Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to include British ports in the sanctions regime against Russia.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
New legislation made and laid on 1 March prohibits Russian ships, and other ships specified by the Secretary of State, from entering ports in the United Kingdom. This legislation confers powers on the Secretary of State and harbour authorities to detain Russian ships or specified ships at ports or anchorages, and confers powers on the Secretary of State to control the movement of Russian ships or specified ships by requiring them to leave or enter specified ports, proceed to a specified place or remain where they are. It also prohibits the registration of ships on the UK Ship Register where they are owned, controlled, chartered or operated by a designated person or persons connected with Russia, or are Russian flagged or registered, or where they are a specified ship.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of Russian flagged ships using British ports.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Department for Transport has published statistics on ship arrivals to UK ports for the purpose of loading and unloading cargo and passengers up to 2020. In 2020, there were 160 voyages where cargo was either loaded or unloaded at a UK port by 47 unique Russian flagged vessels.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her policy is on the use of British ports by Russian-flagged operators.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
New legislation Made and laid on 1 March prohibits Russian ships, and other ships specified by the Secretary of State, from entering ports in the United Kingdom. This legislation confers powers on the Secretary of State and harbour authorities to detain Russian ships or specified ships at ports or anchorages, and confers powers on the Secretary of State to control the movement of Russian ships or specified ships by requiring them to leave or enter specified ports, proceed to a specified place or remain where they are. It also prohibits the registration of ships on the UK Ship Register where they are owned, controlled, chartered or operated by a designated person or persons connected with Russia, or are Russian flagged or registered, or where they are a specified ship.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Brazilian Government on (a) the safety of isolated indigenous tribes and the forests they inhabit in the Amazonian region, (b) renewing land protection orders for and subsequently completing the demarcation of (i) Ituna Itatá Indigenous Territory, (ii) Pará state, (iii) Piripkura Indigenous Territory, (iv) Mato Grosso state, (v) Pirititi Indigenous Territory, (vi) Roraima state, (vii) Jacareúba Katawixi Indigenous Territory and (viii) Amazonas state and (c) ensuring the eviction of illegal occupants from those areas.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK regularly engages with indigenous leaders and civil society organisations on these issues. Senior HMG officials discussed the indigenous lands situation with Brazilian authorities most recently in December 2021. We have hosted conversations with indigenous leaders from Amazonas and Pará at our Embassy in Brasilia, and are in regular contact with the Brazilian National Foundation for Indigenous People (FUNAI), which is responsible for promoting indigenous people's rights and territorial protection in Brazil, including for uncontacted indigenous people to ensure that our own and others' engagement is coordinated. The UK is committed to defending and promoting the human rights of all, and we will continue to monitor developments around indigenous land rights in Brazil.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help (a) protect the survival of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin and (b) address risks arising from (i) commercial exploitation of and (ii) violent incursions into their territories.
Answered by Vicky Ford
British diplomats regularly engage with indigenous leaders and civil society organisations in Brazil. We are funding a three-year initiative, the Regional Action to Reduce Environmental Crime in the Amazon which aims to prevent and reduce environmental crime across the Amazon region, including in Brazil. The British Embassy in Brazil is committed to engaging widely with the Brazilian Government, civil society organisations, and other representatives to discuss issues related to indigenous rights and will continue to monitor the situation.
During the C-19 pandemic, we also supported Indigenous Communities though our International Programme Fund. This included a £10,000 project focused on maximising fundraising efforts to provide emergency assistance to a range of indigenous communities based in the Amazon basin. The project raised over £500,000 for indigenous communities in the form of health assistance and community support including food, hygiene products and information campaigns.
UK programmes designed to help speed the recovery from the pandemic include a focus on vulnerable groups, including in the Amazon region and support improvements in areas such as solar energy, primary health and skills development. We have also supported local and indigenous people in the Amazon through our International Climate Finance programmes, with nearly £120 million invested across the Amazon since 2012.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps in the event that the Brazilian Government is found in breach of its responsibilities under international and domestic law to protect the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples, including isolated indigenous groups in remote areas who do not have regular contact with society, living within its borders.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Embassy in Brasilia regularly engages with indigenous leaders and organisations in Brazil on matters relating to indigenous rights as well as with FUNAI, the Brazilian Government organisation promoting indigenous people's rights and territorial protection. In August 2021, the UK Deputy Ambassador met with indigenous leaders from Amazonas and Pará to discuss the experiences of indigenous communities in these regions and the impact of Covid19 on Indigenous peoples in Brazil. In December 2021, the Ambassador met with representatives from FUNAI as part of a roundtable discussion on Human Rights in Brazil and discussed the organisation's ongoing engagement with indigenous communities, including around land protection and health. We will continue this engagement with the Brazilian Government and raise any concerns that emerge.