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 his Colombian counterpart on the status of the request for protection measures for Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo.
Answered by Lord Swire
Officials from the Our Embassy in Bogotá have raised the case of Gustavo Adolfo Rengifo with the Colombian government's Presidential Advisor for Human Rights.
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 his Colombian counterpart to support the efforts of the Interchurch Peace and Justice Commission to install a second humanitarian space adjacent to the Puente Nayero Humanitarian Space.
Answered by Lord Swire
Our Embassy in Bogotá supports the Inter-Ecclesiastical Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP) and its work to promote human rights and peace in Colombia. British Embassy officials have already scheduled a visit Buenaventura at the end of this month to gain a better understanding of the current situation and assess future requirements for humanitarian spaces.
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 assessment he has made of the effect of continuing violence by paramilitaries in Colombia on the progress of peace talks in that country.
Answered by Lord Swire
The government of Colombia has made significant progress on peace process negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). I am pleased that an agreement has been reached this week between the parties on the long-standing issue of Transitional Justice and reparations for victims. Both sides have committed to sign a final agreement by the end of March 2016 and the UK remains committed to supporting this deadline.
I am concerned about the continued negative influence of organised criminal gangs and resulting violence in Colombia. I am pleased to see that the Colombian Minister of Defence has announced that tackling organised crime is a top priority for 2016. The UK, through the work of the National Crime Agency and others, continues to support the government of Colombia on this issue.
Much of the government of Colombia’s success on tackling organised crime and related violence will depend on the progress of peace negotiations in Havana, which provide an opportunity to bring about real change for all Colombians.
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 hold discussions with his Mauritanian counterpart on the arrest and trial of Biram Abeid and others involved in anti-slavery campaigns in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK’s representative in Nouakchott has raised our concern at the Biram Abeid case with the Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular the length of the activists’ sentence. With other EU member states, the UK made a public statement to express our concern on 20 January. We understand that the activists are appealing the sentence, and we are considering what further representations will we make to the Government of Mauritania following the outcome of this appeal.
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 he has had with the Brazilian government in relation to protection for Laisa Santos Samaio; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
Her Majesty's Government has not made specific representations to the Brazilian government relating to Laísa Santos Sampaio, who has remained in the Brazilian government’s national protection programme for human rights defenders since November 2012. This programme receives UK support through EU-funded projects with the Brazilian Human Rights Secretariat. We are also active participants in the annual Brazil-EU Human Rights Dialogue which covers a range of human rights issues, including the protection of human rights defenders.
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 detail the (a) number and (b) cost of contacts with private military companies in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not contract with Private Military Companies. For details of FCO contracts with Private Security Companies, I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 15 December 2014 to question 218225.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 contracts his Department has held with private security companies in each year since 2008; what the cost of those contracts was; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to have a number of centrally awarded security contracts with private security companies (PSCs), covering our key conflict zone requirements including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
These contracts are widely used by other Government Departments and continue to be retendered every 3-5 years. The current contracts are:
Afghanistan – guarding
Iraq (Baghdad) – guarding
Iraq (Erbil) – guarding
Libya – guarding
Somalia – guarding
Yemen – guarding
Various conflict zones – Overseas Security Managers and Analysts
Expenditure against these contracts is as detailed below:
2008/2009 £52.5 million
2009/2010 £49.5 million
2010/2011 £41.6 million
2011/2012 £50.4 million
2012/2013 £48.9 million
2013/2014 £45.4 million
These details are limited to these contracts and do not include local contracts let by our overseas Posts. Data for these could only be collected at disproportionate cost.
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 steps his Department took to vet Libyan personnel prior to their commencing military training at Bassingbourn barracks; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) of 4 December to question 214126.
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 Home Office on the decision to return 90 Libyan recruits from Bassingbourn; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) on 21 November to questions 214127 and 214130.
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 Home Office on the behaviour of Libyan personnel on Bassingbourn base; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) on 21 November to questions 214127 and 214130.