Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is the best, and currently only, way to monitor and constrain Iran's nuclear programme. But Iran's continued systematic non-compliance with its JCPoA commitments is undermining the non-proliferation benefits of the deal and jeopardising our efforts to preserve it. In his call with President Rouhani on 10 March, the Prime Minister stressed that while the UK remains committed to making the JCPoA a success, Iran must stop all nuclear activity that breaches the terms of the deal and come back into compliance.
We are particularly concerned by Iran's announcement on 16 April that it has started uranium enrichment up to 60% using advanced centrifuges. As the E3 said in a statement on 14 April, the production of highly enriched uranium constitutes an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon. Iran has no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level.
We continue to work with the parties to the JCPoA and the new US Administration to find a diplomatic way forward that realises the benefits of the deal, and call upon Iran not to take any further steps which violate its JCPoA commitments and make a return to mutual compliance harder to achieve.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether personal protective equipment has been imported in to the UK which is the result of forced labour in the Xinjaing province of China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government takes all allegations of modern slavery and forced labour extremely seriously. We expect suppliers to follow the highest legal and ethical standards and to carry out proper due diligence for all government contracts. We continue to urge all businesses involved in investing in Xinjiang, or with parts of their supply chains in Xinjiang, to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, or risk being seen to support, any human rights violations or abuses.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
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 potential sanctions on the people responsible for human rights abuses against Uyghurs in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
On 6 July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. We will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support independent (a) tribunals and (b) assessments on China's treatment of its Uyghur population.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have serious concerns about gross violations of human rights occurring in Xinjiang and welcome any additional analysis on the situation in Xinjiang that is rigorous, balanced and raises awareness of the situation faced by Uyghurs and other minorities in China. At the UN Human Rights Council and UN Third Committee, the UK has repeatedly used both its national statements and joint statements with international partners to call on China to grant unfettered access to Xinjiang for UN experts and observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We did so alongside 38 countries at the UN Third Committee on 6 October.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese Government on allowing Human Rights Monitors access to Xinjiang's camps.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is deeply concerned about the gross human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang. The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK's longstanding calls for China to allow unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent experts, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Xinjiang directly with his Chinese counterpart in July. We have also repeatedly called on China to allow UN experts unfettered access to Xinjiang at the UN, including in a recent joint statement with 38 other countries at the UN Third Committee on 6 October.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK will continue to take part in the EU monitoring mission in Georgia after leaving the EU on 31 January 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The United Kingdom currently has six secondees in the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia. Whilst the Withdrawal Agreement provides for continued British participation in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations and missions during the transition period, all six will leave the mission when their current contracts come to an end on 31 January. This follows decisions taken by the European External Action Service (EEAS) to meet the operational needs and ensure the business continuity of the mission.
The United Kingdom is proud to have contributed personnel to EUMM Georgia since its inception in 2008, and we continue to support the objectives of the mission.