Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many officials of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have the word trade in their job title.
Answered by Mark Field
Building the UK’s prosperity is a key priority for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). Our network of Posts overseas work to deliver the goals of the whole of Government, including in support of the objectives of the Department for International Trade. A significant proportion of FCO officials both in the UK and overseas support this agenda but do not necessarily have the word “trade” in their job title, including for example Ambassadors and other Heads of Missions.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any areas of sea between the UK and the Republic of Ireland have changed jurisdiction in the last 10 years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland establishing a Single Maritime Boundary between the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the Two Countries and parts of their Continental Shelves was presented to Parliament in June 2013 (Cm 8666) and subsequently came into force on 31 March 2014 (Treaty Series No. 21 (2014)).
The Explanatory Memorandum presented to Parliament alongside Cm 8666 stated that the Agreement firstly amended the existing delimited continental shelf boundary between the UK and Ireland as defined in a 1988 Agreement, a supplementary Protocol of 1992 and an Exchange of Notes of 2001. The effect of the amendment was to transfer part of what was previously Irish Continental Shelf to the UK, in exchange for an area of the UK's Continental Shelf. In amending the existing Continental Shelf boundary the 2014 Agreement superseded both the 1988 Agreement and the 2001 Exchange of Notes, which were terminated.
The Agreement then provides for the coordinates of the amended Continental Shelf boundary, up to 200 nautical miles, to delimit also the EEZ boundary between the two states.
In negotiating to align a new EEZ boundary with the existing Continental Shelf boundary it was discovered that there were two small areas on the Irish side of the boundary that were more than 200 nautical miles from Irish baselines on their coast. As these could not be incorporated into an Irish EEZ, it was agreed to swap these two areas of Irish Continental Shelf for areas of the UK's Continental Shelf, the areas being of equal size and potential exploitability e.g. for the purposes of hydrocarbons and fisheries.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the jurisdiction of any seas in the northern and southern maritime borders of the UK and the Republic of Ireland have been exchanged in the last 10 years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland establishing a Single Maritime Boundary between the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the Two Countries and parts of their Continental Shelves was presented to Parliament in June 2013 (Cm 8666) and subsequently came into force on 31 March 2014 (Treaty Series No. 21 (2014)).
The Explanatory Memorandum presented to Parliament alongside Cm 8666 stated that the Agreement firstly amended the existing delimited continental shelf boundary between the UK and Ireland as defined in a 1988 Agreement, a supplementary Protocol of 1992 and an Exchange of Notes of 2001. The effect of the amendment was to transfer part of what was previously Irish Continental Shelf to the UK, in exchange for an area of the UK's Continental Shelf. In amending the existing Continental Shelf boundary the 2014 Agreement superseded both the 1988 Agreement and the 2001 Exchange of Notes, which were terminated.
The Agreement then provides for the coordinates of the amended Continental Shelf boundary, up to 200 nautical miles, to delimit also the EEZ boundary between the two states.
In negotiating to align a new EEZ boundary with the existing Continental Shelf boundary it was discovered that there were two small areas on the Irish side of the boundary that were more than 200 nautical miles from Irish baselines on their coast. As these could not be incorporated into an Irish EEZ, it was agreed to swap these two areas of Irish Continental Shelf for areas of the UK's Continental Shelf, the areas being of equal size and potential exploitability e.g. for the purposes of hydrocarbons and fisheries.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone who disappeared in Laos in December 2012; and what representations his Department has made to the Laos government on Mr Somphone.
Answered by Lord Swire
We remain very concerned as to the whereabouts of Mr Sombath Somphone. We regularly raise his disappearance with the Lao government. Laos underwent its second UN Universal Periodic Review under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council, earlier this year. The United Kingdom’s recommendation calling on the Lao government to conduct a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation into Mr Somphone’s disappearance was formally accepted by the Lao government. On 11 September, 1000 days since Mr Somphone’s disappearance, I wrote to the Lao Ambassador to the United Kingdom, to urge the Lao government to rapidly proceed with conducting an investigation. Next month, at the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in Vientiane, the United Kingdom, along with our EU partners, will highlight the lack of progress in the investigation into Mr Somphone’s disappearance.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of escalation of the conflict in Colombia.
