Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Somaliland, (b) Somalia, (c) Ethiopia and (d) the African Union on the Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The FCDO has noted the announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, which suggests that Ethiopia will recognise Somaliland's independence in return for the lease of territory. We are concerned by escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa and are engaging with all relevant parties through our posts in the region to call for calm and encourage dialogue. The UK has reaffirmed its respect for Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterpart in the Falkland Islands government and (b) banks in the UK on the provision of banking services to people on the Falkland Islands.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government has ongoing discussions with political leadership in the Falkland Islands across a range of issues affecting the Islands, including the provision of banking services. Banking services on the Falkland Islands are regulated by the Falkland Islands Government as a self-governing UK Overseas Territory. Standard Chartered offer the only on-island retail banking option via their branch in Stanley, alongside other providers who offer other online financial services such as Square and Wise. The FCDO are working with other UK Government departments to ascertain how to ensure UK retail banking services are kept available to residents in the UK Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to modern banking services on the Falkland Islands.
Answered by David Rutley
Banking services on the Falkland Islands are regulated by the Falkland Islands Government as a self-governing UK Overseas Territory. Standard Chartered offer the only on-island retail banking option via their branch in Stanley, alongside other providers who offer other online financial services such as Square and Wise. The FCDO are working with other UK Government departments to ascertain how to ensure UK retail banking services are kept available to residents in the UK Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of extracting (a) oil and (b) gas from around the Falkland Islands on diplomatic relations with Argentina.
Answered by David Rutley
The natural resources of the Falkland Islands belong to the people of the Falkland Islands and their right to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit is an integral part of the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination. We will continue to proactively defend the Falkland Islanders' rights in all international fora.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for peace and security in the region of the hijacking on 19 November 2023 of the Galaxy Leader.
Answered by David Rutley
The United Kingdom condemns the unlawful seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by the Houthis in the Red Sea and we call for the immediate, and unconditional, release of the ship and its crew.
Iran has long provided military and political support to the Houthis. We have made it clear to Iran that it bears responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners. Iran must actively restrain these groups to prevent the conflict escalating across the region.
The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping in the region, including through our contribution to the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Pakistan on the treatment of Christians in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UK's commitment to freedom of religion or belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad, condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on aid spending in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We have renewed our strong commitment to our development partnership with Pakistan to provide £41.5 million in bilateral Overseas Development Aid (ODA) for FY 23/24. This supports family planning, climate resilience and regional stability. Our ODA budget is set to more than triple for FY24/25, to £133 million.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of recent attacks on churches in Jaranwala in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UK's commitment to freedom of religion or belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad, condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect Christians accused of (a) blasphemy and (b) other acts from (i) mob violence and (ii) extrajudicial killing in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting minority communities remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following recent attacks in Jaranwala. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner. We continue to raise the issue of blasphemy laws privately at the highest levels. On 27 June, Lord Ahmad raised the use of blasphemy laws to target marginalised religious communities with Pakistan's then-Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to people testifying against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians. The UK led the UN Security Council to establish the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) which has enabled the Government of Iraq to support people testifying against Daesh. We also advocated for the passing of the Yazidi Survivors Law, an important first step toward assistance and justice for survivors of sexual violence by Daesh. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the legislation, including providing funding support to the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met Yazidi communities and religious and political leaders to hear their experiences and reiterate UK support during his recent visit to Iraq.