Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 Egyptian security officials charged by Italian prosecutors with involvement in the murder of Giulio Regeni.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have the deepest sympathy for Giulio Regeni's family and their quest for justice for his appalling murder. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We have followed the investigation into his death and continue to work closely with the Italian Government. We last discussed this at an official level with the Italian authorities on 23 November. We have also raised with the Egyptian authorities at a senior level the need for full co-operation with Italy, so that Mr Regeni's killers can be brought to justice. We will continue to follow the Italian judicial process.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he will take to support Italian prosecutors in prosecuting members of Egypt’s National Security Agency for the murder of Giulio Regeni.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have the deepest sympathy for Giulio Regeni's family and their quest for justice for his appalling murder. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We have followed the investigation into his death and continue to work closely with the Italian Government. We last discussed this at an official level with the Italian authorities on 23 November. We have also raised with the Egyptian authorities at a senior level the need for full co-operation with Italy, so that Mr Regeni's killers can be brought to justice. We will continue to follow the Italian judicial process.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the aid budget has been allocated to ensure the provision of (a) water, (b) sanitation and (c) hygiene in developing countries in the 2020-2021 financial year.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The proportion of the UK aid budget allocated to water, sanitation and hygiene in the current calendar year will be known with the release of the Statistics for International Development publication in late 2021. Current figures show that in 2019 the UK Government spent £176 million?of bilateral official development assistance on water, sanitation and hygiene. This was 1.7% of total bilateral ODA last year. The 2021 annual report will confirm whether the share of ODA that was spent on water, sanitation and hygiene continued in the current year.
The UK Government can also confirm that the overall target of reaching at least 60 million people with improved water or sanitation by December 2020 has been met.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is supporting the government of Italy's investigation into Giulio Regeni's murder.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have the deepest sympathy for Giulio Regeni's family and their quest for justice for his appalling murder. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We continue to follow the investigation into his death and to work closely with the Italian Government. We last discussed this at an official level with the Italian authorities on 23 November. We have also raised with the Egyptian authorities at a senior level the need for a transparent and impartial investigation, in full co-operation with Italy, so that Mr Regeni's killers can be brought to justice.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has he with the Polisario Front or through third party interlocutors on the recent escalation in conflict in the Western Saharan region.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK regularly discusses Western Sahara issues with the parties including the Polisario Front. We continue to urge the parties to avoid further escalation, return to the ceasefire agreement, and re-engage with the UN-led political process.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the United Nations on the recent escalation in conflict in the Western Saharan region.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are closely monitoring the situation in Western Sahara and have regular discussions with the UN, both in New York and in the region. We continue to urge the parties to avoid further escalation, return to the ceasefire agreement, and re-engage with the UN-led political process. We strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts to appoint a Personal Envoy as soon as possible.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 assist the repatriation of people on (a) spouse and (b) family visas during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Our objective remains to bring home British national travellers who want to return to the UK, as soon as possible. British national travellers will therefore be prioritised for seats on HMG repatriation flights. We are seeking to help vulnerable non-British UK residents with indefinite leave to remain where possible. We will not split up families where any non-British spouses or dependents have the relevant entry clearance, are resident in the UK, and are travelling with a British family member. This goes beyond what we usually do, since our consular assistance is for UK nationals. However, recognising the exceptional challenge of Covid-19 and that many people who call the UK home want to get back, we are seeking to help vulnerable people with ILR wherever possible so long as they have lived in the UK within the last year.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 Turkish counterpart on the humanitarian situation of migrants along the Greek-Turkish border.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We continue to be concerned by the situation on the Greece-Turkey border. We recognise Turkey's generosity in supporting millions of refugees who have fled the civil war in Syria; and the challenge faced by both Greece and Turkey in dealing with increased migrant flows. We remain committed to supporting Turkey's efforts to manage migration effectively and are working both bilaterally and with our international partners to this end. The Prime Minister discussed this with the Turkish President on 3 March, as did the Foreign Secretary during his visit to Ankara, also on 3 March.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
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 Greek counterpart on the humanitarian situation of migrants along the Greek-Turkish border.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The British Government remains committed to supporting Greek efforts to manage migration effectively. We regularly discuss our concerns with Greek ministers and senior officials, as well as our Turkish counterparts. The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Greek Foreign Minister about the issue of migrants on the Greece/Turkey border on 18 March. On 22 April, the UK Immigration Compliance Minister and Greece's Alternate Migration Minister signed a bilateral migration action plan to reaffirm our commitment to cooperation. The Plan covers joint work to tackle organised immigration crime; sharing of expertise on asylum processing and migrant returns; deployment of a Border Force search and rescue cutter to the Aegean; facilitation of family reunification of unaccompanied asylum seeking children; and establishment of a strategic migration dialogue.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Western Sahara region is included in the UK-Morocco trade and political continuity agreement.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK-Morocco Association Agreement, once in force, will apply in the same way as the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. It treats products originating in Western Sahara in the same way as the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, in line with the European Court of Justice's ruling on that issue and the subsequent amendment of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement. The UK is clear that the application of parts of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement to certain products originating in Western Sahara is without prejudice to our position on the status of Western Sahara, which we regard as undetermined.