Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Sri Lanka on water quality in the north of that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality, and the unique challenges faced by communities in the Northern Province. Officials from the British High Commission Colombo regularly visit the Northern Province to meet a range of stakeholders to hear their experiences and issues. A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka, including the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, have conducted tests into the water quality. The UK Government supports the International Water Management Institute, an international water management research organisation, to provide solutions to increasing water scarcity in Puttalam and Kilinochchi.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with regional partners on North Korea's satellite launch capabilities.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) latest satellite launch using ballistic missile technology. We have said this in our joint statement with partners on 22 November and G7 Foreign Ministers made this clear on 22 November. The Prime Minister held productive discussions with the President of the Republic of Korea during his state visit to the UK on areas of shared interest including the DPRK's provocations, which threaten peace and stability. We remain committed to securing peace on the Korean peninsula, working closely with allies and partners to secure an end to the DPRK's illegal weapons development.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of China Investment Corporation’s involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
China is an important source of trade, investment and support for many countries with infrastructure, including under its Belt and Road Initiative, helping fill the global infrastructure gap alongside other infrastructure initiatives. However, we recognise the potential risks that Chinese overseas investment can present, which is why we must be clear eyed. Through British Investment Partnerships, and our efforts through the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, we help build transparent economic partnerships, enabling high quality investment into other countries and helping to bridge investment and infrastructure gaps.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the rights of the Muslim population of that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government closely monitors China's serious human rights violations in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, and continues to lead international efforts to hold China to account and change its behaviour.
In October 2023, the UK led a record joint statement on Xinjiang at the UN, demonstrating a significant number of countries are prepared to call China out for its human rights violations. We have also imposed sanctions, provided guidance to businesses, and taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains.
We consistently raise China's human rights violations with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. The former Foreign Secretary did so during his visit to Beijing in August 2023. We will continue to raise these issues directly with China and in multilateral fora including the UN.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen British links with Mongolia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We value our partnership with Mongolia, as we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. The President of Mongolia attended Their Majesties' Coronation. The Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Mongolia (the member for Shrewsbury and Atcham), the Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey) and the Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade (Nusrat Ghani) have all visited Mongolia this year. This week I [Minister Trevelyan] met the visiting Mongolian Culture Minister to discuss strengthening bilateral links. We will continue to build our relationship and strengthen our cooperation with Mongolia.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help facilitate the return of non-British nationals in Gaza who are resident in the UK.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are focused on the safe evacuation of British Nationals from Gaza as quickly as possible, and over 150 British Nationals have left via the Rafah Border Crossing. Whilst we remain in close contact with the Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian authorities, who hold responsibility for the Rafah border crossing operation, we are not able to control the responsible authorities at the border. In conversations with their counterparts, the Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have reinforced the importance of ensuring that all foreign nationals are able to evacuate Gaza safely, as well as ensuring that humanitarian aid urgently reaches those who need it most in Gaza. We are continuing to raise this at the highest levels.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the sale of arms to the authorities in Myanmar that were previously purchased by and for authorities in other countries.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government takes its strategic export control responsibilities very seriously. We examine each application for controlled items on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider carefully the impact of the export of items and their capabilities. When assessing an export licence, the Government considers the risk of the end user diverting the equipment to another end user, such as the authorities in Myanmar.
The trade of military goods and technology to Myanmar directly, or through third countries, is prohibited by the Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations 2021. The Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. This includes Criterion 1, respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments, in particular sanctions and the risk of diversion, Criterion 7. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release of 31 October 2023 entitled UK and international partners target Myanmar arms dealers and military financiers with new sanctions, whether his Department has made an assessment of potential further steps it can take to hold the authorities in Myanmar to account.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is considering a range of further sanctions targets, and other measures, to hold the Myanmar regime and its associates to account. Since the start of the coup, the UK has imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and 29 entities, most recently in October 2023 in coordination with the US and Canada. It is vital that any sanctions imposed have the desired effect of denying the regime credibility and reducing their access to finance, arms and equipment, without harming the wider population of Myanmar.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Pakistan following the announcement of the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is monitoring the Government of Pakistan's policy on the deportation of undocumented migrants, recognising that every country has the sovereign right to manage their borders. The former Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, discussed this with Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar and Caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani and received assurances towards the safety of Afghans who are eligible for UK resettlement under the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) and ACRS (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme) schemes. We encourage Pakistan to adhere to its international human rights obligations and provide opportunities for refugees to register for asylum. The UK has committed £16 million to the International Organization for Migration in Afghanistan to support undocumented returnees.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential human rights impact of the return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government continues to monitor Pakistan's deportation of undocumented migrants. Pakistan has a long history of welcoming vulnerable refugees. We urge them to respect the human rights of all Afghans in Pakistan. We are working with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to ensure Pakistan adheres to its international human rights obligations. Since September, we have committed £16 million to the International Organisation for Migration in Afghanistan to support vulnerable undocumented people returning from Pakistan and Iran.
We are also committed to ensuring human rights are respected in Afghanistan. We regularly press the Taliban on human rights and work with international partners to lobby against violations and abuses.