Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the security of the UK of the US suspension of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We support the US decision to suspend its participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and start the treaty’s formal withdrawal process. A situation where the US was respecting the INF Treaty and Russia was not, was not sustainable.
Through the development and deployment of its SSC-8 cruise missile system, Russia has put European security at risk. We are working closely with all NATO Allies to review the security implications of Russian intermediate-range missiles and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the credibility and effectiveness of the Alliance’s overall deterrence and defence posture. This was reaffirmed by NATO Allies on 2 February.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 Government of Myanmar on human rights abuses against the Rohingya since his appointment.
Answered by Mark Field
In his meeting with Burma's State Counsellor (and Foreign Minister) Aung San Suu Kyi on 20 September, the Foreign Secretary made clear that holding to account those responsible for atrocities was of critical importance. He underlined that giving refugees hope of a safe return and future in Rakhine depending on accountability for human rights violations. He expressed his grave concerns about Burma's refusal to grant access to the UN Fact Finding Mission.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote and support human rights internationally.
Answered by Mark Field
Promoting and defending human rights is an essential aim of the foreign policy of "Global Britain". The Foreign Office's 2017 "Human Rights & Democracy" report demonstrates the breadth of the issues that we campaign on and how we mobilise the diplomatic network to champion universal rights.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers and officials defend and promote human rights in bilateral engagements, in multilateral fora, and by funding projects through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help resolve the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK continues to play a leading role in efforts to promote peace. We remain in close contact with Government of Yemen, the Coalition, the UN, the United States and other main Yemeni parties. We seek to secure regional and international consensus in support of the UN-led peace process, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 international counterparts on future prospects for the peace process in Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We frequently discuss the urgent need for a resolution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict with a range of international partners most recently on 26 June. I discussed prospects for peace with Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah. The Government also has regular exchanges with European ministers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the monthly EU Foreign Affairs Council meetings in Brussels.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 the political situation in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
We welcome the statements from President Mnangagwa on his intention to implement a wide range of economic and political reforms, including his commitment to holding free and fair elections this year. Implementation of these reforms will be critical for Zimbabwe to realise its desire for international re-engagement.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 the situation in Yemen; and what plans the UK Government has to call for work towards an immediate ceasefire in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We remain deeply concerned by the increasingly grave and distressing situation in Yemen. A political solution remains the only means for bringing long-term stability to Yemen – there is no military solution to the conflict. The UK continues to play a leading role in international efforts to achieve this goal. In June 2017 the UK sponsored and coordinated a UN Security Council Presidential Statement, agreed on 15 June, which called upon the parties to the conflict to agree the modalities for a ceasefire, take steps to address the humanitarian crisis, and restart political talks. We are now working urgently with our international and regional partners to ensure that the Security Council's words are converted into action.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
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 strength of the UK's relationship with Jamaica when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK and Jamaica have a strong relationship. Our Governments cooperate effectively on prosperity, development, justice and law enforcement for the benefit of all our citizens. Our membership of the Commonwealth underpins our shared values. 800,000 people in the UK have Jamaican family connections and over 200,000 Britons visit Jamaica each year. The Government of the UK and its Caribbean trading partners have agreed that future trade arrangements after the UK leaves the EU, will take existing arrangements as the starting point. The UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Fund has allocated £53 million to support development in Jamaica.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to support and encourage the re-admittance of Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is willing to support Zimbabwe's re-admittance to the Commonwealth provided it meets the criteria for membership, particularly in relation to human rights, good governance and the rule of law. The holding of free and fair elections in the country must be a prerequisite. I made this clear to President Mnangagwa during our meeting on 2 February.
The first step for re-entry to the Commonwealth would be for Zimbabwe to indicate to the Commonwealth Secretariat that it would like to return. Any decisions on membership are made by consensus by all Commonwealth member states.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to meet President Weah of Liberia; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Prime Minister wrote to President Weah to congratulate him on his election victory, and I share those sentiments. Our Ambassador in Monrovia and a senior official from London attended President Weah's inauguration on 23rd January, and discussed early priorities with him.
The UK's relationship with Liberia is an historic one. Britain was the first country to recognise Liberia's independence in 1848. The Foreign Secretary made the first ever visit to Liberia by a serving UK Foreign Minister in February 2017. My predecessor as Minister for Africa, Rory Stewart, met with a delegation of Liberian Ministers in September. The UK financial commitment to Liberia is approximately £70m annually and our Embassy in Monrovia will work closely with the new administration to help deliver our shared priorities.