Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member
tabling member	label

Search

1226027

registered interest
date	17/07/2020
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	Development Aid: Gender
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's aid was targeted to projects with gender equality as a (a) principal objective, (b) significant objective and (c) not-gender related in each of the last 5 years.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	75998
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2020 answer text <p>The UK's Gender Equality Act 2014 (an amendment to 2002 International Development Act, IDA) requires all overseas development funding to consider the impact of how it will contribute to reducing gender inequality. The UK Aid Strategy prioritises the rights of women and girls under its fourth strategic goal of tacking extreme poverty and helping the world's most vulnerable. The FCO support a number of Official Development Assistance programmes targeted at promoting girls' education, empowering women peacebuilders and supporting female survivors of sexual violence in conflict. The programmes include lobbying efforts encouraging foreign governments to prioritise girls' education reforms, financial support for women mediator organisations, capacity building programmes for female judges and women peacebuilders and consultations with survivors of sexual violence.</p><p>Additional information on the FCO's ODA programmes can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-development-assistance-fco-programme-spend.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 22/07/2020 16:21:35 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1218883

registered interest
date	29/06/2020
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 and Commonwealth Office: Staff
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 support departmental staff affected by the proposed merging of his Department and the Department for International Development.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	66012
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2020 answer text <p>Merging the departments will mean changes for how teams are structured, and some roles and responsibilities will change. This work will take place over the coming months, and we are engaging fully with staff throughout this process. The full details of the merger will be set out in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rochford and Southend East answering member printed James Duddridge question first answered 06/07/2020 14:54:28 answering member 1559 label Biography information for Sir James Duddridge previous answer version 34345 answering member constituency Braintree answering member printed James Cleverly answering member 4366
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1173225

registered interest
date	24/01/2020
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	China: Uyghurs
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 the Answer of 17 October 2019 to question 261 on China: Uighurs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that items for sale in the UK do not originate from sources that use forced labour; and which agency is tasked with investigating suspicions of slavery in supply chains.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	7608
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>As I mentioned in my answer of 17 October 2019, the UK Government is taking steps to ensure goods sold in the UK do not originate from sources that use forced labour. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works closely with the Home Office in helping companies and industry stakeholders understand their risks overseas, and officials continue to monitor the situation in China.</p><p>The Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, and has made tackling modern slavery a foreign policy priority. The Home Office have responsibility for ensuring compliance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which obliges certain commercial organisations to publish a modern slavery statement for each financial year. The requirement to publish annual statements is designed to drive progress against long-term strategies, to assess risks and identify priority areas for business improvement. As the published statutory guidance sets out, the Modern Slavery Act emphasises a transparency-focused approach rather than investigations of due diligence.</p><p>The Home Office has written twice to the CEOs of companies identified as in scope of the legislation with clear information about how to meet their obligations. Following an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act the Home Office has also consulted on proposals to strengthen the legislation and introduce new enforcement powers. The Home Office is currently analysing the responses to this consultation and will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler grouped question UIN 7609 question first answered 29/01/2020 15:14:39 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1173226

registered interest
date	24/01/2020
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	Modern Slavery Act 2015
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 the Answer of 17 October 2019 to Question 261 on China: Uighurs, which body oversees compliance by companies with the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and how many companies that body has investigated in respect of providing (a) misleading and (b) insufficient evidence in their modern slavery statements.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	7609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>As I mentioned in my answer of 17 October 2019, the UK Government is taking steps to ensure goods sold in the UK do not originate from sources that use forced labour. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works closely with the Home Office in helping companies and industry stakeholders understand their risks overseas, and officials continue to monitor the situation in China.</p><p>The Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, and has made tackling modern slavery a foreign policy priority. The Home Office have responsibility for ensuring compliance with Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which obliges certain commercial organisations to publish a modern slavery statement for each financial year. The requirement to publish annual statements is designed to drive progress against long-term strategies, to assess risks and identify priority areas for business improvement. As the published statutory guidance sets out, the Modern Slavery Act emphasises a transparency-focused approach rather than investigations of due diligence.</p><p>The Home Office has written twice to the CEOs of companies identified as in scope of the legislation with clear information about how to meet their obligations. Following an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act the Home Office has also consulted on proposals to strengthen the legislation and introduce new enforcement powers. The Home Office is currently analysing the responses to this consultation and will respond in due course.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler grouped question UIN 7608 question first answered 29/01/2020 15:14:40 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1149030

