthening political parties. We welcome the involvement of UK Parliamentarians, including the recent visit of my hon. Friend, in supporting this work.</p><p>Our spending on democracy related projects this year will be around £200,000. We are also supporting a project to provide training to local media in investigative journalism techniques, which should help strengthen freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 12/10/2015 14:51:04 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

419102

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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	Somalia: Politics and Government
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 effect on the security situation in Somalia of al Shabaab's seizure of Buqda.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	10478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>We assess that the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM’s) withdrawal from Buqda, and its consequent re-occupation by Al Shabaab, will have little impact on the security situation in Somalia, given Buqda’s limited strategic importance within the context of the overall AMISOM campaign.</p><p>AMISOM and Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) have regained 75% of the territory formerly controlled by Al-Shabaab, forcing it out of many of its traditional strongholds, including major urban centres and its former headquarters in Baraawe. The current AMISOM offensive is designed to remove Al Shabaab from their strong holds in the Gedo, Bakool and Bay regions of Somalia. But Al Shabaab still holds ground in the lower Juba Valley and retains the ability to infiltrate other areas and cause instability.</p><p>We continue to support African Union and SNSF efforts to defeat Al Shabaab, including through the provision of stipends, training, equipment and infrastructure enhancements, and capacity-building. We are also supporting stabilisation and countering violent extremism efforts, including working with the Federal Government of Somalia to develop counter-terrorism legislation.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 12/10/2015 13:15:11 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

419104

registered interest
date	16/09/2015
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	Somalia: Al Shabaab
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 reports his Department has received of al Shabaab's activities in the lower Shabelle region of Somalia.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	10495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2015 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives a wide range of reporting on Somalia from our Embassy in Mogadishu and other actors on the ground, including the United Nations and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the media and other open sources. Reporting shows that Al Shabaab continues vigorously to contest the lower Shabelle region. Recent Al Shabaab activities have included the re-occupation of Janaale and Kurtenwarey (alongside the continuing occupation of Jilib) following tactical AMISOM withdrawals from these smaller, more isolated positions in order to consolidate forces and focus offensive efforts elsewhere. These attacks and Al Shabaab’s ability to conduct asymmetric attacks elsewhere in the country – targeting the Federal Government of Somalia, Somali security forces, AMISOM and members of the international community – highlight the significant threat that it continues to pose to Somalia’s security.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 12/10/2015 13:16:12 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

418923

registered interest
date	15/09/2015
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	Colombia: Venezuela
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 reports he has received on the situation along the Colombia-Venezuela border.
tabling member constituency	Sleaford and North Hykeham
tabling member printed	Stephen Phillips
uin	10333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2015 answer text <p>On 19 August, Venezuelan authorities closed part of the border with Colombia and declared a State of Exception (SoE) in some municipalities. The SoE now includes municipalities in the states of Zulia, Apure and Táchira and the border is now closed in five out of six of Colombia’s departments. The Colombian Ministry of Defence reported that, on 13 September, unauthorised Venezuelan military aircraft entered Colombian airspace. Our Embassies in Bogotá and Caracas are monitoring the situation closely.</p><p> </p><p>The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian affairs reported that over 20,000 Colombians have left Venezuela in four weeks, over 1,500 of whom were deported. There are ongoing reports of humanitarian concerns, that many of those deported have had their houses destroyed and there have been other complaints of serious mistreatment.</p><p> </p><p>I welcome the talks between the two governments’ respective Foreign Ministers, sponsored by Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), on 12 September, and the announcement that President Santos and President Maduro have agreed to hold bilateral talks. I hope that a diplomatic solution can be found to end the current crisis.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 22/09/2015 15:51:56 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4054 label Biography information for Stephen Phillips

418925

registered interest
date	15/09/2015
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	Central African Republic: Elections
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is giving to the Central African Republic to help ensure safe, fair and transparent elections in that country next month.
tabling member constituency	Oxford East
tabling member printed	Mr Andrew Smith
uin	10326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2015 answer text <p>Following the President of the National Transition Council’s call for a new electoral timetable in his closing speech to the National Assembly on 31 August, elections will not go ahead in the Central African Republic (CAR) in October 2015. CAR’s Electoral Authority will now produce a new electoral timetable. Free, fair and inclusive elections are crucial for the Central African Republic’s future stability and progress towards reconciliation. The UK welcomes the Central African Republic’s Constitutional Court ruling that all citizens of the Central African Republic, including internally displaced people and refugees in neighbouring countries, have the right to vote in upcoming elections and is pleased that electoral registration has now begun in neighbouring countries. The UK is supportive of an EU Electoral Observation Mission to the Central African Republic, subject to further discussions in Brussels later this year.</p> answering member constituency Welwyn Hatfield answering member printed Grant Shapps question first answered 21/09/2015 13:31:19 answering member 1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps
tabling member	95 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Smith

418927

registered interest
date	15/09/2015
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: Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the main conclusions were of his Department's recent discussions with the Saudi Arabian government on the persecution of Christians in that country.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	10270
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2015 answer text <p>The British Government’s position on human rights in Saudi Arabia is a matter of public record. We regularly make our views well known, including through the UN Universal Periodic Review process and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We continue to raise human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 22/09/2015 15:12:49 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

418928

registered interest
date	15/09/2015
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	Turkey: Kurds
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 made to the Turkish government on achieving a truce between Turkish armed forces and Kurdish militants.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	10271
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2015 answer text <p>We have made clear, in our communication with the Turkish Government, the importance of finding a way back to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the wider region. The UK condemns the PKK’s ( Kurdistan Workers' Party) recent attacks in Turkey, as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed. We have called on the PKK to cease this violence. I raised these issues in a meeting with my Turkish counterpart on 14 August, and in my statement on 9 September. I also made these points to the co-chair of the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party), Selahattin Demirtaş, on 25 August.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 21/09/2015 14:07:59 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon