Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on which UK companies operate in Colombia.
Answered by Lord Swire
The information we hold on UK-affiliated companies operating in Colombia includes: company name, sector, postal address, e-mail address, locality of operations, contact names and phone numbers.
UK-affiliated companies operating in Colombia are not required to register with the British Embassy and we therefore only hold information on those companies that have voluntarily registered with us.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will meet the hon. Member for Lagan Valley to discuss the refusal of the government of Iran to accept a delegation of UK parliamentarians in October 2014.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I would be happy to meet with the hon. Member for Lagan Valley to discuss this matter
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
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 Ministerial colleagues on reopening the Iranian Embassy in London.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Government remains committed to improving our bilateral relationship with Iran. We intend to reopen our Embassy in Tehran once some outstanding issues have been resolved and anticipate that the Iranian Government will wish to reopen its Embassy in London in parallel.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to work closely with other government departments on these and other issues concerning the UK/Iran bilateral relationship.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what priority his Department accords to (a) human rights and religious freedoms and (b) other matters in its bilateral negotiations with Iran.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The human rights situation in Iran remains dire. As a designated "Country of Concern" on human rights, we are determined to hold the Iranian Government to account and to encourage urgently needed improvements to guarantee the rights of all Iranians. The UK most recently raised the human rights situation in Iran, including religious freedoms, during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 31 October. We are seeking to improve our relationship with Iran, on a step by step basis, for the benefit of both our countries. There will continue to be areas where Iran and the UK have sharp disagreements, particularly on human rights. But increasing our bilateral engagement will better equip us to discuss these differences. the UK's non-resident Chargé d’Affaires last discussed human rights in detail during his visit to Iran earlier this year.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for the reopening of (a) HM Embassy in Tehran and (b) the Iranian Embassy in London.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We remain committed to reopening the British Embassy in Tehran once we have resolved some outstanding issues. We anticipate that the Iranian Government will wish to reopen its Embassy in London in parallel, in line with our step by step and reciprocal approach to improving bilateral relations.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of an increase of religious persecution in Iran; and what recent representations on this issue he has made to the Iranian government.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK welcomed President Rouhani’s comments in 2013 that all Iranians, including religious minorities, should “feel justice.” Unfortunately, there has been little noticeable change in the approach taken by Iran’s security and judicial authorities. Discrimination against individuals on the basis of their faith has remained discouragingly widespread.
The Iranian Constitution recognises only three religious faiths other than Islam: Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianiam. Christians nevertheless continue to face discrimination; Evangelical Christians, Iranian converts to Christianity and those involved in house churches have been particularly affected. Other minority religious groups have faced similar treatment, and the Baha’i faith – which is unrecognised in Iran - has been particularly discriminated against.
The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
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 effectiveness and outcomes of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Progress on the implementation of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) – including through the Conflict Pool – has been reported to Parliament annually since 2011. Progress includes: the achievement of 30% of DFID spending going to fragile states; establishment of cross-HMG strategies for priority fragile or conflict-affected States; the implementation of a cross-HMG tool to analyse drivers of conflict; and changes made to the Conflict Pool to reflect the challenges of spending in high-risk environments, including multi-year funding and the introduction of a dedicated crisis response Early Action Facility (EAF). Once the Conflict Pool comes to a close at the end of FY14/15 the FCO, MOD and DFID will commission an external review, covering the three-year Conflict Pool results framework. This report will be published once completed. The BSOS will continue to be one of the key policy drivers for UK activity in fragile states including under the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which builds on the success of the Conflict Pool and replaces it from financial year 2015/16. As well as responding to crises, the CSSF will also ensure longer term conflict prevention work to tackle the root causes of conflict abroad.Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the future of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS), published by the Coalition Government in 2011, set out a new strategic framework for cross-Government work to prevent conflict and build stability in fragile states focussing on better early warning, rapid response, upstream conflict prevention and working with international partners. The BSOS remains one of the Government’s key policy frameworks for activity in fragile states including under the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which builds on the success of the Conflict Pool, and replaces it from Financial Year 2015/16. Priorities for the Fund will be set by the National Security Council to ensure a strengthened cross-departmental approach that draws on the most effective combination of defence, diplomacy, development assistance, security and intelligence. This will include funding to ensure the UK can respond quickly to crises. It will also ensure longer term conflict prevention work to tackle the root causes of conflict abroad.