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 progress he has made on the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to strengthen its capacity dedicated to identifying and responding to atrocity risks, drawing on expertise across government departments and working with civil society, academia, bilateral partners, and multilateral organisations.
This includes progress on strengthening global early warning and country risk assessments, expanding programmes with partner organisations and building the FCDO network's capabilities to prevent atrocities through technical training, central guidance and capturing learning. We will continue to invest in ways to improve policy and practical interventions to act earlier to prevent atrocities.
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, for what reason the letter from him and the Secretary of State for the Home Department to the Planning Inspector in relation to the planning and listed building consent applications by the Chinese Embassy in the UK for the redevelopment of the Royal Mint Court site in Tower Hamlets is dated 14 January 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It was human error that caused the joint Foreign Secretary/Home Secretary letter to the Planning Inspector to be dated 14 January 2024. The letter was sent to the inquiry on 14 January 2025.
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 Government considers joint committees between the legislatures of the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska as being compatible with the Dayton Agreement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the Dayton Peace Agreement. I raised the importance of maintaining peace and stability in BiH on my visit to Serbia with senior government figures this week, alongside the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Lord Peach.
We welcome inclusive regional cooperation, economic integration and inter-connectivity initiatives which raise living standards across the Western Balkans. But it is vital that any such initiatives and related structures do not privilege individual groups or violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which we remain steadfast in our support. We will work with domestic authorities, our international partners, and the High Representative to act against any attempts to undermine the state 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, if he will publicly call for the release of Ryan Cornelius.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I appreciate and acknowledge the significant distress caused to Mr Cornelius and his family by his continued detention. This Government remains committed to supporting Mr Cornelius' clemency application on compassionate grounds. We will ensure Mr Cornelius' case continues to be raised with UAE authorities at the appropriate level by both Ministers and officials.
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, with reference to the Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its 93rd session, 30 March-8 April 2022 : Opinion No. 19/2022 concerning Ryan Cornelius (United Arab Emirates), whether his Department has made an assessment of whether Ryan Cornelius has been arbitrarily detained.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is not an investigatory body and does not have the specific expertise or the jurisdiction to conduct local investigations into any allegations of human rights violations. However, the FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinions seriously. While the group's recommendations are not legally binding, we will continue to highlight concerns raised in the case of Mr Cornelius in discussions with UAE authorities.
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, when he plans to appoint the (a) special envoy for hostage affairs and (b) special envoy for arbitrary detention.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is committed to strengthening support for British Nationals overseas, including through the appointment of an Envoy. Further details will be announced in due course.
William Middleton has succeeded Charles Hay as Director for Gaza Hostages.
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 steps his Department is taking to help ensure UN Security Council Resolution 2118 on Syria is implemented.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been clear. Syria must fulfil its international obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), as we stated at the OPCW Executive Council meeting on 12 December and at the UN Security Council on 17 December. While we welcome HTS's commitments to protect chemical weapons sites and never use these weapons under any circumstances, Syria must now take the next step, which is to comply with its obligations under UNSCR 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention and engage with the OPCW to declare fully its chemical weapons programme. The UK has recently announced an additional £120,000 of funding to OPCW to support its work on Syria.
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 the United States’ designation of Fawaz Al-Akhras for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Bashar Al-Assad.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's priority is to work closely with our allies, including the US, to prevent instability in Syria, ensure civilians are protected and provide humanitarian assistance to those who need it, while shaping an inclusive and peaceful transfer of power following the fall of Assad's brutal regime. The FCDO keeps all sanctions listings and evidence under close 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, if he will designate Fawaz Al-Akhras for providing support to the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO keeps all sanctions listings and evidence under close review. It is not appropriate to speculate on potential future designations, as to do so could reduce their impact.
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, if he will take steps to send justice and accountability experts to Syria to collect evidence of (a) war crimes and (b) crimes against humanity by the regime led by Bashar Al-Assad.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are currently considering options for building on our ongoing accountability work in Syria. In the meantime, we will continue to support partners who are playing a pivotal role in developing a credible evidence base to record atrocities committed by the former regime and others. This year alone, we have committed £1.15 million to accountability and documentation related programmes. In addition, we will continue to work with our international partners and civil society to advocate for and support mechanisms such as the UN International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and Independent Institution for Missing Persons (IIMP) to ensure that accountability is a core part of the transitional process.