Answered by Lord Swire
According to the Conflict Analysis Resource Centre (CERAC), a local think tank, June was the most violent month since peace talks started in 2012 with a total of 83 FARC attacks recorded. The south west region of Colombia has been worst affected. For example, in Cauca there have been reports of 14 attacks, killing 4 police officers; more than 700 people displaced and damage to the Pan-American Highway. In Nariño and Putumayo, damage to infrastructure has led to significant oil spills, contaminating the water supply.
Despite this escalation, negotiations in Havana continue, focusing on victims’ reparation and the end of the conflict. We remain supportive of President Santos’ efforts to negotiate peace with the FARC and recognise the commitment on both sides to bring an end to over 50 years of conflict in Colombia.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent Human Rights Watch report on alleged senior military involvement in false positive cases in Colombia.
Answered by Lord Swire
On 25 June, our Ambassador in Colombia hosted a lunch for other ambassadors from EU Member States at which the Americas Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), José Miguel Vivanco, presented HRW’s report ‘On Their Watch’. We take seriously the allegations in this report pertaining to false positives and I welcome President Santos’ pledge to ensure that they are investigated thoroughly. We attach importance to his firm commitment that there will be no impunity for human rights abuses in Colombia.
The UK works with the Colombian government and military as part of our joint efforts to improve the country’s human rights situation. We regularly discuss human rights and already have clear criteria in place to guide all bilateral defence engagement. We will, of course, continue to monitor this case as investigations proceed.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
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 government of Colombia on the imprisonment of civil society activists and trade unionists in that country.
Answered by Lord Swire
Our Embassy regularly raises concerns about the violence and intimidation suffered by human rights defenders in Colombia, which includes trade unionists, with the Colombian government. Our officials continue to make representations to the government of Colombia regarding imprisoned trade unionists Huber Ballesteros and David Ravelo, to ensure due process and appropriate conditions. Our officials visited Huber Ballesteros last November, and continue to lobby prison authorities to ensure that conditions are appropriate for his medical needs. They have also recently requested access to visit Mr Ravelo in prison, having visited him previously just after he was sentenced in December 2012.
Human rights form a core part of the United Kingdom’s engagement with Colombia and we continue to raise these issues at the highest levels.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
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 support the Colombian peace process.
Answered by Lord Swire
We continue to support efforts to secure peace in Colombia. We have offered advice to the government, based on our experience in Northern Ireland. Our Embassy in Bogotá works closely with the Ministry of Post-Conflict, Security and Human Rights to support their post-conflict planning, and funds projects to help the Ministry develop a model for rural security and a rapid response plan in readiness for a peace agreement.
I had the opportunity to meet the Colombian High Commissioner for Peace, Sergio Jaramillo Caro, during his visit to London in May. I also met Foreign Minister Holguín in Brussels last month. On both occasions, I reiterated the United Kingdom’s support for the peace process.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of killings of Colombian human rights activists.
Answered by Lord Swire
Our officials in Bogotá received a report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) on 22 June, that 21 human rights defenders (HRDs) had been murdered so far this year.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will publish its in-year update to the annual Human Rights Report on Colombia later this month. This will contain the most recent data collected from a wide range of official sources regarding human rights abuses. All reports can be found on the FCO’s website:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/colombia-country-of-concern/colombia-country-of-concern
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on human rights abuses in Colombia.
Answered by Lord Swire
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and non-government organisations (NGOs), such as Amnesty International, regularly report on the human rights situation in Colombia.
Our officials received an update of figures from the Office of the UNHCHR on 22 June, when they reported that 21 human rights defenders (HRDs) had been murdered this year. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will publish its in-year update to the annual Human Rights Report on Colombia later this month. This will contain the most recent data collected from a wide range of official sources, such as Human Rights Watch and other NGOs, as well as the UNHCHR.
The FCO will publish its in-year Human Rights update on Colombia later this month. It will include a thorough update on the human rights situation in the country, with data regarding human rights abuses threats made against HRDs, journalists and trade unionists, minority and women’s rights and other issues. Once published, this report will be available on the FCO’s website at www.gov.uk/government/publications/colombia-country-of-concern/colombia-country-of-concern.