Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which projects on business and human rights his Department has funded in each of the last five years; and what the total spend of each such project was in each of those years.
Answered by Mark Field
For the 2018-19 financial year, the department intends to spend through the Magna Carta Fund a total of £107,000 supporting business and human rights projects. Information for projects relating to business and human rights in previous financial years is not readily available; we will write to the Hon Member in due course.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of how (a) free and (b) fair the elections in Cameroon were on 7 October 2018.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The African Union's Election Observation Mission found that the elections were conducted in a relatively orderly manner in most of the country but violence affected polling in the Anglophone regions. I was concerned by reports of violence and casualties on polling day in Anglophone regions and by how difficult it was for citizens to vote there. I called on all parties to follow proper procedure for tallying results and exercise restraint.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
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 accuracy of reports of the escalation of violence in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We are aware of reports of increase in violence in the Anglophone region, especially in the lead up to the Presidential elections which took place on 7 October. The situation there is such that it is difficult to obtain an accurate account of what is happening or verify social media reports. We continue to engage with the Government of Cameroon on this and wider issues and deliver the message that we want to see an end to violence and a meaningful process to address the core issues in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. We will also continue to underline that all parties have a responsibility to work for peace and stability and to use only legal and peaceful means to voice grievances.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) membership and (b) remit of the Cross-Whitehall Steering Group on Business and Human Rights is; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
The Cross-Whitehall Steering Group on Business and Human Rights is chaired jointly by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business Energy and Industry Strategy and is attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Department for International Trade, UK Export Finance, the Home Office, the Department for International Development, the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Government Equalities Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government, Crown Commercial Services, and with the Devolved Administrations. It builds on the commitments which the UK Government made in response to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights report 'Human Rights and Business 2017: Promoting responsibility and ensuring accountability'.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions the cross-Whitehall steering group on business and human rights has met since the publication of the updated National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
Answered by Mark Field
Since the update of the National Action Plan, the Cross-Whitehall Steering Group on Business and Human Rights has met five times and also liaise between its meetings.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
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 (a) the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and (b) UK businesses on updating the national action plan on business and human rights after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mark Field
Our shared focus is implementing the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights as it stands and on sustaining the UK's high standards in protection of human rights. There is no intent to review the Plan before at least 2020. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy officials liaise frequently on the Plan and its implementation. We are clear that any future development of the Plan, must be informed by wide consultations, including with business representatives, about our approach and the delivery of commitments, so officials intend new engagement early in the New Year.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
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 potential effect on the implementation of the updated national action plan on business and human rights of the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Field
Foreign and Commonwealth officials discuss the implementation of the National Action Plan regularly at working level, with officials from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, and through the Cross-Whitehall Steering Group on Business and Human Rights, taking all relevant developments into account.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support improvements in the efficiency of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is providing £1.3 million this financial year to the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping and assure the Coalition that weapons are not coming into Yemen on large commercial ships docking at Red Sea ports. We have also deployed UK maritime experts to Djibouti to further boost the inspections process, increasing the proportion of ships physically inspected more than ten-fold (from 8 per cent to 90 per cent).
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen on the time taken for humanitarian aid to reach Hodeidah port.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) facilitates commercial imports into Yemen's Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef, and is an important mechanism taking into account the arms embargo enacted by UN Security Council Resolution 2216. UNVIM only applies to commercial vessels.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the transparency of its Official Development Assistance after the publication of the Aid Transparency Index 2018.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I refer the Hon. Member to answer of 11 July 2018 (PQ 160284).