Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the testimonies of Israeli army snipers reported in the Ha’aretz newspaper on 6 March 2020, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports of the Israeli army’s use of live fire on Palestinians.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We have repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defense Forces police non-violent protests and the border areas, including the use of live ammunition. We encourage Israel to carry out transparent investigations into whether the use of live fire had been appropriate. While Israel has a legitimate right to self-defence, it is vital that all its actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
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 effect of the decision by the Government of Israel to ban export of Palestinian agricultural products on Palestinian farmers in the West Bank.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK is concerned about the impact of recent Israeli trade restrictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The British Government strongly supports the principle of free trade. British businesses should be free to import Palestinian products without barriers. Our Ambassador to Israel raised this issue with the Government of Israel, most recently on 12 February. We welcome the agreement reached by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, on 20 February, to lift their respective trade restrictions. We urge both sides to ensure the swift implementation of this agreement.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made by the team of specialists from defence, health and fire sent by his Department to Australia to assess what support to provide to emergency responders tackling bushfires.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As I (Minister Wheeler) set out in my Oral Statement of 9 January, we deployed a team of UK experts to Australia, including a senior member of UK Fire and Rescue Service, a medical specialist in trauma and mental health, and a military liaison officer specialising in crisis response. The team returned to the UK on 16 January having engaged closely with Australian counterparts.
Drawing on the team's findings we are working to establish what further UK support would be of most use to the Australian authorities, and ensure that any such contributions are appropriate to Australia's needs. At this stage the Australian government has made no specific requests for assistance.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many requests by the US Administration were (a) made to and (b) granted by HM Embassy Washington DC for diplomatic immunity to be waived for (i) motoring and (ii) other offences by UK personnel and their families covered by diplomatic immunity in each of the last five years for which information is available.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The diplomatic immunity of United Kingdom staff or their family members has been waived, in response to the below requests from the US Administration, over the last five years, in relation to motoring and other offences:
Year | Driving offences | Other offences |
2019 | 2 |
|
2018 |
| 1 |
2017 |
|
|
2016 | 1 |
|
2015 | 1 |
Diplomatic immunity is governed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and in agreement with the host nation in accordance with its laws and regulations.
All British diplomatic staff are expected to respect and comply with local laws. HMG's policy is that immunity should not be unreasonably maintained and may only be claimed in exceptional circumstances, such as to protect staff from hostile action from host authorities. We expect the highest standard of conduct from British civil servants, and their families, when serving overseas and staff are expected to answer to any criminal or civil charge brought against them.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart to investigate the reported murders of (a) Alberto Armando Sánchez, (b) Fernando Salcedo and (c) Cristian Sánchez by paramilitaries in northern Colombia on 30 September 2019.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We are saddened by the reported murders of Alberto Armando Sánchez, Fernando Salcedo and Cristian Sánchez. We share the concern of the Colombian Government that organised armed groups continue to operate in large parts of Colombia, and at the impact their activities continue to have on people's lives, and on the ability of the state, civil society and business to operate and develop.
We remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities as they seek to ensure sustainable peace in Colombia, and will continue to work closely with the Colombian government and civil society on the peace process and related matters.