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1192713

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	USA: 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 he is taking to reach a reciprocal agreement with the United States to ensure that UK citizens in that country whose visas have expired or are about to expire are granted the same concessions as those enjoyed, for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic, by US citizens visiting the UK.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	42866
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK is in regular contact at the highest levels with our US partners on our joint response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, including discussions on how to enable travelling nationals to return home where necessary.</p><p>For UK citizens in the US on non-immigration visas, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are accepting timely extension of stay (EOS) or change in status (COS) applications. The granting of either status will allow UK citizens whose visas have expired to lawfully remain in the US for an agreed period of time. More information can be found on the USCIS website.</p><p>UK citizens currently in the US on an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa are able to apply for Satisfactory Departure from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This discretionary authority permits USCIS and CBP to extend an ESTA admission for a period not to exceed 30 days.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 11/05/2020 16:53:49 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1192729

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	South China Sea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the harassment of the West Capella, a ship operated by a UK-registered company.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
uin	42987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The British Government's position is to oppose any action which raises tensions in the South China Sea. We regularly make this position clear to the Chinese authorities and encourage all parties, including China, to settle their disputes peacefully through the existing legal mechanisms, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and to uphold existing Arbitration rulings.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 11/05/2020 13:18:00 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1192731

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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	Colombia: Peace Negotiations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on peace talks with the National Liberation Army; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	43152
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK remains extremely concerned about the continued activity of illegal armed groups in Colombia, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the impact their violence has on Colombian society - even more so at this challenging time. We noted the unilateral ceasefire declared by the ELN on 30 March at a UN Security Council meeting on 14 April and hoped it would facilitate efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as potentially representing a positive step towards peace. We regret that this ceasefire has not been renewed by the ELN.</p><p>The UK has reaffirmed its unwavering support to the Colombian authorities as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia, and has reiterated the importance of pressing ahead with work to consolidate peace and build stability. At the same time, the UK, alongside international partners, has continued to urge the ELN to end its campaign of violence and to play a part in bringing an end to this conflict.</p><p>The UK has been vocal in expressing our concern about the effect the activity of armed groups has on the future of peace in Colombia. We regularly raise these issues with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on this issue at the UN Security Council on 14 April, and we consistently press the Colombian Government to focus on extending the rule of law to all parts of the country.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 11/05/2020 13:22:12 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1192733

registered interest
date	04/05/2020
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 criteria the Government uses to prioritise the repatriation of constituents stranded overseas.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	43202
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 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><p>In many countries, commercial flights have also continued to operate and have been able to return British nationals to the UK. We are working with host governments to keep flights running and airspace open where possible for this to continue to happen.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 11/05/2020 16:23:26 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

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

1192095

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, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments were undertaken in respect of security, justice and policing support to Saudi Arabia in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020; how many of those OSJA assessments were approved; and which Ministers approved each of those OSJA assessments.
tabling member constituency	Stirling
tabling member printed	Alyn Smith
uin	42184
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2020 answer text <p>HMG currently has 10 Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments (OSJAs) for ongoing security activity in Saudi Arabia. Collecting information on historic OSJAs across Government will take more time. OSJAs are owned by several departments. Due to the confidential nature of our cooperation we cannot share information beyond this. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2020 is not leading any programmes, and therefore has no OSJAs.</p> answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly question first answered 13/05/2020 15:37:12 answering member 4366 label Biography information for James Cleverly previous answer version 19487 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

1192210

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	Coronavirus: Disinformation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic steps he is taking to help tackle disinformation on the covid-19 pandemic internationally.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	41974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>Transparency and accuracy of information is essential for an effective global response to the pandemic. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is leading the UK's cross government effort to address disinformation and misinformation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is supporting this effort. We are helping to identify disinformation narratives about the UK from foreign actors. We are working with international partners to better understand the scale, scope and impact of disinformation and help shield our citizens so they can get the right information to protect themselves and save lives. We are building international cooperation among like-minded nations to enable us to tackle the threat of disinformation.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 12/05/2020 15:13:55 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith