Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on which actors are currently involved in, or have helped to facilitate, recent violence in Kessab.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We understand that a wide range of groups have been involved in the fighting, including Ansar al-Sham, and Sham al-Islam, as well as the al Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
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 security and humanitarian situation in Kessab.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We remain deeply concerned about the safety of all in Kessab and in all areas affected by the conflict. We believe that the majority of Kessab's inhabitants, including most of the ethnic Armenian population, left the town because of fighting in the area. They join the more than 9 million Syrians of all faiths and ethnicities who have been driven from their homes by the ongoing conflict.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
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 the Turkish government on the security and humanitarian situation in Kessab.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We have regular discussions with the Turkish authorities regarding the appalling situation in Syria. We work closely with Turkey to coordinate the substantial humanitarian effort in the region and we welcome their assistance in facilitating aid delivery. Turkey is also a valued security partner of the UK. We work closely with Turkey to restrict the ability of foreign fighters to cross into Syria. We will continue to engage with Turkey on these important topics.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2014, Official Report, columns 161-2W, on Syria, on what basis the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was selected as the recipient of £200,000.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
The FCO's Human Rights Development Programme Board approved funding to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) based on the strength of their project proposal. WILPF have been active in promoting the participation of Syrian women at the Geneva II peace conference, have developed a strong network of Syrian women activists, and work in close collaboration with other international non-governmental organisations. Their activities support our wider efforts to ensure that Syrian women are fully included in the political process.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Palestinians and (b) Jews displaced from their country of origin in the Middle East since 1984.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We have not made an estimate on this issue and do not keep records of this type.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) male and (b) female (i) HM Ambassadors and (ii) High Commissioners there are from each region of the UK.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We are unable to breakdown the region that each and every one of our Ambassadors and High Commissioners was born in without incurring disproportionate costs. We are able to breakdown by the constituent country within the UK as follows:
Male Female
England 80 22
Scotland 5 1
Wales 3 0
Northern Ireland 1 0
Born outside the UK or not recorded on file 29 7
There is also one post where the Ambassador's role is shared by one male and one female, both from England.
The key principle of all FCO appointments is selection by merit through fair and open competition. Place of birth has no effect on our appointments system. All UK based members of staff have to be British citizens.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the gender balance is of his Department's management board and its sub-committees.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Management Board consists of 8 executive (5 male and 3 female) and 2 non-executive members (1 male and 1 female).
The Management Board is supported by the four Sub-Committees which are each chaired by a member of the Board; they are Audit & Risk Committee, Human Resources (HR) Committee, Operations Committee and Health and Safety Committee.
The gender breakdown of the committees is as follows:
Audit & Risk Committee (ARC): 2 male, 1 female;
HR Committee: 9 male, 10 female; and the 20th position is currently filled by two people (1 male, 1 female) in a job-share;
Operations Committee: 9 male and 8 female; and
FCO Health and Safety Committee: 18 male and 8 female members.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what specific steps the UK has taken to encourage more opposition groups to join the Syrian National Coalition.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We have publicly and repeatedly urged moderate Syrian opposition groups, inside and outside Syria, to join the National Coalition, underlining the importance of a unified, and effective organisation pressing for a democratic and pluralist Syria. We have consistently encouraged the National Coalition to broaden their membership, and they have made strenuous efforts to attract all sections of Syrian society, including ethnic and religious minorities, and women. They have made clear that they stand for all Syrians. We have worked through the London 11 group in support of the National Coalition, as well as providing practical support to develop its capacity.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Syrian National Coalition.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We have daily discussions with the Syrian National Coalition, most notably with its leadership through the UK Special Representative to Syria, Jon Wilks, but also at Ministerial level. We are in regular touch with the National Coalition representative in London. We have supported the National Coalition since its foundation in 2012 and have consistently encouraged it to reach out to all Syrians as a democratic, inclusive and unified organisation. This has included practical support to the National Coalition, including on strategic communications and design of internal structures and organisation. The UK is a leading member of the “London 11”, the core group of the Friends of Syria, who are the National Coalition's strongest supporters. Most recently we hosted a meeting of senior officials from the London 11 in London on 7 March.
Asked by: Ian C. Lucas (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of how representative the Syrian National Council is of all Syrian opposition groups.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
The Syrian National Council is one part of the National Coalition. I have called for women, in particular, to be represented more in the National Coalition. I am pleased that the National Coalition has made strenuous efforts to broaden its membership to attract all sections of Syrian society, including ethnic and religious minorities and women, stating that it is a Coalition for all Syrians. The most recent organisation to join its ranks is the Kurdish National Council. We continue to work with the National Coalition in their efforts to deliver more services on the ground through the Interim Government.