Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the statement from four UN Special Rapporteurs on Israel’s continued detention of World Vision’s former Gaza Director, Mohammed el-Halabi, dated 12 November 2020, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on ensuring Mr el-Halabi is (a) granted the full rights of a fair trial or (b) unconditionally released.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are aware of the statement from four UN Special Rapporteurs on Israel's continued detention of World Vision's former Gaza Director, Mohammed el-Halabi, dated 12 November 2020. We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities on the demolition of a covid-19 testing centre in Hebron; and what steps he is taking to support the Occupied Palestinian Territories in managing the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are concerned by the reports of a recent demolition of a COVID-19 testing centre in Hebron. We have not to date made representations on this particular case but have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our view that demolitions, in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The UK is providing vital support to help respond to COVID-19 in the OPTs. Our $1 million funding contribution will enable the World Health Organization and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chilean counterpart on reports of alleged human rights violations by Chilean police.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Our Ambassador in Chile has talked with representatives of the Chilean Government to express our concerns about the violence witnessed during protests and about reports of human rights abuses by state agents. We welcome the Chilean Government's acceptance of the UN's human rights report and its recommendations and the Chilean Government's assurances, in public and to our Ambassador, that allegations of human rights abuses will be investigated fully and that perpetrators will be prosecuted. Our Embassy in Santiago remains in close contact with the Chilean authorities and will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
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 potential merits of defining Chile as a human rights priority country.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government is concerned about events that have occurred in Chile. Our Ambassador in Chile has expressed our concerns about the violence witnessed during protests in 2019 and about reports of human rights abuses to the Chilean Government. We welcome the Chilean Government's recognition that there have been human rights abuses and their assurances, in public and to our Ambassador, that allegations of human rights abuses will be investigated fully, and that perpetrators will be prosecuted. We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Chile closely.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help support children living in refugee camps in Greece during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Greek Government is responsible for supporting migrants on arrival in Greece, including unaccompanied minors. The United Kingdom has provided bilateral support to Greece, including provision of funding for humanitarian supplies and, in 2019, funding a shelter for unaccompanied children who arrive in Samos. The UK and Greece signed an action plan on migration on 22 April which reaffirms our commitment to continued cooperation to tackle the challenges posed by irregular migration.
We recognise the challenge faced by Greece in dealing with increased migrant flows, and are also concerned about the condition of migrant camps on the Greek islands. We understand that the Greek Government are implementing a series of steps to seek to address the risk of coronavirus in the migrant camps including the strengthening of health facilities and measures that reduce the need for travel. We continue to monitor the situation via our Embassy in Athens very closely.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
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 China on the camps in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The British Government regularly makes representations directly to the Chinese Government about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Most recently, on 9 March the Foreign Secretary raised his concerns with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi. On 5 March, I also raised the issue with the Chinese Ambassador in London.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
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 assist the repatriation of non-UK nationals resident in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is working together with other governments, international organisations and commercial carriers to enable the return of vulnerable or stranded travellers. Stranded British travellers and their families are our priority but where seats have been available, we have been able to help other nationals resident in the UK to return to their homes. We have also helped EU and Commonwealth nationals get back to their home countries on our flights from China, Peru, the US, Japan, Ghana, Tunisia and Algeria, just as other countries have helped British nationals get back to the UK from countries including China, Mali, New Zealand and Bolivia. The success of all countries' operations will depend on close international cooperation.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of India’s recent Citizenship Amendment Act; and what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on the human rights implications of that Act.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India's response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed the CAA, and public response to the legislation, with India's Minister of State for External Affairs on 19 December 2019. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also raised the issue with the High Commission of India in London on 14 January.
The UK has long regarded protest as a key part of democratic society. Democratic governments must have the power to enforce law and order when a protest crosses the line into illegality, though we encourage all states to ensure their domestic laws are enforced in line with international standards. Any allegation of human rights violations is deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly, and transparently.
India has a proud history of inclusive government and religious tolerance. After his re-election, Prime Minister Modi promised to continue this. We trust the Government of India will provide reassurances to its citizens who are expressing concern about the impact this legislation may have. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Syrian Government on recent attacks on schools and civilian buildings in Idlib, Syria; and whether the UK Government has offered assistance to help protect civilians in that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We condemn the attacks on schools and civilian buildings by the Syrian regime and Russian forces in Idlib, Syria. We have made this clear in the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council. We have had no diplomatic relations with the Syrian regime since 2012, and therefore have made no representations to the Syrian Government on recent attacks in Idlib. We are using UK aid to support protection of civilians in Idlib, including an early warning system to alert civilians of airstrikes and support to emergency search and rescue teams. This is in addition to our significant humanitarian assistance to the people of Idlib.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether financial support has been (a) requested by and (b) provided to the Australian Government by the UK Government as a result of the bushfires in that country.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As I (Minister Wheeler) set out in my Oral Statement of 9 January, we deployed a team of UK experts to Australia which returned to the UK on 16 January.
The team included a senior member of UK Fire and Rescue Service, a medical specialist in trauma and mental health, and a military liaison officer specialising in crisis response.
They have been working with Australian counterparts to establish what further UK support will be of most use to Australian emergency responders, and ensure that such contributions are fully integrated with Australian efforts. At this stage the Australian government has made no specific requests for assistance however we are exploring areas where we can offer assistance.