Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the reopening of the British Embassy in Iran, what plans they have to develop trading opportunities in Iran; and whether those plans take account of decisions by other countries to develop trading opportunities there.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Trade sanctions on Iran will not be lifted immediately. Sanction relief will only happen once the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that Iran has taken agreed nuclear measures. While sanctions remain in place, they will continue to be enforced.
Recent trade visits to Iran highlight the wide interest in new trade opportunities, but even as phased sanctions relief begins Iran will remain a challenging place to do business. If Iran completes its commitments and sanctions are rolled back, the British Government will help the business and financial sector take advantage of the opportunities that arise, and promote trade and investment between our two countries. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), took a trade delegation with him to Iran when he reopened our Embassy on 23 August, and further trade delegations are being planned. Over time, our reopened Embassy in Tehran will be a key part of the Government’s role in supporting British business, including through a full time UK Trade and Investment presence. However the decisions of British businesses on whether or not to trade with Iran are independent of Government.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what agreements have been signed, to which the United Kingdom and Albania are both parties, for the period 1 March 2013 to the present; and whether they will place copies of any such agreements in the Library of the House and on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office database.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) treaty database records all bilateral and multilateral treaties involving the United Kingdom signed since 1834. The FCO does not maintain a comprehensive central record or hold copies of the texts of memoranda of understanding concluded between Government Departments and other states or organizations.
Legally-binding agreements to which both the UK and Albania have become parties since 1 March 2013 are as follows:
Bilateral:
1. The Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital was signed on 26 March 2014 and was published as UK Treaty Series No. 3, 2014.
Multilateral:
2. The Arms Trade Treaty was signed by Albania on 3 June 2013 and by the United Kingdom on 3 June 2013. This was published as UK Miscellaneous Series No. 3, 2013.
3. Protocol No.15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms [CETS No.213] was signed by Albania on 11 February 2014 and by the United Kingdom on 24 June 2014. The text to this treaty is published on the Council of Europe website.
All treaties, including those amending previous treaties, that are subject to ratification, accession, approval or completion of procedures are laid before both Houses of Parliament as a Command Paper for twenty-one sitting days in accordance with Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Those treaties which enter into force on signature do not have to be laid before Parliament for twenty-one sitting days but are laid before both Houses of Parliament as a Command Paper in the UK Treaty Series once they have entered into force.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they currently pay for the children of ambassadors and embassy staff to attend international schools.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) meets the costs of suitable schooling, including international schools, to help staff of all grades who take up overseas postings to meet their legal obligation to ensure that their children receive an education. Types of school attended by the children of staff vary by country of posting and the availability of places.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 11 February (WA 114), what representations they have made and received regarding the seven-year jail terms given to the three al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt; and whether they will make representations to the government of Egypt as to their release.
Answered by Baroness Warsi
The British Government is appalled by the sentences given to Egyptian and international journalists in Cairo on 23 June, including to two British Nationals being tried in absentia. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement on 23 June expressing his concerns and urging the Egyptian government to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression by reviewing this case as a matter of urgency.
The Egyptian Ambassador Ashraf el-Kholy was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 23 June. FCO Political Director, Simon Gass, told the Egyptian Ambassador that the Government was deeply concerned by the verdicts, along with the procedural shortcomings seen during the trials. Our Ambassador in Egypt raised this issue in Cairo with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 June. We will continue to monitor the situation of these journalists very closely, and raise them with the Egyptian authorities. We look to President Al-Sisi to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt's constitution, in particular freedom of expression and association.
As I stated in my response of 11 February to your parliamentary question regarding the imprisonment of journalists in Egypt, the Government believes a free and robust press is the bedrock of democracy.