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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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."
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 the (a) forced harvesting of and (b) trade in human organs; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
In a Parliamentary debate, on 26 March, the former Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific undertook to consult the World Health Organization (WHO) and seek views on allegations of forced organ harvesting in China.
Subsequently, officials met with the WHO in Geneva and Beijing in April and May. The WHO's view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, though they do have concerns about overall transparency.
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 recent discussions he has had with the Chinese Government on the alleged practice of forced organ harvesting in that country; 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."
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 recent discussions he has had with the Sultan of Brunei on the new anti LGBT laws in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brunei’s Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dato Erywan, on 4 April in order to express the UK’s deep concern over Brunei’s decision to implement the final phases of the Sharia Penal Code.
I raised UK concerns with the Sultan about hudud punishments during my visit to Brunei Darussalam in August 2018 and delivered a statement to the House of Commons on 4 April addressing the the implications of Brunei’s decision.
Additionally the British High Commission in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses our concerns with the Government of Brunei and has received assurances that the Common Law will continue to operate in parallel with the Sharia Penal Code.
Commonwealth Heads of Government most recently met in the UK in April 2018. His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam was present. A communique issued by the leaders included the most progressive language yet on LGBT rights, complimented by an historic speech from the Prime Minister. The UK strongly supports and defends the rights of the LGBT+ community globally. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and all its forms. The UK upholds international human rights laws relating to torture, or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.
We will continue to encourage and work with the Bruneian Government, as with many other countries, to remove corporal and capital punishment from their statutes. We will also urge them to take steps to decriminalise and pass laws to protect LGBT people from all forms of discrimination.
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 steps his Department is taking help resolve the hostilities in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is deeply concerned about rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The UK has been, and continues to be, in close contact at senior levels in India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on 3 March to welcome his commitment to reducing tensions with India, and to emphasise the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups in support of global efforts to combat terrorism. During a visit to India between 28 February and 3 March, I met Indian Foreign Secretary Gokhale in New Delhi to express the UK's concern at current tensions and to encourage a peaceful diplomatic solution.
We are working hard, including with our international partners and the UN, to help India and Pakistan reduce tensions in order to safeguard regional stability. We welcome the fact that both countries have said they do not want to escalate tensions.
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 plans he has to discuss with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts the current situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
We welcome the fact that both countries have said they do not want to escalate tensions. The UK has been, and continues to be, in close contact at senior levels in both countries. We are working hard with them and our international partners to encourage de-escalation and to ensure regional stability.
The Prime Minister spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on 3 March to welcome his commitment to reducing tensions with India, and to emphasise the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups in support of global efforts to combat terrorism. During a visit to India between 28 February and 3 March, I met Indian Foreign Secretary Gokhale to express the UK's concern at current tensions and to encourage a peaceful diplomatic solution. On Wednesday 27 February, I spoke to the Indian and Pakistan High Commissioners about these issues. On Monday 25 February, the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Indian and Pakistani counterparts, Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mahmood Qureshi respectively, to discuss the situation. He spoke to Shah Mahmood Qureshi again on Thursday 28 February.