Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support UK citizens detained abroad who dispute the criminal charge against them.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We offer impartial and non-judgmental help to British nationals detained overseas according to individual circumstances and local conditions. We provide a list of local English speaking lawyers and encourage detainees to consider legal representation in all cases. We continue to advocate for worldwide acceptance of, and adherence to, international human rights standards including the right to a fair trial, even when a state is not party to a particular human rights treaty. If British nationals are not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards, we will consider approaching local authorities.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to meet the UK's international obligations to refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria, other than by supporting countries in that region.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Prime Minister’s consistent focus has been on providing a comprehensive solution to the refugee crisis. He has reiterated the need for the EU to deal with the root causes of the crisis, not just respond to the consequences. The UK has committed more than £1.1 bn – the largest ever UK response to a humanitarian crisis. This goes to those in need inside Syria and the region. The Prime Minister announced on 8 September that the UK would resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years. This will build on an existing scheme for Syrians designed to support refugees based on their vulnerability. The UK has provided financial assistance (£3.6 million/€5 million per year for two years) to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the migrant camps in Calais. We continue to provide practical support to frontline Member States (particularly Greece), including to support them in securing the EU external border. The Department for International Development announced a £5 million package to the Start Network, a group of humanitarian organisations, to provide emergency relief supplies for refugees and migrants in Greece, Serbia and Macedonia. Overall funding to the Europe wide response, which is not allocated to specific countries is £6,050,000. Of this £550,000 is allocated to International Federation of Red Cross and £500,000 to the Civil Protection Mechanism.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to address the political dimensions of the situation in Syria.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) participated in US-led talks in Vienna on 30 October. We hope that this meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012. Despite the clear differences between the meeting participants, progress was made in a number of areas, most importantly that diplomatic efforts to end the war must accelerate and that the UN will be asked to launch a new political process between the Syrian parties. The UK is also a staunch supporter of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, and we will continue to work with them in pursuit of a political solution to the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I met the President of the civilian opposition National Coalition, Khaled Khoja, in London 4 November. We discussed the political process and the importance of the National Coalition continuing its important work to reach out to other moderate political and armed groups in Syria in order to develop a common platform for engaging in negotiations.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conclusions he wants the Vienna talks on the Syria crisis to reach.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We hope that the 30 October Vienna meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to develop a more comprehensive strategy to combat ISIL that prioritises protecting civilians in Syria.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK has a long-term, comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL. We are working to protect UK citizens, both domestically and overseas, from the threat posed by ISIL, and playing a leading role in the 65-member Global Coalition that is tackling ISIL on the ground. That international effort includes military action against ISIL in its heartlands in Iraq and Syria, cutting off its finances, tackling foreign fighter flows, stabilising areas which have been liberated from ISIL, and countering its poisonous ideology through strategic communications.
Unlike the Assad regime and its allies, who are bombing indiscriminately, Coalition military efforts in both Iraq and Syria are specifically designed to minimise civilian casualties. UK strike aircraft (which are currently operating only in Iraq) are equipped with advanced targeting systems and precision weapons to target ISIL by day or night whilst minimising civilian casualties.
In addition to our efforts as part of the Global Coalition, the UK is directly helping protect Syrians on the ground. We are training Search and Rescue teams and supporting local Moderate Opposition structures to deliver governance, infrastructure, health services, education and livelihoods services. We also give more humanitarian aid to Syria than any other bilateral donor except the US.
Ultimately, the only way to protect civilians in Syria is by achieving the mutually reinforcing objectives of defeating ISIL and ending the Syrian conflict. The latter can only be achieved through a political transition away from the Assad regime, whose brutality created and continues to fuel the conflict, and has led to ISIL’s expansion.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to assist the Syrian people in putting in place stable political and diplomatic foundations on which to rebuild that country once the conflict there has ended.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We hope that the 30 October Vienna meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012. The UK Government is closely engaged in this process and is working with Syrian opposition and civil society groups to ensure they are adequately represented in the process, and to help them prepare for a political transition in Syria.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to use the UK's position on the UN Security Council to help facilitate diplomatic negotiations on protecting civilians in Syria.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating Resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people. The UK is the second largest bilateral contributor of humanitarian funding, providing over £1.1 billion to those most in need in Syria and neighbouring countries – our largest ever response to a crisis. The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement based upon the principles of the Geneva Communiqué. We will continue to pursue this objective with vigour, including through the new political process which began in Vienna on 30 October.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take following the recent death of Hasan Al-Shaikh in Bahrain as a result of alleged police torture; and how the use of torture in Bahrain will change his policy towards that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British Ambassador to Bahrain has publicly raised the UK’s concern about the death of Hasan al-Shaikh at Bahrain’s Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre. A Special Investigation Unit report led to six members of staff, including three high ranking officers, appearing before the High Criminal Court on 25 November to answer charges of assaulting and torturing four men, including Al Shaikh. All six defendents pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned until 22 December. The UK Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, and we continue to work closely with the Government of Bahrain to share best practice on torture prevention measures.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the arrest of Zainab Al-Khawaja in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I understand that Zainab Al-Khawaja was released on bail on 19 November. Her next court hearing will be on 9 December for charges under Bahrain’s "lese majeste" law. The British Ambassador to Bahrain has raised the case at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain and emphasised the importance of ensuring that due legal process is respected and international norms of justice adhered to. I will continue to monitor the case closely.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the arrest and torture of 13 women in Bahrain for organising a public referendum; and what assessment he has made on the prevalence of the use of torture in Bahrain.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I am aware of the arrest of 15 women on 16 November on suspicion of disrupting the electoral process, belonging to an illegal group and calling for the overthrow of the government. I understand that all of them have now been released, but investigations into 12 individuals continue. The British Embassy in Bahrain will continue to monitor these cases.
The UK Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment. We remain concerned by continuing allegations of torture and mistreatment in Bahrain, and continue to urge the Government of Bahrain to investigate any such allegations promptly, thoroughly and impartially.