Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing targeted sanctions on (a) people responsible for serious crimes in Sudan in line with those sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union, (b) people identified in the UN Panel of Experts report of January 2024 and (c) commanders and officials obstructing humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The use of sanctions is one of the tools the UK employs to respond to ongoing conflict in Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the RSF and four entities linked with the SAF. Six of those sanctions were issued on 12 July 2023 under the UK's Sudan Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The UK announced a package of three further sanctions designations on 15 April 2024. These sanctions froze the assets of three commercial entities linked to each warring party. The UK welcomes the Panel of Experts' report from January. Although we do not speculate on future measures, our sanctions policy is continually under review. We continue to engage closely with key international partners on Sudan.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps at the United Nations Security Council to (a) widen the existing arms embargo on Darfur to cover all of Sudan, (b) enforce the existing arms embargo, and (c) to sanction (i) individuals and (ii) companies that (A) have violated and (B) are violating the arms embargo.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
There is a UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur, which the UN Security Council (UNSC) renewed in September 2024, which complements a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country, and individuals and entities who breach the UN arms embargo may be subject to targeted measures as stipulated in resolution 1591. Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the Rapid Support Forces and four entities linked with the Sudanese Armed Forces. We consistently use our position as penholder on Sudan at the UNSC to call on States urgently to refrain from enhancing either side's fighting capability.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a new UN convention on the rights of older persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument to help further address the issues faced by older people.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help ensure that civil society organisations working on peacebuilding in Israel and Palestine are integrated into a future diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. The UK is pushing for an immediate ceasefire. The fighting must stop, the hostages must be released and much, much more aid must enter Gaza. A deal is on the table, and we are urging both sides to show flexibility. The Civil Society organisations we work with are valuable partners of the government, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them closely.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consular support is in place to assist Indians with British citizenship when they are visiting India.
Answered by Catherine West
We would not normally provide consular support to a dual British national living or travelling in the country of their other nationality. In countries which recognise and permit dual-nationality, we would consider an exception if someone is vulnerable and we have human rights or humanitarian concerns. Some countries, such as India, do not recognise dual nationality so providing consular assistance to a British/Indian dual national may not be possible.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the news release entitled Myanmar: Military Forcibly Recruiting Rohingya, published by Human Rights Watch on 9 April 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are concerned by credible reports of forcible detention and recruitment of the Rohingya by the Myanmar military. This has the potential to further stoke inter-communal tensions. In April, the UK convened the UN Security Council to raise concern over the escalating conflict in Rakhine State. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will continue to use all of our multilateral channels to maintain a spotlight on the situation in Rakhine.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the impact on Brazil’s GDP of floods in the Rio Grande do Sul region.
Answered by David Rutley
I [Minister Rutley] visited Brazil in May, where I met with Rio Grande do Sul's representative to Brasilia, Henrique Pires, to discuss the impact of the floods, and how the international community can support. The UK has supported an allocation of £193,000 through the Start Fund to provide humanitarian aid in response to the flooding in Brazil and are working with British companies in Brazil to support their donation efforts. His Majesty The King has written to President Lula to offer his condolences. We are in regular communication with the Brazilian authorities to understand the evolving economic and environmental impact of the floods.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Houthis extending attacks on shipping to the wider Indian Ocean.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is using the full range of diplomatic, economic and military tools at our disposal to pressure the Houthis to stop their reckless and indiscriminate attacks on international shipping and degrade their capabilities. We urge them and those who enable them to cease their attacks and avoid any further escalations, including in the Indian Ocean.
We and our allies continue to condemn the Houthi's attacks. We will continue to stand up for freedom of navigation.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recent arrest of three men charged with aiding the Hong Kong Intelligence Service.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
On Monday 13 May, three people were charged with offences under the National Security Act as part of an investigation led by officers from the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The foreign intelligence service to which the charges relate is that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the investigation remains ongoing, we will not comment further in relation to this case.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the British Overseas Territories on tackling tax evasion in those territories.
Answered by David Rutley
British Overseas Territories (OTs) with financial centres are committed to meeting international standards on tax transparency. They have committed to adhere to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Inclusive Framework and Global Forum standards, including the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting minimum standards. Officials in HM Treasury and FCDO have a programme of regular engagement with OTs to discuss implementation of these standards and wider international tax policy. For example, since Easter 2024, such discussions have taken place with Anguilla, Cayman, Gibraltar, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos.