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).
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 his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the forthcoming trial of Israa al-Ghomgham in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are monitoring closely the case of Israa al-Ghomgham and other political activists. We continue to raise our concerns on human rights with the Saudi authorities in private.
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 effect of recent changes in diplomatic relations between Canada and Saudi Arabia on the Government's relationship with those countries.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and officials have been in touch with both Governments to express our concern over the dispute and its potential implications. We have and will continue to urge restraint and de-escalation through the appropriate diplomatic channels.
The Government continues to promote human rights across the Middle East, both bilaterally and with key international partners such as Canada. The UK frequently expresses concerns on human rights issues to Saudi Arabia at the most senior levels. We can only bring about the changes we would like to see by working with countries. We do not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns, and we make this point very clearly in public and in private.
The UK is a close partner to both Canada and Saudi Arabia and enjoys positive and constructive diplomatic relations with both countries. It is in the UK’s interest that we have both public and private conversations on matters of mutual concern.
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 he is taking to support his Canadian counterpart in promoting human rights across the Middle East.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and officials have been in touch with both Governments to express our concern over the dispute and its potential implications. We have and will continue to urge restraint and de-escalation through the appropriate diplomatic channels.
The Government continues to promote human rights across the Middle East, both bilaterally and with key international partners such as Canada. The UK frequently expresses concerns on human rights issues to Saudi Arabia at the most senior levels. We can only bring about the changes we would like to see by working with countries. We do not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns, and we make this point very clearly in public and in private.
The UK is a close partner to both Canada and Saudi Arabia and enjoys positive and constructive diplomatic relations with both countries. It is in the UK’s interest that we have both public and private conversations on matters of mutual concern.
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 his Canadian counterpart on trade relations between that country and Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign Secretary and officials have been in touch with both Governments to express our concern over the dispute and its potential implications. We have and will continue to urge restraint and de-escalation through the appropriate diplomatic channels.
The Government continues to promote human rights across the Middle East, both bilaterally and with key international partners such as Canada. The UK frequently expresses concerns on human rights issues to Saudi Arabia at the most senior levels. We can only bring about the changes we would like to see by working with countries. We do not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns, and we make this point very clearly in public and in private.
The UK is a close partner to both Canada and Saudi Arabia and enjoys positive and constructive diplomatic relations with both countries. It is in the UK’s interest that we have both public and private conversations on matters of mutual concern.
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 representations he has made to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the flow of humanitarian aid through Hodeidah port.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are in constant contact with the Coalition about the campaign in Yemen, as part of our diplomatic effort to find a solution which brings political stability to Yemen and ends cross-border threats to Yemen's neighbours. On Hodeidah, we have set out clearly international concerns on the importance of maintaining the flow of humanitarian supplies. I discussed this with my Saudi counterpart over the weekend. The Coalition have made clear that they recognise the humanitarian imperative and are prioritising the humanitarian response.
We are now doing everything we can to work with the UN, non-governmental organisations and the Coalition to respond to humanitarian needs in the days ahead.
We continue to urge all parties to facilitate access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country including through Hodeidah port.
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 humanitarian situation in the Hodeidah region in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is crucial that humanitarian and commercial imports continue to flow through Hodeidah and Saleef ports, which service the vast majority of Yemen's food needs. We urge all parties to facilitate access for essential imports of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country including through Hodeidah port. As in all aspects of the conflict, all parties must respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians.