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423320

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	China: 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 assessment his Department has made of developments in the human rights situation in China since March 2015.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	12932
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and report on it regularly through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. The latest update was published on 15 July and outlines a range of developments from January to June this year.</p><p>Whilst we recognise the improvements China has made to social and economic rights, we continue to have concerns about a range of restrictions to civil and political rights. The operating space for civil society groups is shrinking, and over 200 lawyers have been detained or questioned since July. We regularly raise our concerns with China, both through the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue and through bilateral meetings, and will continue to do so. We also work through international fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council, to highlight our concerns.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 13:16:26 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

423321

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	China: Religious Freedom
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 level of freedom of religion or belief in Xinjiang Province.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	12933
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>Freedom of religion or belief remains one of the Government’s top priorities and we are dedicated to its promotion and protection around the world. We remain concerned in particular by the restrictions placed on their right to celebrate Ramadan and wear Islamic dress. We raise this issue regularly with the Chinese authorities, and did so in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year. We will continue to raise this issue.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 13:30:35 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

423322

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	China: 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, whether his Department has requested that the Chinese government discloses the number of executions taking place in China.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	12934
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>The UK is against the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and we are committed to encouraging its global abolition. China has recently renewed the number of crimes punishable by death from 55 to 46, but it is still believed to be the biggest implementer of the death penalty with numbers estimated in the low thousands.</p><p>We continue to raise this issue with Chinese authorities and did so in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April. We have not asked China to disclose the full number of executions but instead focus our lobbying on urging China to reduce its use and ratify relevant international treaties – such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A transparent legal system and reforms in the rule of law will go some way to helping China in this respect, and we will continue to encourage China to make positive developments in these areas.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 13:34:32 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

423323

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	China: Prisoners
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 prisoners of conscience in China have been visited by UK diplomatic staff during 2015.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	12935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>We closely monitor the human rights situation in China and report on individual cases of concern through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. Working with international partners, UK officials talk to a wide range of human rights defenders. Sometimes it is not possible to meet an individual in person because they are in detention or under house arrest. In these cases, UK officials frequently work with family members and lawyers to maintain contact. We continue to raise cases of concern with the Chinese authorities, including during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 13:45:13 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

423324

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	China: International Covenant on Civil and Political 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 discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on that country's ratification of the International Covenant on civil and political rights.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	12936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>We have regular discussions with the Chinese authorities on a range of human rights issues, and have raised China’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on numerous occasions. We last discussed this in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year, and also raised it at China’s most recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2013.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 13:47:21 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

423329

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	Zimbabwe: 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 his most recent assessment is of the political situation in Zimbabwe.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	12945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2015 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Since the 2013 elections, our assessment of the political situation in Zimbabwe remains broadly the same, with 2015 signalling some positive developments. Within the Zimbabwe African National Union administration there are signs of reformist policies beginning to emerge, especially on the economy. The human rights situation has remained relatively stable and reported violations continue to fall. However, the situation continues to be fragile and we remain concerned about human rights abuses, especially during election periods. Ahead of the 2018 elections, it is critical that electoral reforms are implemented, and that the international community supports the people of Zimbabwe in exercising their democratic right to build a free, peaceful and prosperous future.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Runnymede and Weybridge answering member printed Mr Philip Hammond question first answered 28/10/2015 12:22:55 answering member 105 label Biography information for Lord Hammond of Runnymede previous answer version 26058 answering member constituency Runnymede and Weybridge answering member printed Mr Philip Hammond answering member 105 label Biography information for Lord Hammond of Runnymede
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

423337

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	Qatar: Migrant Workers
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) the deaths of migrant construction workers engaged on building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup or (b) the kafala system of sponsoring migrant workers was raised by the Government during the Qatar-UK Sharaka bilateral dialogue in London on 15 October 2015.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
uin	13106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>The Qatar-UK Sharaka bilateral dialogue included agreement on security cooperation and engagement around investment. We also agreed to work closely together to resolve ongoing conflicts in the region, tackle terrorism and counter extremism, in particular tackling the threat posed by ISIL. The issue of migrant workers was not included in the agenda for the meeting. The British Government takes seriously the issue of health and safety of construction workers building all infrastructure projects in the Gulf, including Qatar. We expect FIFA to do the same with regard to specific World Cup related projects. British officials promote the importance of local construction projects meeting international safety standards with their Qatari counterparts. I have had a number of discussions on human rights and the working conditions of foreign workers with my direct Qatari counterparts.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/10/2015 15:24:12 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

423338

registered interest
date	22/10/2015
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	Ray Whelan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether contact was made between officials at the British Embassy in Brazil and the Brazilian government regarding the arrest of Ray Whelan in Rio de Janerio in July 2014; and whether the UK made any offers to assist the Brazilian authorities with their investigation into Mr Whelan.
tabling member constituency	Folkestone and Hythe
tabling member printed	Damian Collins
uin	13107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2015 answer text <p>The British Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro provided routine consular assistance to Mr Whelan following his arrest in July 2014. This included contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Brazilian Civil Police to request information at the time of his arrest. The Consulate also requested routine prison visits for Mr Whelan’s family from the Prison Administration Secretary. National Crime Agency representatives in Brazil did discuss the case with the Brazilian authorities, but did not open an investigation.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 27/10/2015 15:54:43 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins

422943

registered interest
date	21/10/2015
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	Russia: 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, what representations he has received from his Russian counterpart on Russian military operations in Syria and Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	12900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received a number of representations from the Russian Government regarding military operations in Syria and Iraq. Most recently, the Russian Ambassador to the UK met FCO officials on 8 October 2015.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 26/10/2015 16:46:48 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

422945

registered interest
date	21/10/2015
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	Libya: 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 he has made of the progress towards the establishment of a government in Libya; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	North Down
tabling member printed	Lady Hermon
uin	12906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2015 answer text <p>We welcomed the announcement on 8 October by UN Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino Léon, of details of the final political settlement. A political settlement remains the best way to create the environment in which the Government of National Accord can bring peace and security to the Libyan people, regenerate the Libyan economy, and effectively tackle the terrorist threat. It is therefore disappointing that the House of Representatives failed to take a decision on the political agreement on 19 October. We will continue to urge all parties to the talks to seize this moment by endorsing and signing the political agreement as soon as possible, and to quickly realise the establishment of a Government of National Accord.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/10/2015 17:10:43 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1437 label Biography information for Lady Hermon