Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the IAEA has been granted access to the Arak facility in Iran.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has monthly access to the reactor at Arak. The IAEA Director General’s 29 May Iran report confirms that the Agency carried out an inspection at Arak on 11 May 2015 and observed that no new major components had been installed. Iran continues to abide by its commitments under the Joint Plan of Action.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release of 18 August 2014, what steps he is taking to assess the impact of his Department's policies on the family.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014 through the publication of guidance for officials - Family Test Guidance.
The objective of the Test is to introduce a family perspective to the policy making process, specifically to make the potential impacts on family functioning and relationships explicit.
The Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) has not applied the Test to date as The Family Test applies to domestic policy only.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Secretary-General to urge him to (a) lead personally a response to the situation of Rohingya people on the Andaman Sea and (b) lead negotiations with the government of Burma on addressing the root causes of that situation and securing unhindered access for international humanitarian aid to Rakhine state.
Answered by Lord Swire
We are deeply concerned about the crisis in the Bay of Bengal, and particularly for the thousands of people adrift in the Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits.
It is vital that Burma addresses the longer-term issues which lie at the root of the problem - namely the desperate conditions in which Rohingya communities are living in Rakhine State. I asked the Burmese Ambassador in London to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 18 May to express our concern at the situation, and press Burma to take urgent steps to deal with the humanitarian implications of the crisis, as well as the underlying causes in Rakhine. I also met the Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary on 20 May and raised the need for Bangladesh to work within the region to address people trafficking and irregular migration.
It is clear that this is an issue that requires a comprehensive regional response, and as such we welcomed the Thai authorities’ decision to call a regional summit on 29 May to tackle the broader issues. Our Ambassador in Bangkok attended this summit as an observer. We also very much welcome the 20 May decision, from the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, to provide humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants.
As I made clear in a Parliamentary debate in January, we encourage a wider UN leadership role to help bring about a long term solution to bring peace and reconciliation to all communities in Rakhine State. UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon called Burmese President Thein Sein on 20 May to discuss this issue. It was also discussed at the UN Security Council on 28 May.
The UK is playing its part to resolve the dire situation in Rakhine. Since 2012, the UK has been one of the largest bilateral humanitarian donors in Rakhine State. We have invested over £18m in humanitarian support there, which helps to provide shelter; water sanitation and hygiene; nutrition and protection activities; and non-food items for over 122,000 people. We also strongly support the UN’s coordination of the international humanitarian response.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) raise urgently the situation of Rohingya people on the Andaman Sea with the governments of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and the Association of South-East Asian Nations and (b) urge those governments to rescue Rohingyas still at sea and not send boats away.
Answered by Lord Swire
We are deeply concerned about the crisis in the Bay of Bengal, and particularly for the thousands of people adrift in the Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits.
It is vital that Burma addresses the longer-term issues which lie at the root of the problem - namely the desperate conditions in which Rohingya communities are living in Rakhine State. I asked the Burmese Ambassador in London to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 18 May to express our concern at the situation, and press Burma to take urgent steps to deal with the humanitarian implications of the crisis, as well as the underlying causes in Rakhine. I also met the Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary on 20 May and raised the need for Bangladesh to work within the region to address people trafficking and irregular migration.
It is clear that this is an issue that requires a comprehensive regional response, and as such we welcomed the Thai authorities’ decision to call a regional summit on 29 May to tackle the broader issues. Our Ambassador in Bangkok attended this summit as an observer. We also very much welcome the 20 May decision, from the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, to provide humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants.
As I made clear in a Parliamentary debate in January, we encourage a wider UN leadership role to help bring about a long term solution to bring peace and reconciliation to all communities in Rakhine State. UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon called Burmese President Thein Sein on 20 May to discuss this issue. It was also discussed at the UN Security Council on 28 May.
The UK is playing its part to resolve the dire situation in Rakhine. Since 2012, the UK has been one of the largest bilateral humanitarian donors in Rakhine State. We have invested over £18m in humanitarian support there, which helps to provide shelter; water sanitation and hygiene; nutrition and protection activities; and non-food items for over 122,000 people. We also strongly support the UN’s coordination of the international humanitarian response.
Asked by: David Burrowes (Conservative - Enfield, Southgate)
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 the return of Famagusta in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 550(1984) and 789(1992).
Answered by David Lidington
I understand the strength of feeling about Varosha, the present state of which reflects the consequences of the continued division of Cyprus.
We fully support all relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolutions 550 and 789. We have raised this issue with the Turkish Cypriots and with the Turkish authorities. I remain convinced that, ultimately, a comprehensive settlement is the best chance of resolving these complex issues. The UK will continue to support the UN-led negotiations which will address the questions of Varosha, Famagusta and other issues related to a comprehensive settlement.
We also welcome measures to build confidence between the two communities. These can have great value in fostering reconciliation between the communities and in facilitating a comprehensive settlement. I was very pleased that on 2 March the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a meeting at which the Chambers of Commerce of both Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities were represented by their Presidents, both of whom spoke eloquently about the way in which a settlement would increase the prosperity of everyone on the island.