Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he plans to have with his Jordanian counterpart on the imprisonment of women for disobeying their so-called male guardians in Jordan.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are aware of the recent report by Amnesty International on this issue. We have close and frequent dialogue with the Jordanian government on human rights, including women’s rights, and will raise the report in that context.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that families whose loved ones are murdered abroad have access to interpreter and translation services.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
In cases where an interpreter or translator is needed families are provided with a list of translators that are compiled by our British embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad. Although we are unable to recommend translators our aim is to provide British nationals with relevant information to make informed decisions. This list is also published on the GOV.UK website.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides funding to the Victim Support National Homicide Service who can also help families with translation of key documents where a murder or manslaughter occurred.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to provide psychological support to UK children returning from northern Syria; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Our support will be tailored to the needs of each individual child. A range of specialised support – some of which is funded directly by the Home Office – will be offered to address many concerns ranging from safeguarding and wellbeing to national security.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart to ensure that the Turkish authorities respect international humanitarian law in northern Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are seriously concerned about reports of violations of International Humanitarian Law during the military offensive by Turkish forces and their Syrian allies. We expect all parties to respect their obligations towards civilians and under International Humanitarian Law. The Foreign Secretary conveyed this message to the Turkish Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on 10 October and the Prime Minister made this clear to President Erdogan on 20 October.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help pursue a resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We fully support the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, and urge the parties to engage constructively with this process. On 26 September, the UK co-hosted a political event at the UN General Assembly to coordinate the international community’s support for the UN-led peace process and endorse the Special Envoy’s plan to begin wider political discussion. On 17 October, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN made a statement to the Security Council regarding the situation in Yemen, where she welcomed the reduction in violations of the Stockholm Agreement and called on all parties to immediately comply with Security Council Resolution 2451.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 Sri Lankan counterpart on the status of Tamil people in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The UK has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights issues for all communities in Sri Lanka. The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions (UNHRC) 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. A national process initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by all communities offers the best route to achieve these goals. We continue to look to Sri Lanka to deliver in full the commitments it has made to the UNHRC.
We continue to raise human rights issues in our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka on 2-3 October, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with faith and political leaders including the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan. He reinforced to Foreign Minister Marapana the importance of Sri Lanka delivering fully on its commitments to the UNHRC.
The UK remains committed to supporting peacebuilding, human rights and development in Sri Lanka for all its communities. We are providing funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security fund to support police reform and training, reconciliation, peace building and demining in the north of the country.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking to support the protection of human rights of Tamil communities in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The UK has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights issues for all communities in Sri Lanka. The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) through Resolutions 30/1, 34/1 and 40/1. A national process initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by all communities offers the best route to achieve these goals. We continue to look to Sri Lanka to deliver in full the commitments it has made to the UNHRC.
We continue to raise human rights issues in our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka on 2-3 October, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with faith and political leaders including the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan. He reinforced to Foreign Minister Marapana the importance of Sri Lanka delivering fully on its commitments to the UNHRC.
The UK remains committed to supporting peacebuilding, human rights and development in Sri Lanka for all its communities. We are providing funding through the Conflict, Stability and Security fund to support police reform and training, reconciliation, peace building and demining in the north of the country.