Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to ensure that Jimmy Lai receives regular consular access.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr Jimmy Lai's case at the highest levels with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities and have consistently requested consular access which has been denied by the Hong Kong prison authorities. The Foreign Secretary reiterated his call for Mr Lai's release during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference on the 16 February.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the relationship between India and China.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has an independent relationship with both India and China. Relations between these two countries are a matter for their governments to progress and manage through peaceful means. The UK has no direct role.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of progress towards implementing the Sinjar agreement in Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Progress towards implementing the Sinjar Agreement has been hindered by a number of factors, including tensions between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government and the extremely complex politics of the region. We encourage the governments to agree a candidate to appoint as mayor of Sinjar, an important and necessary step to improve the security situation and lives of people living there. The UK continues to work with international partners on this issue.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with his Chinese counterpart on (a) ending transnational repression of and (b) the removal of bounties placed on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the UK.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to make clear with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities our strong objection to the National Security Law, and attempts to apply it extraterritorially. That extends to the decisions by the Hong Kong National Security Police to issue arrest warrants and bounties for activists living in the UK in 2023. We will not tolerate any attempts to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Chinese authorities to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it. On 16 February the Foreign Secretary met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference and unambiguously set out the UK's position across a number of areas of disagreement, including on Hong Kong. The National Security Law has no authority in the UK and we have no active extradition agreement with Hong Kong or China.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on political stability in Pakistan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a longstanding and close relationship with Pakistan. Following the general election in Pakistan on 8 February, the Foreign Secretary issued a statement which recognised the serious concerns raised about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections. FCDO officials are in close contact with like-minded counterparts, including NATO members, on a range of shared priorities, including Pakistan's political and economic stability.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Russian missile strike on Odesa on 6 March 2024; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to support Ukraine against such attacks.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are appalled by Russia's recent attack on Odesa. On 12 January, the Prime Minister announced £2.5 billion in military support for 2024/25, supporting the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any single nation. Despite repeated Russian attacks on Odesa, Ukraine is now exporting the highest monthly volumes from its Black Sea ports since the war began. We are in constant contact with our international partners to ensure Ukraine receives the diplomatic support it needs. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary has set out our high level of ambition, including in Rio with G20 colleagues, at the UN Security Council in New York, the Ukraine Conference in Paris and in Berlin with his German counterpart.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps to provide emergency shelter kits for people in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Since February 2022, the UK Government has pledged £357 million in support of the humanitarian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This includes work with Ukrainian local partners to provide emergency response items and other vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. For example, we have supported the International Organisation for Migration and the Ukrainian Red Cross to provide shelter kits to those affected by shelling, which is increasingly impacting residential buildings, as well as other emergency items to those in urgent need.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of Chinese Communist Party re-education classes for Catholic priests in the Inner Mongolia region.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to monitor the persecution of religious groups in China, including Christians. The freedom to practice, change or share one's faith or belief without discrimination is a human right that all people should enjoy.
The space for religious freedom in China continues to deteriorate. For example, recent new Measures on the Administration of Religious Activity Venues legislation includes widespread restrictions on religious practice such as requirements for priests to conduct sermons promoting core socialist values and Xi Jinping Thought.
The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened. This includes work through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the scale of destruction of religious heritage as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets. We want to see Israel using all possible measures to protect the sanctity of holy sites. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and calls for places of worship to be respected.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme on religious conflict in the Middle Belt.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Intercommunal violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt has a devastating effect on faith and non-faith communities. The root causes of this intercommunal violence are often complex and include competition over resources and disruption to traditional ways of life created by environmental degradation, in addition to religious factors. The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) will support Nigeria to address the root causes of conflict in the Middle Belt, including natural resource management challenges. The programme will aim to help 1.5 million women and men benefit from reduced violence in their communities and support 300,000 people to better adapt to the effects of environmental degradation.