Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Interserve on (a) changes to its cleaners' working hours and (b) the effect of those changes on the (i) overtime payments and (ii) take-home pay of those staff; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are aware that Interserve is currently introducing a British Institute of Cleaning Science solution across the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's UK estate, in accordance with the requirements of the Crown Commercial Service.
If a Cleaner finds the new system isn't working for them, Interserve has undertaken to discuss what reasonable adjustments can be made, while ensuring service delivery that achieves contractual requirements.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking in relation to the Turkish Government which is violating international human rights standards and breaching the regulations of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture by the continued imprisonment and torture of Kurdish political prisoner Abdullah Öcalan.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We consistently engage with the Turkish Government over human rights concerns, including on the treatment of prisoners. As my colleague Mark Field, Minister for Asia and the Pacific, made clear in the debate on the Kurds in the House on 10 April, “we expect Turkey to respect its international obligations with regard to prison conditions.” This includes acting on the recommendations of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) of the Council of Europe concerning isolation and access relating to Imrali prison where PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is held. The PKK is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the EU whose violence we strongly condemn.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff within his Department are at risk of redundancy under the current facility management contract held by Interserve; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
There are no Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff that are at risk of redundancy under the current facilities management contract.
The changes to the Interserve staffing on this contract are as a result of a change to the delivery model for the contract, not as a result of the company's financial situation. Negotiations are ongoing and we believe there are 9 roles in the current structure which do not fit within the new model.
For any changes (including redundancies) Interserve will follow the appropriate procedures, including consultation with individuals and their representatives, to meet their duty to mitigate the risk of redundancy, including through exploring opportunities for redeployment.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department was made aware of any financial insecurities when awarding a new contract to Interserve in 2018 that could result in possible job losses in the following financial year.
Answered by Alistair Burt
No. The contract was awarded after Interserve had secured refinancing in April 2018, which had increased their financial stability and with the full agreement of Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. Any changes to staffing on the contract delivered to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are a result of the change to the proposed service delivery model and are not a result of Interserve's financial position.
Interserve announced on 27 February that its lenders, bonding providers and Pension Trusteee have agreed to its proposed deleveraging plan, a significant milestone in the delivery of their refinancing.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Interserve on their decision to impose contractual changes with respect to pay dates to its staff contracted to work in his Department.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware that Interserve has been in discussion with some of its employees that may be affected by changing dates to payroll. We have been assured by Interserve that employees will not be detrimentally affected by this change of dates and Interserve have provided reassurance that staff will not have reductions in conditions as a result of this change.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the additional staff required by his Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Using Her Majesty's Treasury EU Exit funding and a process of internal reprioritisation, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has created approximately 550 new roles in the UK and overseas to strengthen our diplomatic network in the UK and across Europe so that it is better able to represent and promote British interests and engage with our European partners in support of a successful EU Exit.
We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes. We are continually reviewing our workforce plans and reprioritising and assessing changing needs, including identification and cessation of lower-priority work where appropriate.
The Civil Service as a whole is working to ensure that EU Exit Implementation is carried out to a high quality without impacting public service delivery across the whole of government.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff were employed in his Department on (a) 20 December 2018 and (b) 23 June 2016.
Answered by Alan Duncan
It is standard practice for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to calculate headcount numbers on the last working day of each month. Therefore, our December 2018 figures are not yet available.
As of the 30th November 2018, the FCO has 4788 (4721 FTE) UK-based staff. As of the 30th June 2016, the FCO had 4331 (4253 FTE) UK-based staff.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on (a) the deteriorating health of Leyla Güven MP, a Kurdish member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the Turkish Parliament, who is on hunger strike and (b) the legal basis for Ms Güven's pre-trial detention.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We have raised concerns with the Turkish authorities over the detention of HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) Members of Parliament. We have also discussed the issue with the HDP itself. We expect Turkey, as a modern democracy, to undertake any legal processes against MPs, including Leyla Guven, fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. We will continue to engage with the Turkish Government on these important issues.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to encourage the Turkish Government to (a) halt further incursions in to Syrian territory and (b) bring to an end the occupation of Afrin.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK Government regularly discusses the Syrian conflict with the Turkish authorities, including recent conversations between the UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa and his Turkish counterpart. While we recognise Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders, we have raised our concerns that further military operations risk undermining our shared goal of securing the enduring defeat of Daesh. Following military operations in Afrin, we have stressed the need for a sustainable solution for representative local governance, which is acceptable to Turkey and to local communities. We continue to push for a reduction in violence, and for consideration of the humanitarian needs of the population in the affected areas.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on the Turkish invasion of Afrin; the effect of that military operation on civilians in Afrin; and the adequacy of medical (a) services and (b) equipment to treat those civilians.
Answered by Alan Duncan
During the Turkish operation in Afrin, the UK Government called for de-escalation of the military conflict and the protection of civilians, while recognising Turkey's legitimate interest in the security of its borders. UK Government Ministers urged their Turkish counterparts to do everything possible to minimise humanitarian suffering including the need to facilitate access for life-saving humanitarian aid in accordance with international humanitarian law.
DFID partners are delivering limited humanitarian assistance in Afrin and to those displaced from the district, where access allows. This includes medical consultations, immunisations and nutrition support for mothers and children.