Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to protect the rights of people living in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and has declared two breaches of the Joint Declaration in the last six months. In response to imposition of the National Security Law, the Government has put in place a new bespoke immigration path for BN(O)s, suspended our extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extended our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong. On 13 November, following the decision to arbitrarily remove elected pro-democracy legislators from their positions, the FCDO Permanent Under Secretary summoned the Chinese Ambassador to register our deep concerns.
We 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. At the UN Human Rights Council in June the UK delivered a joint statement on behalf of 28 countries raising China's assault on Hong Kong's autonomy and rights and freedoms. At the Council in September, the UK reiterated these serious concerns in a national statement, and the UK joined a statement on these issues at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee on 6 October; 39 countries supported the statement, a significant increase from June. On 18 November, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement with his Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and US counterparts, urging China to re-consider its actions against Hong Kong's elected legislature.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect Christians from persecution around the world.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Defending the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all is a priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. As the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, I reiterated this message in my tweet to mark International Freedom of Religion or Belief Day on 27 October. The UK Government remains committed to implementing the recommendations from the Bishop of Truro's independent Review on persecuted Christians in full. Work is continuing to implement the recommendations in a way that will bring real improvements in the lives of those persecuted because of their faith, belief, or those of no religious belief. Of the recommendations, 17 have already been, or are in the process of being, implemented. One of those recommendations related to the establishment of the UK's Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky') sanctions regime. This regime came into effect on 6 July and allows us to designate those who commit serious human rights abuses or violations, including those who target individuals on the grounds of their religion or belief. We also launched the John Bunyan Fund for FoRB in August 2019, through which we have funded 15 research projects helping address the challenges faced by different communities, such as Christians, Yazidis, and Humanists, as well as cross-cutting issues such as migration and the double vulnerability experienced by women from minority faith backgrounds. We continue to work with international partners, including through the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, to combat religious persecution worldwide.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government has given to the government of Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Answered by David Lidington
On his visit to Kyiv on 5 March, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met President Poroshenko and other senior Ukrainian government officials and underlined strongly the UK’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia until full implementation of the Minsk agreements has been achieved. The UK wishes to avoid a path of confrontation with Russia and strongly supports all diplomatic efforts to bring a peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) also discussed the situation in Ukraine with President Poroshenko on 12 and 15 February and agreed on the handling of the UN Security Council resolution which called for full implementation of the Minsk agreements.
In addition to diplomatic support, the UK is providing practical assistance to Ukraine. The UK is providing £10 million in technical assistance to support economic and governance reforms in Ukraine, and to provide humanitarian assistance. In response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation an additional £15 million of humanitarian support to Ukraine was announced by the Prime Minister on 23 February. Over the last year we have increased our defence engagement and are providing additional support on crisis management, anti-corruption, defence reform, strategic communications and we are now also providing advice on procurement. We provided two non-lethal packages of equipment, including protective gear, winter clothing, medical kits and winter fuel. We are now planning to send a third package, as well as sending short-term training teams to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the Ukraine Armed Forces. Our non-lethal equipment is designed to reduce further Ukrainian fatalities and casualties and to help improve situational awareness on the ground.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - 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 President Putin on the death of Boris Nemtsov.
Answered by David Lidington
We are deeply concerned by the appalling murder of Boris Nemtsov, who stood for democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, and a state accountable to the people. Sir John Major attended the memorial in Moscow on 3 March on behalf of the Government. We call upon the Russian authorities to ensure that the investigation into the murder is transparent, impartial, and evidence-based, and that those responsible are brought to justice in line with the rule of law.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the success of Commonwealth Day.
Answered by Lord Swire
Commonwealth Day was marked successfully by a range of activities in the UK and other Commonwealth countries. There were celebratory messages from Her Majesty The Queen, 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). I represented Her Majesty's Government at the multi-faith Observance at Westminster Abbey attended by Her Majesty The Queen, members of the Royal family, and over 2,000 participants including High Commissioners, dignitaries from around the Commonwealth and 1,000 young people from schools across the UK. Our High Commissions across the world also actively promoted and celebrated Commonwealth Week.
The Commonwealth theme for 2015 ‘A Young Commonwealth’ was promoted across the Commonwealth with an increased use of social media. The hashtag #commonwealthday reached over 2.5 million followers on twitter accounts with over 1,400 tweets published to date.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in conjunction with its international partners to defeat ISIS.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are part of a Global Coalition with over sixty members committed to defeating ISIL. We are supporting inclusive governance in Iraq and Syria, jointly leading the coalition’s efforts to counter ISIL’s narrative, working to disrupt its access to finance and foreign fighters, and providing military support to Iraqi forces fighting ISIL. The UK is also providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by ISIL’s brutality and will contribute to the Syrian Opposition Train and Equip Programme. We are providing £800 million worth of humanitarian aid in response to the crisis in Syria, which is the largest UK response to a humanitarian crisis.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - 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 the government of the Republic of Congo as to the safety and protection of the British missionary, Ms Maud Kells.
Answered by James Duddridge
I was very concerned to hear about the shooting of a British national in the Democratic Republic of Congo. FCO officials in London and the Democratic Republic of Congo are providing consular assistance. We will continue to provide assistance and seek updates from the local authorities who are investigating.