Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alan Duncan and Nick Smith

Tuesday 9th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Duncan]

I am not absolutely clear exactly what goes through the Department for International Development for this kind of purpose, but obviously there are international treaties and international treaty obligations. I hope that collectively the world can get together to ensure that the objectives we all share are properly put into effect.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

9. What steps the Government are taking to support the protection of cultural heritage, religious minorities and human rights in armed conflicts overseas.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alan Duncan and Nick Smith

Wednesday 23rd October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Duncan]

I know that my hon. Friend has in his constituency a Nepali community to which he pays a great deal of attention. Nepal has faced a bit of a logjam for a number of years, in that it has needed elections to approve a constitution and a constitution to approve elections. We hope that the November elections will take place with full participation and no violence.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

What work is the Department doing to stop any violence between competing parties in the November elections?

[Mr Duncan]

The UK is at the forefront of engaging with politicians of all parties in Nepal. My right hon. Friends in the Foreign Office and we in the Department for International Development visit them regularly and have urged all of them to participate. When I visited in April, I was very robust in urging some of the smaller Maoist parties to participate when at the time they were minded not to do so.