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1226340

registered interest
date	20/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public First
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministerial sign off was required for the award of the focus group contract to Public First.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	76729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>Further to my <a href="https://bit.ly/30s4dmg" target="_blank">answer on 01 October 2020</a>, competitive tenders are used across government, including by the Cabinet Office. It is also the case that there are certain circumstances where regulations permit that contracts can be awarded without a competition, including where there is extreme urgency.</p><p>As has been the case under successive administrations, this Government works with a number of suppliers to provide polling and focus group work. Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging, including focus groups for COVID-19 research. Details of this contract have been published on GOV.UK in the usual way.</p><p>No ministerial sign off was sought for the award of a contract to Public First. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.</p><p>A claim for Judicial Review was issued by the High Court on 10 July 2020 in relation to the award of this contract. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 76730 76731 76732 76733 77726 77727 question first answered 06/10/2020 09:19:17 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1226341

registered interest
date	20/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public First
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the contract for focus group work was awarded to Public First.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	76730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>Further to my <a href="https://bit.ly/30s4dmg" target="_blank">answer on 01 October 2020</a>, competitive tenders are used across government, including by the Cabinet Office. It is also the case that there are certain circumstances where regulations permit that contracts can be awarded without a competition, including where there is extreme urgency.</p><p>As has been the case under successive administrations, this Government works with a number of suppliers to provide polling and focus group work. Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging, including focus groups for COVID-19 research. Details of this contract have been published on GOV.UK in the usual way.</p><p>No ministerial sign off was sought for the award of a contract to Public First. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.</p><p>A claim for Judicial Review was issued by the High Court on 10 July 2020 in relation to the award of this contract. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 76729 76731 76732 76733 77726 77727 question first answered 06/10/2020 09:19:18 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1226342

registered interest
date	20/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public First
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he met with representatives from Public First in the six months prior to the award of the focus group contract to that company.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	76731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>Further to my <a href="https://bit.ly/30s4dmg" target="_blank">answer on 01 October 2020</a>, competitive tenders are used across government, including by the Cabinet Office. It is also the case that there are certain circumstances where regulations permit that contracts can be awarded without a competition, including where there is extreme urgency.</p><p>As has been the case under successive administrations, this Government works with a number of suppliers to provide polling and focus group work. Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging, including focus groups for COVID-19 research. Details of this contract have been published on GOV.UK in the usual way.</p><p>No ministerial sign off was sought for the award of a contract to Public First. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.</p><p>A claim for Judicial Review was issued by the High Court on 10 July 2020 in relation to the award of this contract. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 76729 76730 76732 76733 77726 77727 question first answered 06/10/2020 09:19:18 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1226343

registered interest
date	20/09/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Public First
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) Minister or (b) official initiated discussions with Public First on the focus group contract.
tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
tabling member printed	Neil Gray
uin	76732
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/10/2020 answer text <p>Further to my <a href="https://bit.ly/30s4dmg" target="_blank">answer on 01 October 2020</a>, competitive tenders are used across government, including by the Cabinet Office. It is also the case that there are certain circumstances where regulations permit that contracts can be awarded without a competition, including where there is extreme urgency.</p><p>As has been the case under successive administrations, this Government works with a number of suppliers to provide polling and focus group work. Public First was engaged by the Cabinet Office to test public opinion and reaction to government messaging, including focus groups for COVID-19 research. Details of this contract have been published on GOV.UK in the usual way.</p><p>No ministerial sign off was sought for the award of a contract to Public First. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.</p><p>A claim for Judicial Review was issued by the High Court on 10 July 2020 in relation to the award of this contract. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 76729 76730 76731 76733 77726 77727 question first answered 06/10/2020 09:19:18 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4365 label Biography information for Neil Gray

1232145

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Hong Kong: Civil Liberties
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the arrest of newspaper owner Jimmy Lai and the suppression of freedom of speech and press freedoms in Hong Kong.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	905660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The enactment and imposition by China of national security legislation for Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates the high degree of autonomy of executive and legislative powers and independent judicial authority, provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>We are also deeply concerned by the arrest of Jimmy Lai, and other individuals, in Hong Kong. Freedom of the press is explicitly guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law, and supposedly protected under Article 4 of the National Security Law. The arrests are further evidence that the National Security Law is being used to silence opposition. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Following the enactment of the national security legislation, the Foreign Secretary announced on 20 July that the UK would take clear action in response, including offering a new immigration path for British Nationals (Overseas), suspending the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.</p><p> </p><p>The Foreign Secretary set out concerns to State Councillor/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, on 8 June and 28 July. FCO officials have raised recent arrests with the Hong Kong authorities over recent weeks, including with members of the Executive Council and the President of the Legislative Council.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:56:08 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1232146

