Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Iran's commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, what assessment he has made of reports of a nuclear installation at Sorkheh-Hessar in Iran.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are aware of public claims relating to a site in the Sorkheh-Hassar region. Iran's reductions in compliance with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) continue to be of serious concern. The UK, with France and Germany, triggered the JCPoA's Dispute Resolution Mechanism on 14 January to try to resolve these concerns. The Foreign Secretary, along with his French and German counterparts has made clear that Iran must return to compliance with the JCPoA without delay. We have called for a ministerial meeting of parties to the JCPoA to seek a diplomatic way forward.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the execution of Navid Afkari.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The execution of Navik Afkari by the Iranian authorities was deplorable. The UK Government made clear its public condemnation of the action on 12 September. The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, as a matter of principle, and we unreservedly support the right to peaceful protest. Iran's human rights record is of serious and longstanding concern to the UK. The continued use of the death penalty, weak rule of law and restrictions on freedoms of expression remain deeply worrying. We regularly raise human rights with the Iranians at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what humanitarian support his Department is providing to people in Beirut.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is a long-standing friend and supporter of Lebanon and the Lebanese people. We have provided significant assistance to Lebanon, allocating over £700 million in humanitarian and development funding since the start of the Syria crisis. The UK's development support and technical expertise has generated investment and jobs, provided children with access to quality education; and provided humanitarian support to those most in need - both refugees and vulnerable Lebanese.
We will continue to stand with Lebanon in its time of urgent need following the devastating Beirut Port explosion. We have announced a £25 million package of humanitarian support making us one of the biggest donors to the crisis. £20 million of this, through the UN's World Food Programme, will help the country's most vulnerable by going directly to those families most at risk to cover their essential survival needs, including access to food and medicine. We have also allocated £3 million to the British Red Cross to meet urgent multi-sector needs. And we have deployed UK technical expertise, including medical and humanitarian specialists to assist with the response on the ground and help plan the next stages of the UK and international response.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the US Administration on the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have been clear that the death of George Floyd was appalling, inexcusable and deeply distressing. We are aware that a suspect has been charged and there is a federal review underway. We would hope and expect justice to be done.
The violence we have seen is clearly very alarming. People must be allowed to protest peacefully - peaceful protest remains a vital part of a democratic society and we understand the strength of feeling around this issue.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the execution of juvenile offenders Shayan Saeedpour and Majid Esmailzadeh.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are deeply concerned by the reports of the executions of these two juvenile offenders. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated these executions are prohibited under international human rights law and has violated the International Convention on the Rights of the Child which Iran had signed up to. The UK regularly raises human rights with the Iranian authorities at all levels and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to assist British seafarers stranded overseas as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to return to the UK.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The British Government's position on welfare was reiterated to the International Labour Organisation and International Maritime Organisation at the start of this crisis, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards for our seafarers. Where vessel operators request assistance to repatriate their employees, the British Government stands ready to work as quickly as possible to help those who may need rapid consular assistance.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for Transport continue to work closely to ensure the safety and wellbeing of British national crew members. Operators are repatriating non-essential Crew and we have recently supported in country to ensure crew are able to disembark in Europe and the US.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd 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 assist the repatriation of British merchant seafarers stranded overseas as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The British Government's position on welfare was reiterated to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) at the start of this crisis, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards for our seafarers. Where vessel operators request assistance to repatriate their employees, the British Government stands ready to work as quickly as possible to help those who may need rapid consular assistance.
FCO and DFT continue to work closely to ensure the safety and wellbeing of BN crew members. Operators are repatriating non-essential Crew and we have recently supported in country to ensure crew are able to disembark in Europe and the US.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
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 implications for the Government's policies of the report entitled, The UK strategy on protection of civilians, published by RUSI and Save the Children in September 2019.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a review of the Government's approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. This is an opportunity to take into account recent developments in the field of Protection of Civilians policy, including research and analysis by governments, international organisations, NGOs and academia. In this context, the recent report by the Royal United Services Institute and Save the Children will inform the review, which we expect to conclude by the end of 2019.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd 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 encourage other countries to support greater accountability for violations of (a) international humanitarian and (b) human rights law.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Support for international criminal justice and international humanitarian law is a fundamental element of the UK's foreign policy. The UK believes that justice and accountability for the most serious international crimes are crucial to building lasting peace and security. In line with these principles, the British Government has supported the strengthening of a number of mechanisms to enable justice and accountability for the most serious international crimes.
We work through the multilateral system not only to support the implementation of agreed standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law; but also to hold countries to account when they violate those standards. For example, in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) the UK was instrumental in invoking the Moscow Mechanism in response to the serious human rights violations in Chechnya. The UK has been vocal in both the OSCE's Permanent Council and the Human Dimension Committee in its criticism of those participating states that fail to uphold universally agreed principles. Similarly, in the Council of Europe the UK has consistently challenge those member states that fail to meet their obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, including the execution of judgements by the Court.
The UK, as a State Party to the Rome Statute, provides financial, political and practical support to the International Criminal Court. We are one of the largest contributors to the Court, contributing £9.7m in 2018. The UK, together with a number of other States Parties, is proposing a number of actions to strengthen the Court to help it to fulfil its mandate under the Rome Statute. These will be discussed at the Assembly of States Parties in December. Our goal is to improve the Court's ability to deliver justice for victims of atrocity crimes that fall under its jurisdiction.
Asked by: David Jones (Conservative - Clwyd West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the Government has played in assisting the Bahraini authorities in (a) developing and (b) implementing new criminal sentencing arrangements.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Bahrain has brought in new legislation related to alternative sentencing and has already started to implement provisions under this new legal framework. We welcome this positive move in reforming the judicial system. UK expertise have supported this process.
In a recent statement from the Embassy of Bahrain they confirmed that “To date, 388 men, 52 women, and 11 young offenders have had potential prison time replaced by alternative sentences, and a number of further cases remain under consideration by the judiciary.”
This law makes Bahrain the first country in the Middle East to introduce separate alternative sentencing legislation.