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 she has had with her Qatari counterpart on the evacuation of eligible personnel from Afghanistan in light of recent evacuation steps taken by the US.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We remain grateful to our Qatari Government partners for their generous support in providing a safe route for British Nationals and their eligible Afghan dependants to leave Afghanistan. We are working closely with the Government of Qatar on the possible resumption of flights, currently blocked by the Taliban. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister responsible for South Asia and I [Minister Cleverly] have both had productive recent discussions with the Qataris to that end.
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 UK diplomatic staff posted in countries on the UK red travel list are exempted from quarantine requirements on return to the UK.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Crown Servants posted in countries on the UK red list are required to quarantine in a government approved hotel on return to the UK unless the relevant department of the UK government has certified that they are: (i) travelling to the UK for essential government work or returning from such work outside the UK; (ii) returning from conducting essential state business outside of the UK; or (iii) returning to the UK where this is necessary to facilitate the functioning of a diplomatic mission or consular post of Her Majesty or of a military/other official posting on behalf of Her Majesty. Each case is considered individually and a clear justification must be provided with reference to the exemption criteria.
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 recent discussions she has had with her Polish counterpart on legislation which will enable the Polish Government to limit access to the border zone for journalists and NGOs; and if she will make representations to the Polish Government on the importance of ensuring that aid agencies are able to reach people in need.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary spoke with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on 16 November to express the UK's solidarity with Poland regarding the use of desperate migrants by the Lukashenko regime as pawns to undermine regional security. As President, the UK led a G7 statement on 18 November condemning the Belarusian regime for its orchestration of irregular migration and called for immediate and unhindered access for international organisations to provide humanitarian assistance. We have made clear to the Belarusian authorities bilaterally, including through their Ambassador to the UK, that this harmful, aggressive and exploitative behaviour must stop. The UK will continue supporting humanitarian partners through political advocacy and contributions to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.
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 she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the proposed construction of a settlement on the site of Qalandia airport.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the physical viability of the two-state solution. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. We understand the Israeli authorities shelved their latest proposals for development at Qalandia airport on 25 November.
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, with reference to the tensions at the Poland-Belarus border, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterpart on (a) the treatment of asylum seekers and (b) ensuring that aid agencies are able to reach people in need.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary wrote on 14 November, the situation at the Polish border marks the latest step by the Lukashenko regime to undermine regional security. He is using desperate migrants as pawns in his bid to create instability and to cling on to power regardless of the human cost. We have made clear to the Belarusian authorities, including through their Ambassador to the UK, that this harmful, aggressive and exploitative behaviour must stop.
The UK is supporting its humanitarian partners to help alleviate the suffering of migrants at the border, including through our contributions to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, organised by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and through our political advocacy. As President of the G7, the UK led on a 18 November Foreign Ministers statement, which called on the Belarusian regime to provide international organisations with immediate and unhindered access to deliver humanitarian assistance. We were also pleased to send a small team of personnel to Poland to assess what engineering support might be needed to ease pressure at the border. The Foreign Secretary discussed the situation with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on 17 November and EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi on 19 November.
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 she or other representatives from her Department plan to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Answered by Amanda Milling
As the Government has previously made clear, no decisions have yet been made about Government attendance at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.