Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the (a) arrest of the father of Anna Kwok and (b) additional charges laid against Joshua Wong.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK is closely monitoring the prosecution of Kwok Yin-sang, father of US-based Anna Kwok, and is deeply concerned by the news of further charges against Joshua Wong who is currently detained in Hong Kong. China's imposition of the National Security Law has significantly eroded the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers, a situation that has worsened with the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. We call on Beijing to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether British nationals will be evacuated from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Support to British nationals remains our top priority and we have worked at pace to ensure those who want to leave Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories can do so, with six flights leaving Israel since 24 June. At this time, no further flights are planned. Commercial flights are now available. This remains a fast-moving and fragile situation, and plans will be kept under constant review.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many flights have been chartered to evacuate UK citizens from Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Flights have been chartered to evacuate UK citizens from Israel. The UK Government has not chartered flights to evacuate UK citizens from Iran. Media reports suggest the Iranian airspace is in the process of re-opening.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to evacuate British (a) diplomatic and (b) consular staff from Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety of our staff remains a top priority. That is why we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran. The travel advice remains that British nationals should not travel to Iran. The UK Government will not be able to evacuate or provide face-to-face assistance to British Nationals in Iran. Our Embassy continues to operate remotely, and we maintain the ability to message the Iranian system directly and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals are in Iran; and whether they will be evacuated.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not register numbers of British nationals (BN) overseas. We have long advised against all travel to Iran. The UK Government will not be able to evacuate or provide face-to-face assistance to BNs in Iran. If BNs intend to depart Iran across a land border and consider it safe to do so, we advise them to check the travel advice of the country they intend to enter before travelling to the border, including visa requirements. BNs requiring assistance can contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 24/7.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to request the removal of Hungary from EUFOR following reports of the deployment of Hungarian paramilitary police to Bosnia and Herzegovnia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Europe's security is critical to our own and we recognise the contribution of the European Union's (EU) military operations and missions to regional security. This includes the EU Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR), which the UK recognises as vital for maintaining peace and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We continue to support EUFOR's role in upholding the military aspects of the Dayton Agreement, and engage regularly with EUFOR and the EU Delegation in BiH. The composition of EUFOR and the nature of support provided in EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions remains a matter for the EU.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Hungarian counterpart on Hungarian government meetings with Milorad Dodik.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met his Hungarian counterpart in January, and I most recently met Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar on 19 June. In both meetings, the Foreign Secretary and I raised wider European security and emphasised the importance of unity from all partners. Locally, our Embassy in Budapest has raised, with senior officials, the Hungarian government's engagement with the Republika Srpska entity's President Dodik. We encourage de-escalation, the need to uphold peace in accordance with the Dayton Agreement, and support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 potential implications for his policies of reports of the deployment of Hungarian paramilitary police to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to the stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Any security sector support to BiH should focus on upholding peace, stability and the rule of law across the whole of BiH. We engage with all regional partners, including Hungary, to work constructively to strengthen domestic institutions, to use their influence positively with BiH's leaders, and to uphold the constitutional framework in BiH. We urge all partners to refrain from any actions that could undermine sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has settled on the title of Consular Envoy for the new position dealing with complex consular cases and arbitrary detention.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to strengthening support for British Nationals overseas, including through the appointment of an Envoy for complex consular detention cases. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the role and responsiblites of the incoming Arbitrary Detention and Complex Consular Cases Envoy have been finalised.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to strengthening support for British Nationals overseas, including through the appointment of an Envoy for complex consular detention cases. Further details will be announced in due course.