registered interest
date	14/10/2019
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: Forced Labour
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 reports that forced labour linked to mass detentions in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been used to produce cotton for export, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that cotton products on sale in the UK did not originate in prison camps in Xinjiang.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	261
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2019 answer text <p>The UK is taking steps to ensure products on sale in the UK do not originate from sources that use forced labour. The UK is also committed to ending modern slavery and forced labour by 2030, as unanimously adopted in the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and jointly launched the ‘Principles to Combat Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains’ with the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand at the UN General Assembly in September 2018.</p><p>Further, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires applicable commercial organisations to publish a modern slavery statement for each financial year of their organisation. It applies to all commercial organisations which carry on a business, or part of a business, in the UK, supply goods or services and have an annual turnover of £36m or more. The modern slavery statement must set out what steps they have taken during the financial year to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in their supply chains and in their own organisation.</p><p>We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang where there are credible reports of over a million Uyghurs and other minorities being detained in so called “re-education camps”, along with widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at minorities.</p><p>​</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 17/10/2019 13:59:32 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

390294

registered interest
date	15/07/2015
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	Burma: Defence
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 Burmese counterpart on that country's increased spending on its military.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	7225
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2015 answer text <p>While I have not discussed the rise in spending on Burmese military with my counterpart specifically, the level of spending on the military in Burma is of concern. The main focus of our engagement with the Burmese military is on their adherence to the core principles of democratic accountability, international law and human rights, and I have raised these issues on numerous occasions, including with the Commander-in-Chief directly in January 2014.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 21/07/2015 10:19:37 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire previous answer version 16145 answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

227812

registered interest
date	17/03/2015
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	Burma: Rohingya
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 has taken in response to the Burmese government's refusal to investigate possible violations of international law in relation to the Rohingya in Burma.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	227886
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2015 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Rakhine State. Our approach is to seek an end to all human rights violations by encouraging a resolution of the underlying tensions. We have also made clear to the government of Burma that allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with through a clear, independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. This call was repeated in a UK co-sponsored Resolution in the UN General Assembly in November 2014. We have also put on record our view that an independent investigation, supported by appropriate technical assistance, would make a significant contribution to accountability and reconciliation. <br><br>We worked with international partners to develop a strong country resolution on Burma at the UN Human Rights Council in March last year, which calls on the Burmese government to tackle the situation in Rakhine and renewed the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma. We welcome her recent report and its constructive recommendations on Rakhine.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 24/03/2015 15:51:35 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

78474

registered interest
date	16/07/2014
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	Burma
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 raise with the government of Burma reported threats that ethnic Rohingya identifying themselves as such in the census could face arrest.
tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
uin	206292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2014 answer text <p>We have not received reports of anyone facing arrest for identifying themselves as Rohingya in Burma’s census; the enumeration period is now over. However, we were deeply disappointed that during the census the Burmese government went against its long-standing assurance that all individuals would have the right to self-identify their ethnic origin. We have been clear that this decision is in contravention of international norms and standards on census conduct. I discussed our concerns on the census with the senior Burmese minister responsible, Immigration Minister U Khin Yi, in March, and summoned the Burmese Ambassador in April. <br> <br>The UK, UN and other donors have been in dialogue with the Burmese government and community groups throughout the preparation, enumeration and now the data analysis and dissemination stages of the census. We have been absolutely clear that we want to see as peaceful, credible and complete a process as possible, with the anticipated risks carefully managed.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 21/07/2014 14:21:51 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi