Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast 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 sanctions against Nigeria in the event of the continuation of human rights abuses against people in that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government has made clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting human rights for all. We encourage all parties to work together to enable the people of Nigeria to exercise their rights safely, peacefully and in line with the rule of law. On 6 July, the Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. This sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful new tool to target individuals involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. We will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on protecting tariff and quota free access to the EU for the Falkland Islands after the transition period.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government always represents the interests of the Falkland Islands robustly, particularly in relation to supporting the Islands' exports to the EU, and elsewhere. The Government is confident that a viable and profitable trading relationship between the Falkland Islands and the EU will continue after the transition period.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
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 his policies of the blacklisting of the Cayman Islands by the EU ECOFIN Committee on 18 February 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a self-governing and fiscally autonomous jurisdiction, the Cayman Islands make commitments independently of the UK. We encourage the Cayman Islands and the EU to work closely together to resolve any outstanding issues.
The UK supports adherence to international tax standards and we encourage the governments of all Overseas Territories to work with the EU to deliver on their commitments. This is a message the Minister for the Overseas Territories conveys in her regular contact with the governments of the Overseas Territories. We welcome the measures which the Cayman Islands have put in place.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Cayman Islands on the blacklisting of that country by the EU ECOFIN Committee on 18 February 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a self-governing and fiscally autonomous jurisdiction, the Cayman Islands make commitments independently of the UK. We encourage the Cayman Islands and the EU to work closely together to resolve any outstanding issues.
The UK supports adherence to international tax standards and we encourage the governments of all Overseas Territories to work with the EU to deliver on their commitments. This is a message the Minister for the Overseas Territories conveys in her regular contact with the governments of the Overseas Territories. We welcome the measures which the Cayman Islands have put in place.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to provide support to his counterpart in the Cayman Islands for the removal of that country from the list of blacklisted countries held by the EU ECOFIN Committee.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a self-governing and fiscally autonomous jurisdiction, the Cayman Islands make commitments independently of the UK. We encourage the Cayman Islands and the EU to work closely together to resolve any outstanding issues.
The UK supports adherence to international tax standards and we encourage the governments of all Overseas Territories to work with the EU to deliver on their commitments. This is a message the Minister for the Overseas Territories conveys in her regular contact with the governments of the Overseas Territories. We welcome the measures which the Cayman Islands have put in place.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
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 EU counterparts on the blacklisting of the Cayman Islands by the EU ECOFIN Committee.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a self-governing and fiscally autonomous jurisdiction, the Cayman Islands make commitments independently of the UK. We encourage the Cayman Islands and the EU to work closely together to resolve any outstanding issues.
The UK supports adherence to international tax standards and we encourage the governments of all Overseas Territories to work with the EU to deliver on their commitments. This is a message the Minister for the Overseas Territories conveys in her regular contact with the governments of the Overseas Territories. We welcome the measures which the Cayman Islands have put in place.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
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 risk that Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories other than the Cayman Islands may be blacklisted by the EU ECOFIN Committee.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a self-governing and fiscally autonomous jurisdiction, the Cayman Islands make commitments independently of the UK. We encourage the Cayman Islands and the EU to work closely together to resolve any outstanding issues.
The UK supports adherence to international tax standards and we encourage the governments of all Overseas Territories to work with the EU to deliver on their commitments. This is a message the Minister for the Overseas Territories conveys in her regular contact with the governments of the Overseas Territories. We welcome the measures which the Cayman Islands have put in place.