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1193323

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
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	Human Rights: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by governments overseas on human rights standards in those countries.
tabling member printed	Lord Hain
uin	HL3864
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>We are concerned by reports that some governments are using the current crisis to fail to comply with their human rights obligations. On 9 April, the UK participated in the UN Human Rights Council's first ever virtual conversation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Discussion focused on the human rights implications of the COVID-19 crisis; both the immediate impact of the response on human rights around the world, and the social and economic consequences, including the prospect of greater inequality. In his statement to the Council, our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stressed the importance of ensuring that parliaments, media and civil society all play their role to scrutinise the actions of governments and international agencies, and that we make use of the international human rights frameworks. The British Government remains committed to standing up for human rights and the rule of law in all circumstances.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 11/05/2020 11:12:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	567 label Biography information for Lord Hain

1192083

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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 Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus
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 support British nationals overseas whose visas have expired during the lockdown period; and what recent discussions his Department has had with its overseas counterparts on ensuring that those British nationals are not unfairly sanctioned by those states.
tabling member constituency	Stourbridge
tabling member printed	Suzanne Webb
uin	42208
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2020 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has lobbied countries across the globe to ensure that British nationals who are waiting to be repatriated are not regarded as over-stayers and will not suffer any immigration penalties. We advise British nationals who are in this position to contact the relevant immigration authority in the country in which they are located. In a number of countries, including Thailand and Indonesia, we have provided British national travellers with expiring visas with letters and information notes from the Consulate to support their visa extension requests.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 07/05/2020 15:54:37 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4802 label Biography information for Suzanne Webb

1192092

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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: Security
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) security, (b) justice and (c) policing support his Department provided to Saudi Arabia in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019 and (iii) 2020.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Alyn Smith
uin	42183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2020 answer text <p>Saudi Arabia is an important strategic partner to the UK in tackling potential security and terrorist threats to the UK and other countries. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not currently run any security, justice or policing support in Saudi Arabia. The British Government has worked with the Government of Saudi Arabia on a range of mutually beneficial security and policing priorities. All of our cooperation is subject to individual rigorous human rights risk assessments (Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments), to ensure all work meets our human rights obligations.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 07/05/2020 14:57:27 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly previous answer version 19492 answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4738 label Biography information for Alyn Smith

1192101

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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: Capital Punishment
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 Saudi Arabian counterpart on the (a) application of the Royal Decree announced 26 April 2020 to (i) Ali al Nimr, (ii) Dawood al Marhoon, (iii) Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher and (iv) all other child defendants facing the death penalty and (b) subsequent commutation of their death sentences.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Alyn Smith
uin	42185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2020 answer text <p>We welcome the decision by Saudi Arabia to end the use of the death penalty as a discretionary punishment for minors, including those under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged crime.</p><p>We remain concerned about the cases of Ali al Nimr, Dawood al Marhoon and Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher, and continue to follow them closely.</p><p>The Saudi authorities understand our position that we oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and especially in cases that involve child defendants. This position is in line with the minimum standards set out in the 2008 EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty; the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and, the Arab Charter on Human Rights.</p><p>The former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised our concerns about the death penalty with Deputy Justice Minister HE Abdullah Al Sulaimi on 11 February. The Foreign Secretary also raised our human rights concerns with Saudi Arabia during his visit in March this year.</p><p>We will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Saudi Arabia to promote the protection of all child defendants against the death penalty regardless of the crime committed. We will encourage the authorities to review death penalty judgements for all minors, or individuals who were minors when the crime was committed.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 07/05/2020 15:00:06 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly previous answer version 19485 answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4738 label Biography information for Alyn Smith

1192110

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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 Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what medical criteria his Department is using to prioritise UK nationals overseas for Government commissioned flights for repatriation.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	42161
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to help bring back British travellers to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary on 30 March - with up to £75 million available for special charter flights from priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers.</p><p>We will prioritise vulnerable British nationals most at risk from the effects of Coronavirus who normally live in the UK and are trying to return home for these flights, together with their families who normally live with them in the UK. We are giving additional consideration to the local context and the situation of the individual themselves, this can include lock-down processes in country, access to reliable healthcare, possible reduction in access to routine medication, and those at additional risk if they contract the virus, for example the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions. ​​​​​​​</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 06/05/2020 15:38:25 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1192234

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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 Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus
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 estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens stranded abroad due to the covid-19 pandemic; and where those citizens are located.
tabling member constituency	East Dunbartonshire
tabling member printed	Amy Callaghan
uin	42195
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2020 answer text <p>The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return home. Since the outbreak in Wuhan, we estimate that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes - the majority supported by our work with airlines and foreign governments to keep vital routes open. We have now brought back more than 25,000 people on 123 flights organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 24 different countries and territories.</p><p>We are aware that the number of British nationals remaining overseas is now in the low tens of thousands and our effort is focused on supporting their return as quickly and safely as possible. Over the next week we will return thousands more British nationals on charter flights from India, Nigeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, Guyana, Honduras, Ghana, Pakistan, Nigeria, and New Zealand.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 07/05/2020 14:55:54 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4770 label Biography information for Amy Callaghan

1192276

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
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 role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran’s regional activity.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent North
tabling member printed	Jonathan Gullis
uin	42210
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2020 answer text <p>We remain concerned about the destabilising activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including its financial and military support to militant and proscribed groups around the region in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions. This support directly undermines prospects for regional security and lasting peace in the region. We call on Iran urgently to cease all forms of destabilising activity and instead to play a constructive role in the region.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 06/05/2020 15:30:44 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly
tabling member	4814 label Biography information for Jonathan Gullis

1192312

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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	India: Coronavirus
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 seats on each flight from Amritsar, India have been reserved for UK citizens who have been reported to his Department as vulnerable.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	42201
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p><em>The repatriation effort from India is a priority for the UK Government and is one of our largest Covid-19 repatriation operations, based on the number of British travellers there and the absence of commercial options. The scale of the challenge is immense. </em></p><p><em>Over 12,500 people </em><em>have already returned home on UK charter flights and we continue to work day and night to return more on daily flights from across India. </em><em>7 additional charter flights from Amritsar (Punjab), due to run between 5 and 11 May, were announced on 30 April. </em><em>We reserve as many seats as possible on all flights for the most vulnerable British nationals - these are our top priority</em></p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 11/05/2020 13:16:23 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams previous answer version 19504 answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1192338

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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 Overseas Territories: Coronavirus
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 help prevent the spread of covid-19 in the UK Overseas Territories.
tabling member constituency	Morley and Outwood
tabling member printed	Andrea Jenkyns
uin	42119
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2020 answer text <p>We will always stand by the Overseas Territories. A range of government departments, led by DFID and the FCO, are supporting the Overseas Territories to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. Support includes essential medical supply, public health advice, security and access support, and financial aid to mitigate the economic impacts in the most vulnerable territories.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 07/05/2020 12:54:58 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns

1191979

registered interest
date	30/04/2020
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	Foreign Nationals: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help foreign nationals in the UK who wish to return home but who are unable to book travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
uin	HL3776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2020 answer text <p>We would advise all foreign nationals in the UK who wish to return home to contact their Consulate to find out what assistance they are able to offer. For Foreign nationals who have been working or studying in the UK they can find further information on Gov.UK Coronavirus (COVID-19): get support if you're a migrant living in the UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 06/05/2020 10:53:51 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley