Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle the intimidation and harassment of BBC Persian journalists by the Iranian authorities.
Answered by Mark Field
The reports of BBC Persian staff in Iran being harassed and subject to asset freezes and similar forms of mistreatment are deeply worrying. The Foreign Secretary raised this in Tehran in November 2018 as did the former Minister of the Middle East and North Africa in August 2018. In March 2019 we also supported the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. We will continue to regularly raise this issue at all levels of the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the involvement of Chinese telecoms firm Huawei in the construction of the UK's 5G data network.
Answered by Mark Field
My right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport gave details of the Government’s position on this matter to Parliament on Thursday 25 April (Official Report, column 881)
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department provides financial support to assist in the repatriation of the bodies of British victims of terrorism killed abroad.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
In certain circumstances the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can enact Exceptional Assistance Measures (EAM) which can cover the cost of repatriation. EAM are only activated when a terrorist attack has occurred, and then only in exceptional circumstances, and on a case-by case basis. EAM does not replace the need for comprehensive travel insurance which will also cover costs such as repatriation.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle the persecution of Christians in Karachi, Pakistan.
Answered by Mark Field
We remain deeply concerned by the treatment of minority religious communities in Pakistan. This includes Christian communities throughout the country, including in Karachi.
We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level, including when the Foreign Secretary saw Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in December 2018. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, raised the treatment of minority communities with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 19 February during his visit to Pakistan. At the UN Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan in November 2017, the UK pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities.
On 30 January 2019, the Foreign Secretary and the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, launched an Independent Review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians overseas.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
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 Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of Christians in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
We remain deeply concerned by the treatment of minority religious communities in Pakistan. This includes Christian communities throughout the country, including in Karachi.
We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level, including when the Foreign Secretary saw Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in December 2018. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, raised the treatment of minority communities with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 19 February during his visit to Pakistan. At the UN Universal Periodic Review of Pakistan in November 2017, the UK pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities.
On 30 January 2019, the Foreign Secretary and the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, launched an Independent Review of Foreign and Commonwealth Office support for persecuted Christians overseas.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to provide observer status for British Overseas Territories at the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is committed to strengthening the links between Commonwealth countries. However, the only category of Commonwealth membership is that of sovereign states. Any decision to create a new membership status would need to be agreed by consensus of Commonwealth Heads of Government.
Accordingly, whilst the Overseas Territories are unable to attend the Heads of Government Meeting in their own right, their interests will be represented by Her Majesty's Government at the Summit next April. My hon. Friend Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN will be discussing a range of issues, including the Commonwealth Summit, with Overseas Territories' leaders at the Joint Ministerial Council at the end of this month.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals are employed in UK embassies in EU countries.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs around 200 UK-based staff in its bilateral Embassies to the Member States of the European Union. By law such staff must be UK nationals or dual nationals.
The FCO also employs around 1100 locally employed staff in these Embassies. Many are UK nationals or dual nationals but the FCO does not collect data centrally on their nationality.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people are employed in the UK Permanent Representation to the EU.
Answered by Alan Duncan
There are over 120 officials currently employed at the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department have responsibilities which include EU-related matters.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Europe Directorate lead on providing advice to FCO Ministers on the EU and EU-related issues. However, staff in other Directorates in London, as well as staff in our diplomatic missions around the world, also on occasion work on EU-related issues. Therefore, it is not possible to give precise figures.