Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has made an assessment of whether the House of Commons is exempt from workplace health and safety legislation due to Parliamentary privilege.
Answered by Pete Wishart - Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
Under Parliamentary privilege each House of Parliament regulates its own affairs; this includes the application of health and safety legislation. However, Parliament has also undertaken to apply the requirements of health and safety legislation and has made a commitment in the Health and Safety Policy to comply with legislation as if it applied to both Houses.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the Office for National Statistics report of 11 May 2020, Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by occupation, England and Wales, what assessment the Commission has made of the level of potential risk to parliamentary security and cleaning staff.
Answered by Pete Wishart - Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
The Commission is aware of the current evidence which shows that those from a BAME background and those who are older have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with specific underlying conditions further increasing the risk of severe illness. The House service has a clear policy that all staff who are not business-critical do not come on to the estate; persons who are vulnerable and/or shielding are instructed to work from home. This policy applies to all staff, not just those in the security or cleaning teams.
The report issued by the Office for National Statistics discusses research findings; the Commission will review the potential risk to parliamentary security and cleaning staff as soon as the recommendations for the actions expected of a reasonable employer are issued by Public Health England, the Health and Safety Executive or other similar body.
In the interim, local and corporate Equality Impact Assessments have been carried out and measures introduced where necessary.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, with reference to the Office for National Statistics report of 11 May 2020, Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by occupation, England and Wales, whether risk assessments of the Parliamentary estate have incorporated input from the PCS union, which represents Parliamentary security and cleaning staff.
Answered by Pete Wishart - Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Home Affairs)
The House authorities have met with representatives of the Trades Unions (including PCS) for staff in the House of Commons and PDS formally at least three times per week since the beginning of March, and with representatives of Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and Unite as representatives of Members’ staff.
All trades unions recognised by the House were provided with the opportunity to comment on the Covid-19 risk assessments.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40585 on Cuba: Coronavirus, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the US administration on the (a) blockade and (b) restrictions of covid-19 medical resources and humanitarian assistance to Cuba.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government does not support the US embargo against Cuba. We consider the extraterritorial impacts of the embargo, including those on UK companies, to be contrary to international law, and we are not persuaded that these sanctions encourage potential reforms and economic progress.
We are in regular contact with our US partners, who are aware of our opposition to the embargo. We communicate this both privately, and through our public statements. The United Kingdom unfailingly votes in favour of the annual United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo. We have been working actively with the Cuban Government and other organisations on ideas to reform the business environment, and provide direct support to UK companies wishing to do legitimate business with Cuba.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Cuban authorities supporting British nationals stranded on the cruise ship MS Braemer, what assistance the Government is providing to Cuba to help that country tackle the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are grateful to the Cuban authorities for having led an exceptional operation to bring back to the UK 684 British citizens and people of other nationalities who were on board the Braemer cruise ship. The UK Government is working with its Cuban counterparts, both bilaterally and via multilateral fora, to deliver a robust global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Ambassador to Havana continues to engage in conversations with the Cuban authorities about how to deepen and broaden our bilateral relationship, and what we can do to help our countries weather this crisis.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the operational effect is on his Department of the industrial dispute with Interserve staff.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Interserve are fulfilling their contractual obligation to provide facilities management services during an industrial dispute, mitigating any potential effects on service delivery.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) size of armed groups trained by the United Arab Emirates operating in Yemen; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The complex situation on the ground makes it difficult to assess the number and size of armed groups trained by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yemen. The UAE announced they were reducing their military presence in July 2019, and have now withdrawn many of their troops from Yemen.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of freedom of expression in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We continue to raise the importance of respect for freedom of expression with the United Arab Emirates. We believe that freedom of expression is a universal human right. Citizens must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments and make informed decisions in accordance with international human rights law.