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170394

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Azerbaijan
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 (a) human rights record of the government of Azerbaijan and (b) compatibility of that record with (i) membership of the EU and (ii) the European Convention of Human Rights.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Northfield
tabling member printed	Richard Burden
uin	218612
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The UK is concerned about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan and regularly raises these concerns with the government of Azerbaijan. As a member of the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, and we regularly encourage Azerbaijan to implement its Council of Europe commitments. During Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe between May and November this year, the UK raised concerns about the deterioration of human rights. Azerbaijan has not expressed an interest in becoming a member of the EU. Nevertheless, human rights is a priority area for EU/Azerbaijan cooperation under the 2006 European Neighbourhood Action Plan.</p> answering member constituency Aylesbury answering member printed Mr David Lidington question first answered 18/12/2014 15:32:51 answering member 15 label Biography information for Sir David Lidington
tabling member	301 label Biography information for Richard Burden

170396

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Bahrain
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding his Department provides for the promotion of human rights in Bahrain.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	218821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have provided in the region of £1.5 million worth of support to Bahrain's reform programme this financial year. Our reform assistance is focused on strengthening human rights and the rule of law, including torture prevention and capacity building of the Ombudsman's Office for the Ministry of Interior. The Ombudsman's Office has responsibility for investigating allegations of detainee mistreatment.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/12/2014 14:15:43 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

170397

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Bahrain
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to list Bahrain as a country of concern in his Department's next Human Rights and Democracy Report.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	218822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>Bahrain is a country case study in the 2013 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. As such, we monitor the human rights situation in Bahrain and issue a biannual update. We will review all countries with human rights concerns in our preparation for the 2014 Annual Report, which will be published in early 2015. We continue to assist the Bahrain government with its reforms including on human rights and the rule of law.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/12/2014 14:09:18 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

170399

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Bahrain
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which human rights concerns he discussed with the Undersecretary at the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs during his visit to London in December 2014.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	218819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>I co-chaired the UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting on 4 December with the Undersecretary of the Bahraini Ministry of the Interior, H.E Abdullah Abdulatif Abdulla. We discussed progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Report, and UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. We agreed that the UK would continue to provide assistance to Bahrain’s reform programme, with a continuing focus on strengthening human rights and the rule of law. We also discussed the death of Hasan al-Shaikh, an inmate at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre, and the importance of carrying out a thorough and transparent investigation. I will continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to advance the democratisation and human rights agenda.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/12/2014 14:17:21 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

170400

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Bahrain
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 changes in the human rights situation in Bahrain in the last six months.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	218820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>We are supportive of the reforms underway in Bahrain and the steps taken by the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and UN Universal Periodic Review. Notable steps in the past six months have been: <br><br>The first annual report by the Ministry of the Interior’s Ombudsman’s Office, released in May, which detailed the cases it has dealt with since July 2013; The first report of the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission in August, following its inspection visit to Dry Dock Detention Facility; and the report from the National Institute of Human Rights in September which identified a number of perceived shortcomings and made a series of recommendations to the Government of Bahrain.</p><p><br>I am pleased that the EU chose to award the Chaillot Prize to the Ministry of the Interior’s Ombudsman’s office and the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR) in December for work to improve human rights in Bahrain. I will continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to ensure that the reform programme continues and the recommendations made in the reports are implemented fully.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/12/2014 14:19:25 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

170402

registered interest
date	15/12/2014
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	Mauritania
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 detention of Mr Biram Dah Abeid in Rosso, Mauritania on 11 November 2014.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
uin	218861
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p>We have received reports of the recent arrest of Mr Biram Abeid and other anti-slavery activists from local media, from Mr Abeid’s adviser and from NGOs active in Mauritania. We understand that an anti-slavery protest took place without permission and was broken up by police. Mr Abeid – though not originally part of the protest – joined in and was arrested. We are following this case closely.</p><p>We will continue to engage with Mauritania on human rights issues and work closely with our international partners represented in Nouakchott including diplomatic institutions, the United Nations, European Union and African Union.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 18/12/2014 13:59:28 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

