Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been advised of a visit to the UK by the Pope in 2018; and if so, whether such a visit will be pastoral or a state visit.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not discuss or disclose the details of possible visits by Heads of State or Government until invitations have been issued and accepted, and any announcement is made by agreement with the visiting Head of State or Government.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Sir Kim Darroch was appointed as UK Ambassador to the USA; and how many meetings he has had with the now President-Elect since he was appointed.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Sir Kim Darroch took up his appointment in January 2016. In line with our approach to all US elections, the British Ambassador and his team have had extensive engagement with Mr Trump's campaign and transition teams.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HE Dan Mulhall is the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain or to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
All Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited to the Court of St James’s are Ambassadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent actions of the government of Bahrain towards the main Shia opposition group; what is their assessment of the state of human rights in that country; and whether the development of a new Royal Naval base in Bahrain is progressing.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), issued a statement on 17 July expressing concerns about the Bahraini High Administrative Court’s decision to dissolve the main Bahraini Shia opposition political society Al Wefaq. We continue to follow the case closely. We have urged the Government of Bahrain to protect political freedoms and representation for all Bahraini citizens and to encourage all sides to engage in constructive and inclusive dialogue to promote social cohesion and inclusivity.
We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain and it is a standing agenda item for the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting, held most recently in June 2016. The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised concerns about recent developments with the Bahraini Foreign Minister on 14 June, and during his visit to Bahrain on 30 May.
We have begun work on the future UK maritime hub at Mina Salman in Bahrain, HMS Juffair, to support Royal Navy deployments. We continue to maintain a naval presence which includes mine countermeasure ships, frigates, destroyers and maritime helicopters to contribute to the stability of the region and to make sure vital sea lanes remain open in the region.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which of the 27 other EU member states have not legalised same-sex marriage.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Seven EU Member States have not legalised same sex marriage. These States are: Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any restrictions on the supply of gas or electricity to Gaza, and if so, what representations have been made to the government of Israel by them or the EU on behalf of its member states.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Less than 50 percent of Gaza’s basic electricity needs are currently being met. This is a result of the limited capacity of the existing power lines from Israel (providing approximately 120 Mega Watts (MW) at present) and Egypt (approximately 32 MW), and of the Gaza power plant (60 MW). The plant is not run at full capacity because of damage sustained in past conflicts and restrictions on the amount of diesel allowed into Gaza. Officials at our embassy in Tel Aviv regularly urge the Israeli authorities to ease restrictions on Gaza and to facilitate improvements in electricity infrastructure. On 10 September, during Israeli Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), emphasised the need for Israel to do more to improve conditions in Gaza. They discussed electricity, as well as water and exports.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to ceasing to be a guarantor power in Cyprus to facilitate a political settlement on the island.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is prepared to consider whatever arrangements the two communities can agree upon to meet the security needs of a reunited Cyprus as part of a settlement. We remain strongly supportive of the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to seize this opportunity to secure a historic agreement.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the members and the associate members of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and to which UK political party each belongs.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was announced by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), in a Written Ministerial Statement on 3 November 2015. [HCWS287]
A list of full and alternate UK members of PACE, as well as their party affiliations and European political groupings, is as follows:
FULL MEMBERS
Sir Roger Gale MP (Leader) Con
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh MP OBE SNP
Lord Anderson of Swansea Lab
Guto Bebb MP Con
David Crausby MP Lab
Geraint Davies MP Lab
Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP DUP
Earl of Dundee Con
Baroness Eccles of Moulton Con
Nigel Evans MP Con
John Howell MP OBE Con
Ian Liddell-Grainger MP Con
Sir Alan Meale MP Lab
Kate Osamor MP Lab
Lord Prescott Lab
Mark Pritchard MP Con
Christina Rees MP Lab
Rt Hon Alex Salmond MP SNP
ALTERNATE MEMBERS
Lord Balfe Con
Rt Hon Lord Blencathra Con
Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP Lab
David T C Davies MP Con
Baroness Eaton DBE Con
Suella Fernandes MP Con
Rt Hon Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Lab
Khalid Mahmood MP Lab
Baroness Massey of Darwen Lab
Huw Merriman MP Con
Baroness O'Loan DBE CB
Mary Robinson MP Con
Paul Scully MP Con
Virendra Sharma MP Lab
Paula Sherriff MP Lab
Kelly Tolhurst MP Con
Phil Wilson MP Lab
Mike Wood MP Con
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether an incident of sectarian violence against Protestant families took place in Chiapas, Mexico, on 4 January; and what representations they have made about that incident to the government of Mexico.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While British officials in Mexico City have not yet been in touch with the Mexican authorities on this specific reported incident, our Embassy has for some time been in touch with a range of Mexico and UK-based non-government organisations about discriminatory violence against Protestant families in Chiapas. The most recent reported incident on 4 January seems to suggest an escalation in this violence. Our Embassy also regularly lobbies to ensure the perpetrators of all crimes are brought to justice and that all minority groups are respected and, where appropriate, offered protection.
We continually raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief in bilateral and multilateral fora. This forms a core part of our human rights work and we frequently raise security and human rights concerns with Mexico. For example, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron); the then Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed human rights issues during the State Visit of President Enrique Peña Nieto to the UK in March 2015.
Asked by: Lord Kilclooney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there would be new trade barriers between the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the event of the UK ceasing to be a member of the EU.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed EU. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.