Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Israeli counterpart on adherence to international humanitarian law when responding to Palestinian protests on Gaza’s borders.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to raise our concerns about the high volume of live fire being used in response to the protests in Gaza. Our Ambassador to Israel raised this most recently with the Israeli authorities on 27 April. We have been clear that Israel has the right to secure itself against Hamas and other terrorist groups. Hamas and its operatives have been exploiting these protests for their own benefit. We are urging Israel to show restraint, and the Palestinian leadership to ensure the protests are peaceful.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council to ensure that the UN peacekeeping mission to Western Sahara is given a mandate to monitor and report on human rights in Western Sahara.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We will consider with our UN Security Council partners how best to ensure that MINURSO’s mandate continues to enable it to support peace and security in Western Sahara. UN Security Council Resolutions renewing MINURSO’s mandate have consistently encouraged the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many members of staff have left his Department since 1 January 2015; and how many of those members of staff were nationals of non-UK EU countries.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Between 1st January 2015 and 30th November 2017, 929 UK Based Staff have left the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This includes retirement, resignation, career breaks and dismissal. It also includes civil servants returning to their parent department at the end of their loan/secondment.
The Aliens' Employment Act 1955 makes it a requirement that all UK Based Staff in the FCO must be British nationals or dual nationals where one of those nationalities is British. We do not centrally hold details of the nationality of our staff who are dual nationals.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia on reports of anti-narcotics police firing on a UN-led humanitarian mission investigating the killing of farmers in Tumaco.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Recent events in Tumaco are deeply worrying. I, therefore welcome the investigation announced by President Santos. Our Embassy in Bogota is in contact with the Colombian authorities.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will impose sanctions on President Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan Government officials.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK does not have its own domestic sanctions regime but does act with the international community to implement UN and EU sanctions such as those on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We will continue working with partners, including EU Member States and those in the region, to consider a wide range of options, including sanctions.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
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 Egyptian counterpart on the release of the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign Secretary raised our human rights concerns with Egypt's President Sisi during his visit to Cairo on 25 February 2017. This included emphasising the importance of a free and open society. Our Ambassador to Egypt, and other officials have previously raised Shawkan's case with the Egyptian authorities.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals are held in detention in China; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
We are aware of 11 British nationals being held in detention in China. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its global network seeks to offer consular assistance to all British nationals in detention overseas.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK has ratified Montenegro's accession to NATO; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Government laid Montenegro's Protocol of Accession before Parliament on 29 June 2016, under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Following the summer recess, the Protocol completed its Parliamentary scrutiny period on 15 September. We are currently finalising the process to confirm the UK's acceptance of the Protocol and allow us to deposit it with the US Government (depositary for the Treaty), as stipulated by the North Atlantic Treaty. We expect to complete this shortly and look forward to welcoming Montenegro as the 29th NATO Ally, once all current NATO Allies have ratified according to their own national processes.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) direct and (b) other financial support his Department provides to the Afghan Mines Protection Force and (b) local police.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides policing assistance to Afghanistan via its £70m per annum contribution to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), which supports the payment of Afghan National Police salaries, via the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA), administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The FCO does not fund the Afghan Local Police.
The UK also deploys security advisers to the Ministry of Interior, NATO, and EUPOL, the EU’s policing mission in Afghanistan. They do not provide support to the Afghan Local Police.
The Department for International Development’s separate financial support to policing is aimed at capacity-building the Ministry of Interior and developing the Afghan National Police. The Afghan Public Protection Force is not a recipient of this support.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Russian Ambassador on the health of Vladimir Bukovsky; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
There have been no discussions between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Russian Ambassador about Mr Bukovsky’s health.