Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the immunities given to heads of states from crimes committed in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Heads of State enjoy the same privileges and immunities as apply to the head of a diplomatic mission, as provided for by Section 20 of the State Immunity Act 1978, which we will give consideration to as part of our day to day business by reference to specific cases as they arise. Any waiver of the immunity must be made expressly by the sending States.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to pursue an agreement with the EU after Brexit to allow the UK to continue sharing certain intelligence available through the Five Eyes agreement with the 27 EU member states.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Intelligence sharing between the British Government and overseas partners is important to the security of our country. The Government's vision for a security partnership with the European Union is set out in the White Paper: "The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union" (July 2018). This includes a proposal for continued information and intelligence sharing, for example through the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre, European Union Satellite Centre and EU Military Staff. It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on the detail of intelligence matters.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered there may be serious grounds for suspecting the nerve gas used in the Salisbury attack on 5 March was brought into England by the Russian diplomatic bag, contrary to Article 27(4) of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations; and if so, whether they intend to use the provisions of Article 36(2) of that Convention to inspect the personal baggage of Russian diplomatic agents entering the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Article 36(2) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations states that the personal baggage of a diplomatic agent shall be exempt from inspection, unless there are serious grounds for presuming that it contains articles not covered by relevant exemptions. We continue to respect the Vienna Convention.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 November, what is the basis for their assessment that terrorists are “flooding” back into the United Kingdom; and what plans they have to prevent this from continuing.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The threat posed by individuals who have gained combat experience and been further radicalised by spending time fighting for Daesh is an important issue for the UK and its international partners. Approximately 850 UK-linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to engage in the Syrian conflict. We estimate that just under half have returned to the UK and over 15 per cent have been killed in fighting in the region.
This is a global challenge and the international community must work together, learn from each other's experiences and share best practice. There are two aspects to how we manage this threat: focusing on UK-linked individuals returning to the UK, and considering foreign terrorist fighter flows overseas.
Everyone who returns to the UK from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq must expect to be investigated by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences and ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security. The police have a range of legal powers they can use to manage any risk they pose. The UK supports its counter terrorism partners around the world to manage this risk by sharing information and experience, and by providing support to develop capabilities to manage the risk.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the full version of the report by Sir Jon Jenkins on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Main Findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review were published on 17 December 2015. As the then Prime Minister assured the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in June 2016, these Main Findings are comprehensive and representative.
The full Review itself cannot be made public since it contains material provided by others in confidence, including by foreign governments. This material cannot be fully redacted without rendering the report unreadable. Publishing the Review without redactions would be regarded as a very significant breach of trust by the sources of that material.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 October (HL2327), whether they have studied the report by the multi-faith pastoral group.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of this visit and have received reports from various members of the visiting group. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advised strongly against this visit, both for security reasons and because such visits can become tools of the Asad regime's propaganda.
The FCO's analysis – based on reports from the FCO network and a wide range of credible independent sources – is that the Asad regime is responsible for widespread atrocities against the Syrian people. This includes the death of an estimated 400,000 people in the last five years, the use of chemical weapons, torture, arbitrary detention and disappearances.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they advised Baroness Cox and Lord Hylton not to accept the invitation of multi-faith Syrian clerics to visit Damascus, Maaloula, Aleppo and Latakia in September this year; and whether they have studied the draft report produced by the pastoral group which made that visit.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We made clear that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Syria. The situation is extremely volatile and dangerous. We also make clear that we cannot provide any consular services to British nationals in Syria.
In addition, Asad's regime can use visits by international groups to fuel its obnoxious propaganda. The Asad regime is responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people. More than 400,000 have died in the last five years; 85-90 per cent of civilian deaths are the responsibility of the regime.
We continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria, including the circumstances for minorities. The independent UN Commission of Inquiry and other credible reporting from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have made clear that the Asad regime bears overwhelming responsibility for this crisis. His regime responded with brutal repression to peaceful protests by ordinary Syrians calling for more freedom. The Asad regime and extremist groups, including those allied to the regime, are the main perpetrators of suspected war crimes, and for violations of human rights.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what part they played in the 9 September Geneva agreement between the US and Russia for a ceasefire in Syria.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The 9 September Geneva agreement was the product of months of bilateral negotiations between the US and Russia. The UK plays an active role on Syria in wider fora including in the International Syria Support Group and through our Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council. We have further been playing our role in the wider political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis and on Sunday 16 October the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) convened a meeting of key partners on Syria in London. The meeting discussed various options for responding to the appalling situation in Syria, and particularly the worsening humanitarian situation in Aleppo.Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they recognise President Bashar al-Assad as the <i>de jure</i> President of Syria.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government recognises nation states and not governments. Assad has forfeited his legitimacy and any plausible claim to be part of Syria’s future. A transition away from Assad, to a more inclusive government that represents all Syrians is what the 2012 Geneva communiqué envisages, and this is what we will continue to work towards.