Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on the release of Said Ferjani.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for North Africa, raised the UK's issue with the recent wave of arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, underlining the importance of due legal process and respect for freedom of expression and association. His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia also raised UK concerns regarding the arrests with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. Officials and Ministers have regular discussions with the Tunisian authorities to reiterate the UK's belief in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. We will continue to engage the Tunisian authorities on these issues.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he expects the humanitarian fund set up with the proceeds of the sale of Chelsea FC will start delivering funds to support those affected by the invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC (£2.35 billion) are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. An independent foundation is being established to manage and distribute the funds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for this highly complex process. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the email of 1 March from the Rt hon member for Leeds Central on his constituent's husband Mr HM.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This email was transferred from the Home Office to FCDO on 8 March. We will respond as soon as possible within the Cabinet Office 20-day deadline.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the case of Abdullah al-Howaiti in the context of (a) the 2018 Juvenile Law, (b) the 2020 Royal Decree and (c) other commitments made by that country to end the execution of child defendants.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country, in part because of the increased use of the death penalty. The FCDO is monitoring the case of Abdullah Al-Howaiti. The Minister responsible for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised the case on multiple occasions with the Saudi authorities, most recently in December 2022. We will continue to monitor and raise the case of Abdullah Al-Howaiti with the Saudi authorities.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if will make representations to the Swedish authorities on the potential deportation of Kathleen Poole from that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Consular officials have been supporting the family of Ms Kathleen Poole since 31 January. On 2 February this case was raised during my meeting with the State Secretary to the Minister for EU Affairs, and on the 15 February by His Majesty's Ambassador to Sweden with the Swedish Authorities. Swedish Immigration laws are a matter for the Swedish Government and the FCDO cannot interfere in laws of another country, just as we would not expect them to interfere in ours.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made any representations to representatives of the Moroccan Government on the potential deportation of Hassan Al Rabea to Saudi Arabia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mr Al-Rabea was extradited from Morocco to Saudi Arabia on Monday 6 February. The UK regularly engages with Morocco at all levels and engages in frank discussions across a wide variety of subjects, including human rights, as we also do with Saudi Arabia.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on the release of the police report into the death of Farook Ali.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
British High Commission (BHC) staff in Islamabad, including the High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner, have met with and written repeatedly to the Pakistani police, including the Inspector General, to register their interest in the Farooq Ali case and to request a thorough and transparent investigation. The High Commissioner has raised the case with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and through her the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Consular officials have raised the delays to the final police report and will continue to press for it to be finalised.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of whether aid intended for earthquake victims is able to pass into (a) Turkey and (b) Kurdish areas without any bureaucratic obstacles.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have been working closely with the Turkish authorities to facilitate the rapid delivery of aid to earthquake affected areas. In Syria, we continue to engage with the UN, International and NGO partners to ensure that aid reaches those who are most in need of humanitarian assistance as quickly as possible, including to marginalised communities and to areas which are hard to reach. The UK welcomes the UN-brokered agreement to open additional border crossings into northwest Syria for an initial period of three months. To date the UK has delivered over 330 tonnes of aid to earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of whether the Kurdish Red Crescent is able to operate freely following the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working to ensure that aid reaches those who are most in need as quickly and efficiently as possible. We have not made an assessment of the operations of the Kurdish Red Crescent which is not currently recognised by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The UK is providing life-saving support to those in Turkey and Syria, including tents, blankets and medical equipment. In Turkey, we are supporting the Turkish Red Crescent, which has mobilised teams in over 10 affected regions. In Syria, we are primarily working through UN efforts, including via the Syria Cross Border Fund and international NGOs to make sure aid reaches those in need. Additionally, we have provided significant support to the White Helmets to support their search and rescue operations in north west Syria.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is providing support to British Council staff in Afghanistan to travel to Pakistan so they can apply to come to the UK.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Eligible at-risk British Council contractors who supported the UK effort in Afghanistan, and expressed interest in the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), are being considered for resettlement through ACRS Pathway 3 in its first year. Any offer of resettlement will be contingent on security screening and provision of biometric information. We continue to work, including with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan, on resettlement issues and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans. We do not comment on the details of specific routes for individuals who are eligible for resettlement.