Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United States lifting sanctions that had been imposed by US Executive Order 13876 on (a) Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, (b) President Ebrahim Raisi, (c) Vice President Mohsen Rezaei, (d) Hossein Dehghan, and (e) other Iranians associated with the Supreme Leader and accused of acts of terrorism, as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The deal on the table is a result of intensive negotiations and is based on input from all JCPoA participants and the United States. The US has offered to lift JCPoA-related sanctions iin exchange for Iran returning to full compliance with its nuclear commitments. In exchange, Iran would reverse its nuclear escalation, return its nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) possibility, and (2) impact, of the government of the United States granting Russia immunity from any economic sanctions relating to Iran as part of agreement with the government of Iran on a revised Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; and what discussions they have held with the government of the United States on this matter.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The sanctions in place on Russia due to their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine are entirely separate to the Iran nuclear deal. We reject attempts to exploit JCPoA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPoA. We have made this clear in regular E3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom)+US lead negotiator meetings.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure their support for the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland is contingent on that organisation's support for the UK’s policy priorities in the Middle East region; and in particular, the UK's priorities in respect of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
HM Government respects the independence of civil society organisations. While HMG ensures objectives of projects it funds are clear and value for money, it is not contingent on support for other UK policy priorities.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a statement on the activities of the British Council in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The British Council maintains an office in Erbil and all of the British Council's cultural relations activities in Iraq extend to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This includes programmes in arts and culture, education and English. The British Council runs a free digital library service across Iraq, including KRI, and paid education services in online English teaching and face-to-face English language assessment at centres in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what partnerships their diplomatic missions (1) have at present, or (2) have had in the past, with the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The United Kingdom Mission in Geneva regularly engages with a wide range of civil society organisations, including the Universal Rights Group, to help advance its work at the UN Human Rights Council. The UK Mission participates in the annual human rights "Glion Dialogue" which is hosted by the Swiss Government in partnership with the Universal Rights Group and attended by a diverse group of states and civil society organisations.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what projects their diplomatic missions have funded for the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland; and how much funding has been approved.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
HM Government have provided funding to the Universal Rights Group for a number of projects:
No funding has been provided to Universal Rights Group in the last 2 years.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who is responsible for the rocket attacks in Erbil on 15 February.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are urgently investigating circumstances around the rocket attacks in the vicinity of Erbil Airport on 15 February. Although publicly claimed by a militia group called Awliya al-Dam (Guardians of the Blood), investigations are still ongoing. The UK has committed along with the US, France, Germany, and Italy to support the GoI's and KRG's efforts, with a view to holding accountable those responsible.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many staff Parliament has employed to deal with social media companies in respect of abuse or threats directed at Members of Parliament in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tom Brake
Prior to June 2017 no staff were directly employed to deal with social media companies in respect of abuse or threats directed at Members of Parliament.
From June 2017 to May 2019, one member of staff was directly employed in this line of work.
From June 2019 to date, two members of staff have been directly employed in this line of work.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has been notified of any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not been notified of any meetings between members of the Privy Council and Hamas or Hezbollah.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on meetings between members of the Privy Council and (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold any information on any meetings between any members of the Privy Council and Hamas and Hezbollah.