Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to withdraw from the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government does not have any plans to withdraw from the Refugee Convention.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a statement setting out their strategy on expanding NATO membership, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK has always been a committed supporter of NATO's Open Door Policy, enshrined in Article 10 of the Washington Treaty which founded NATO in 1949. NATO's expansion has been pivotal in spreading democracy, free speech and the rule of law across Europe. Each nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally changed European security and it is understandable that faced with this threat, countries may review their security arrangements, including considering applying to join the alliance and to benefit from its collective security guarantees.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on the revocation of Article 370 of the constitution; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the serious situation in Kashmir closely. Events in Kashmir have regional and international implications and we urge calm and caution from all.
We are in regular contact with the Government of India. We are also in regular contact with the Government of Pakistan. The PM has spoken with both PM Modi of India and PM Imran Khan of Pakistan. He stressed to both that HMG's position on Kashmir remains unchanged (it is a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people). He also underlined the importance of maintaining dialogue. In addition to this, the Foreign Secretary spoke with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar on 7 August. He expressed concerns and called for calm. The continued use of detentions and restrictions on communications are worrying. It is important individual rights are fully respected and there should be constructive dialogue with affected communities.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Albanian counterpart on human trafficking; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The British Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking globally by 2030, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7. We work to combat modern slavery internationally and to engage governments in dialogue, including countries of origin for victims of modern slavery.
The United Kingdom has committed £2 million to a programme in Albania through the Home Office Modern Slavery Fund to prevent modern slavery and build capacity to tackle it at source. The Government also agreed a Memorandum of Understanding on intensifying cooperation in the fight against trafficking in human beings with the Albanian Government in 2014. We work closely with the Albanian Government on this issue; our Ambassador last raised it with the Albanian Interior Minister on 29 August.
Asked by: Lord Coaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on tackling the illegal trade in human organs; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
I have not had recent discussions with the Chinese Government on allegations of forced organ harvesting. However, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, set out the Government's position in Parliament on 25 July. Lord Ahmad said,
"I note the time and energy that the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China has dedicated to this issue. Officials have reviewed the evidence thoroughly. While the evidence is not incontrovertible, we take these allegations seriously and have consulted the World Health Organization and international partners. The evidence provided disturbing details about the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, and raised worrying questions about China's transplant system. We continue to monitor all available evidence."