Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening alumni in Afghanistan will be prioritised under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK Government will consider at risk Chevening alumni, British Council and Gardaworld contractors for resettlement under the third pathway of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in year one. We plan to exceed our initial aim to resettle 5,000 through ACRS in the first year. Overall the ACRS will provide up to 20,000 people with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening alumni in Afghanistan are categorised as vulnerable.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
It is not known how many Chevening alumni are currently in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening alumni there are in Afghanistan.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
It is not known how many Chevening alumni are currently in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
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 effectiveness of the UK global human rights sanctions regime in preventing of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Sanctions are one response among a number of diplomatic tools we can deploy around the world as part of a broader political strategy in order to change or send a political signal regarding particular behaviours. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. However, it is not appropriate to speculate on who may be designated in the future, as to do so could reduce their impact.
The UK Government, alongside our partners in the Core Group, has led international efforts over many years to promote accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka, including at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). On 23 March the UNHRC adopted a new UK-led resolution, 46/1. This resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka. We continue to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on these important issues.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, where and how information in respect of the decision to place a person on the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime is (a) disseminated, (b) published and (c) reported.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As set out in the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, decisions to designate will be made by the Secretary of State and may only take place where the Secretary of State has "reasonable grounds to suspect" that an individual or entity "is or has been" involved in one of the serious human rights violations or abuses falling within the Regulations. The designation must also be considered "appropriate" having regard to the purpose of the regulations and the likely significant effects on the target. The regulations place an obligation on the UK Government to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to inform a person of their designation and to publicise this. As part of this, we will publish designations on the "UK Sanctions List" on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) body or (b) person is responsible for determining who is designated under the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As set out in the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, decisions to designate will be made by the Secretary of State and may only take place where the Secretary of State has "reasonable grounds to suspect" that an individual or entity "is or has been" involved in one of the serious human rights violations or abuses falling within the Regulations. The designation must also be considered "appropriate" having regard to the purpose of the regulations and the likely significant effects on the target. The regulations place an obligation on the UK Government to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to inform a person of their designation and to publicise this. As part of this, we will publish designations on the "UK Sanctions List" on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many designations under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime her Department has issued on Sri Lankan officials accused of breaches of international and human rights law since the 18 May 2009.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. No Sri Lankan officials have been designated under the sanctions regime to date and it is not appropriate to speculate on who may be designated in the future, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designation.
Sanctions are one response among a number of diplomatic tools. The UK government, alongside our partners in the Core Group, has led international efforts over many years to promote accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka, including at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). On 23 March the UNHRC adopted a new UK-led resolution, 46/1. This resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka. We continue to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on these important issues.