Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterpart on the Arnaga declaration on the conflict in the Basque country; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I have had no discussions with my Spanish counterpart on the Arnaga declaration that followed terrorist group ETA’s announcement of its dissolution. The British Government has however made clear that we stand united with Spain in the struggle against terrorism and remember, alongside the Spanish people, the many victims of ETA terrorism.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
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 effectiveness of Taiwan's policies on tackling climate change.
Answered by Lord Sharma
We assess that the current and previous Taiwanese administrations have taken significant steps to tackle climate change. In 2015, Taiwan's legislature set a goal of reducing carbon emissions to 50 percent of 2005 levels by the year 2050, making it the first in the region to adopt legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. This legislation includes structures based on the UK model, specifically the Climate Change Committee and carbon budgets. This year the new administration has proposed new legislation on electricity market liberalisation, which should also help to reduce emissions.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
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 extent of Taiwan's engagement with UN agencies on that country's progress in tackling climate change.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Though not a UN member, Taiwan engages regularly on an unofficial basis with relevant UN agencies on the issues of climate change, including at The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Taiwan announced its own voluntary Intended Nationally Determined Contribution level before the UN Paris Conference in 2015, committing to a reduction of 20% on the 2005 level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria his Department plans to use in order to decide whether to recognise Palestine statehood.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time most helpful to the peace process. We judge that a negotiated end to the occupation is the most effective way for Palestinian aspirations of statehood to be met. We continue to be one of the principal supporters of Palestinian state building efforts, assisting them to tackle poverty, build institutions and boost their economy.