Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
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 the Saudi Arabian government on tackling the spread of Daesh in the Middle East.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We regularly hold discussions with Saudi Arabia about the threat from Daesh. Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of international efforts to defeat Daesh and was one of the first countries to participate in air strikes against Daesh in Syria. The King and the religious establishment continue clearly and publicly to condemn Daesh and its poisonous ideology, and to emphasise that Daesh do not in any way represent the teachings of Islamic faith.
The Saudi Arabian Government is working to reduce the threat that religious extremists pose in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. It has a comprehensive set of laws in place to prevent terrorist financing, which it enforces vigorously. We welcome the recent announcement of the creation of the Islamic Military Coalition which, among other things, aims to help Islamic countries to counter the threat from terrorism. Regional and Arab countries are best placed to tackle extremism and confront Daesh on the ground.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the frequency of rocket attacks from the West Bank into Israel in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We have not received reports of incidents of rocket fire from the West Bank into Israel . However, military groups in Gaza (including Hamas’ military wing), conduct test-firing of rockets into the Mediterranean on a regular basis. There have also been reports of rocket or mortar fire from Gaza towards Israel.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Israeli government on tackling the spread of Daesh in the Middle East.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular discussions with the Israeli Government on shared security threats. These include sharing analysis on the spread of Daesh across the Middle East, and discussing our efforts to tackle this spread, including through the Global Counter-Daesh Coalition, international sanctions, and support to bolster countries in the region, such as Jordan.
I will be visiting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories later this month where I will continue these discussions.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greek and Turkish governments on the unification of Cyprus.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK remains a strong supporter of a Cyprus settlement. We engage regularly with Greece and Turkey, at a range of levels, as part of our efforts to build support for the UN-led settlement talks. We look forward to continuing to work with Greece and Turkey to help the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to reunite their island through a just and lasting settlement.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from the government of Argentina on the status of the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Lord Swire
I have received no such recent representations from the Argentine government.Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2015 to Question 2798, what recent steps he has taken to support Christians who are being persecuted in Middle Eastern countries.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Government remains deeply concerned about the plight of Christians and other minorities across the Middle East and North Africa. We continue to urge all governments in the region to ensure the protection of all minorities and encourage them to develop inclusive political systems that represent all of their citizens. In Iraq, Syria and Lebanon we are working with religious leaders to support inter-communal cohesion and ensure vulnerable communities have a voice. We have recently launched a project promoting legal and social protection for Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iraq. On 19 November, The Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns and I convened a workshop at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with Non-Governmental Organisations and experts in the field to examine what more Her Majesty's Government might do to practically support Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and protect Freedom of Religion or Belief. Officials are now examining how we might put emerging ideas into practice.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
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 EU counterparts about further expansion of the membership of the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK supports enlargement of the EU as a driver for peace, prosperity and reform, once countries have met in full the conditions and standards for membership. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made clear that there needs to be reform of the transitional controls on free movement of workers before any further countries join the EU. I discuss enlargement policy and developments in aspirant countries in the course of contacts with EU counterparts and in the context of annual autumn Council discussions on enlargement. Based on latest assessments and enlargement experiences to date, we don't expect further enlargement before the early 2020s.