169828

registered interest
date	11/12/2014
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	Mauritania
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 the Government has made to the government of Mauritania on the detention of Mr Biram Dah Abeid and his associates.
tabling member constituency	Moray
tabling member printed	Angus Robertson
uin	218364
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>We are aware of the recent arrest of Mr Biram Abeid and other anti-slavery activists. We are following this case closely and have met a wide range of those involved, including members of Mr Biram’s organisation. We discussed this issue with EU partners on 3 December 2014.</p><p>We will continue to engage with Mauritania on human rights issues and work closely with our international partners represented in Nouakchott including diplomatic institutions, the UN, EU and African Union.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 17/12/2014 14:26:45 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1433 label Biography information for Angus Robertson

169829

registered interest
date	11/12/2014
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	USA
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 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) detention and Interrogation Program, what assessment he has made of the treatment of CIA detainees; and whether any detainees were transported through the UK in the conditions described in the study.
tabling member constituency	Moray
tabling member printed	Angus Robertson
uin	218365
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p>The account of the treatment of some detainees by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as reported by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is troubling. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has stated, after 9/11 there were things that happened that were wrong, and we should be clear about the fact that they were wrong.</p><p>In July 2010 the Prime Minister asked Sir Peter Gibson to lead an Inquiry into whether Britain was implicated in the improper treatment, or rendition, of detainees held by other countries in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. In December 2013, the Detainee Inquiry published a report on its preparatory work setting out a series of questions which the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament is now considering. The Committee will report to Parliament and the public on completion of its work.</p><p>This Government also took the important step of publishing the Consolidated Guidance in 2010 on the obligations of our agencies and the Ministry of Defence in relation to detainees held overseas. The Intelligence Services Commissioner is tasked to monitor compliance with this – a role we have recently put on a statutory footing.</p><p>The UK Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment. We do not condone it, nor do we ask others to do it on our behalf.</p><p>The US Government has assured us that there have been no cases of rendition through the UK, our Overseas Territories including Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory), or the Crown Dependencies since 11 September 2001, apart from the two cases in 2002, about which the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the then Member for South Shields, Mr Milliband informed the House in 2008.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 17/12/2014 14:29:43 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1433 label Biography information for Angus Robertson

169968

registered interest
date	11/12/2014
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	Colombia
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 he has had with the Colombian authorities about respect for labour rights in the oil and mining industries in that country; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	218431
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>During his visit to Colombia in February this year, the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised business and human rights in his meetings with President Santos and Foreign Affairs, Finance and Trade Ministers.</p><p>In addition, our officials have had several meetings with the Colombian government, civil society and businesses in Colombia to discuss the UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in line with our commitment to working for widespread international uptake of the UN Guiding Principles and to developing partnerships with other countries to progress this.</p><p>The British Embassy will raise trade union rights and the issue of the rights of contracted labour in the oil and mining sectors, at their next meeting with the Colombian Ministry of the Interior in early 2015.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 16/12/2014 15:12:33 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello

169970

registered interest
date	11/12/2014
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	Colombia
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 the Government has made to the Colombian authorities about protection of members of Union Sindical Obrera and its allies in Meta against assassination attempts and other targeted violence.
tabling member constituency	Stoke-on-Trent South
tabling member printed	Robert Flello
uin	218432
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p>Our Embassy in Bogota will meet Union Sindical Obrera (USO) on Thursday 18 December. Our Embassy will also raise trade union rights, including this particular case and the issue of rights for contracted labour in the oil and mining sectors, at their next meeting with the Colombian Ministry of the Interior in early 2015.</p><p>Business and human rights is a core part of our human rights strategy in Colombia. Our Embassy regularly raises our concerns about the violence and intimidation suffered by human rights defenders, including trade unionists, with the Colombian government.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 16/12/2014 16:18:38 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1569 label Biography information for Robert Flello