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Hong Kong: National Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the National Security Law on the people of Hong Kong.
tabling member constituency	Delyn
tabling member printed	Rob Roberts
uin	905670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The enactment and imposition by China of national security legislation for Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates the high degree of autonomy of executive and legislative powers and independent judicial authority, provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>We are also deeply concerned by the arrest of Jimmy Lai, and other individuals, in Hong Kong. Freedom of the press is explicitly guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law, and supposedly protected under Article 4 of the National Security Law. The arrests are further evidence that the National Security Law is being used to silence opposition. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms provided for in the Joint Declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Following the enactment of the national security legislation, the Foreign Secretary announced on 20 July that the UK would take clear action in response, including offering a new immigration path for British Nationals (Overseas), suspending the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extending our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.</p><p> </p><p>The Foreign Secretary set out concerns to State Councillor/Minister for Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, on 8 June and 28 July. FCO officials have raised recent arrests with the Hong Kong authorities over recent weeks, including with members of the Executive Council and the President of the Legislative Council.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:57:02 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4810 label Biography information for Mr Rob Roberts

1232147

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Colombia: Violence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on increased incidents of violent conflict in that country.
tabling member constituency	City of Chester
tabling member printed	Christian Matheson
uin	905674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>Colombia has made significant progress since the 2016 peace agreement was signed with the FARC. For Colombians in most parts of the country where security was an issue, conditions are much improved. Significant challenges remain in some areas, due to illegal armed groups competing for territory and control of the drugs trade and other illicit activities. This has led to violence, and the death and displacement of ordinary Colombians. We regularly raise this violence with Colombian counterparts and in multilateral bodies. I discussed the UK’s concerns in a phone call with Claudia Blum, Colombian Foreign Minister, on 2 June. We also use our position as UNSC penholder on Colombia’s peace process to emphasise the issue and to urge the Colombian government to ensure the rule of law applies to the entire country, most recently at the UNSC session on 14 July. The UK is the biggest donor to the UN Trust Fund for Colombia. Since 2015 we have contributed over £53m to support implementation of the peace agreement. Programmes run by our Embassy in Bogotá aim to tackle the root causes of this violence, by helping communities develop sustainable livelihoods. This issue is a priority for the Colombian government. We will continue to support their efforts to bring long-term security to all communities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:21:05 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4408 label Biography information for Christian Matheson

1232148

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Sustainable Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What plans he has to help meet all of the Sustainable Development Goals following the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with the Department for International Development.
tabling member constituency	Mid Derbyshire
tabling member printed	Mrs Pauline Latham
uin	905666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The UK was at the forefront of agreeing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, and we remain committed to being at the forefront of global efforts to achieve them. On the 2 September, we appointed Nick Dyer as the UK’s first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, which has strong links to the SDGs including Goal 2 on Zero Hunger. The FCDO brings together the best of our development and diplomatic expertise, projecting the UK as a Force for Good in the world, with a continued focus on supporting the bottom billion. Championing global progress on the SDGs, and using our G7 and COP presidencies, will be crucial to these aims. The SDGs also play a vital role in post-COVID-19 recovery.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:17:16 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4025 label Biography information for Mrs Pauline Latham

1232149

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Development Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What his policy is on maintaining the statutory target to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
tabling member printed	Christine Jardine
uin	905668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>We are committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on aid and development; this is a manifesto commitment and is enshrined in law. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have been firm that development will be at the heart of the new FCDO, working hand in hand with diplomacy. Development assistance provided by the UK aims to tackle the great challenges of our time, transform lives of the world’s poorest, and make the world a healthier, safer and more prosperous place for everyone. This allows us to shape the world around us for the better and help keep us safe. As an example of what UK ODA has achieved, since 2015 more than 33 million people have been reached by our humanitarian programmes, including at least 13 million women and girls. The FCDO brings together expertise from DFID and the FCO to ensure we place our world-class development programmes at the heart of our foreign policy. Supporting the poorest countries to become self-sufficient is firmly in line with British values and our own national interest.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 08/09/2020 15:18:39 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
tabling member	4634 label Biography information for Christine Jardine

1232150

registered interest
date	08/09/2020
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	China: Uyghurs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	If he will extend the list of people designated for Magnitsky sanctions to include senior Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for human rights violations against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	905663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>On the 6th of July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.</p><p> </p><p>It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future, as this may reduce the impact of sanctions.</p><p> </p><p>We will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 08/09/2020 14:58:34 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan