Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 strength of relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government of Iraq.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK supports a strong Kurdistan Region within a strong and unified Iraq. We welcome the new Government of Iraq under Prime Minister Kadhimi and are encouraging the new Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to co-operate closely in order to resolve all issues in accordance with the 2005 Iraqi Constitution. The UK will continue to engage with both sides in support of this endeavour.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 late General Qasem Soleimani's involvement in Lebanon.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As the Prime Minister has said, Qasem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 Government of Bahrain on security in that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with the Government of Bahrain on bilateral relations with that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on Turkish military action towards Kurdish groups in Syria; and what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the conduct of those actions.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We continue to follow the situation in northern Syria closely. We discuss these issues with the Turkish government, and regularly review information and reporting from UN agencies and NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to inform our assessments. We have urged the necessity of protecting the rights of the Kurdish inhabitants of the area, and raise concerns with Turkey where we have credible evidence.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 (a) Iraqi Government and (b) Kurdistan Regional Government on the effect of territorial disputes on reconstruction efforts in the Nineveh Plains.
Answered by Alistair Burt
UK officials closely monitor the situation in Iraq and are in regular contact with Governors in provinces liberated from Daesh, and the Government of Iraq, including the Prime Minister's Office, to discuss issues such as territorial disputes in the Ninewa Plains. UK staff also coordinate with partners such as the UN's International Organisation for Migration to track conditions in areas of return, including indicators such as access to services, safety and security.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 safety and security of internally displaced persons returning from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the Nineveh Plains.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Displaced people in all areas of Iraq continue to deal with significant challenges, including forced displacement, risk of eviction and a lack of access to services. A significant number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reside in Ninewa; recent updates from camps in the governorate suggest that the majority of issues are around poor access to electricity and water, whilst the main concerns for out-of-camp IDPs relate to need for healthcare services and cash assistance. UK officials closely monitor the humanitarian situation across the whole of Iraq. Overall there has been significant progress since the country was liberated from Daesh, with the number of IDPs now below two million, and the number of returnees over four million. If we are to see continued progress, it will be vital for the Government of Iraq to coordinate closely with the Kurdish Regional Government to ensure that IDPs continue to be able to return to areas such as the Ninewa Plains.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian Government in relation to the recent missile attack on an Iranian Kurdish camp in Koya in the Kurdistan region in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK has been following recent events in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with concern.
Following the attack near Koya, Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq travelled to Kurdistan Region of Iraq to speak to all parties alongside Consul General Erbil. On 13 September the Ambassador publicly condemned the attacks as disproportionate and dangerous.
Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran regularly raises our concerns over Iran's destabilising activity in the region, pressing the Government of Iran to play a more constructive role. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials continue to engage regularly on this and other issues with Iran at all levels.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what levels of apprenticeships are offered by his Department; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The tables below set out the number of new 'apprenticeship starts' and the levels of apprenticeships offered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our Trading Fund, FCO Services, in the last three years. We have no records of FCO apprenticeships in 2015-16.
| FCO | New Apprenticeship Starts | | |
| Apr-15 to Mar-16 | Apr-16 to Mar-17 | Apr-17 to Mar-18 | |
| Level 2 | No data | 20 | 15 |
| Level 3 | No data | 1 | 2 |
| Level 4 | No data | 1 |
| FCO SERVICES | New Apprenticeship Starts | | |
| Apr-15 to Mar-16 | Apr-16 to Mar-17 | Apr-17 to Mar-18 | |
| Level 2 | None | 2 | None |
| Level 3 | 9 | 10 | 21 |
| Level 4 | None | None | 1 |
| Level 6 | None | None | 4 |
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, With whom the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN met with in an official capacity during his recent visit to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; what subjects were discussed in those meetings; what assessment he has made of the value of visit to UK-Kurdistan Region relations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
On 2 and 3 March, the Minister for The Commonwealth and UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon met the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani; the Head of the Department for Foreign Relations, Falah Mustafa; Minister of Interior, Karim Sinjari; and representatives from Women's Rights, Yezidi and Christian organisations. The Minister's visit was primarily focused on preventing sexual violence in conflict, holding perpetrators to account and supporting survivors. The Minister pressed the KRG to meet its international obligations on human rights, discussed challenges around preventing sexual violence in conflict and gender-based violence, and emphasised the importance of female participation in the policatical and reconciliation process. It was a positive visit which advanced UK objectives and underlined UK support for the Kurdistan Region within a unified Iraq.