Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Zimbabwean counterpart to ensure that Evan Mawarire is given a fair trial in accordance with international law.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
I raised the need for all those arrested to be given a fair trial with the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo on 30 January. Our Ambassador has reinforced this message in Harare, in meetings with Home Affairs Minister Mathema on 23 January and Foreign Minister Moyo on 25 January.
Following his recent arrest, the British Embassy have been monitoring Pastor Evan Mawarire’s court hearings. We were pleased to see he was released on bail on 30 January.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of reports that climate change is exacerbating conflict in Mali; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
We agree that climate change is exacerbating conflict in Mali and the broader Sahel region, particularly by increasing competition over land and resources. The causes of conflict in Mali are, however, wider than climate change and include in particular issues around governance, demography, terrorism and organised crime.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department is spending on a public information campaign to prepare people for the potential effects of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government has a duty to inform citizens and businesses about how leaving the EU might affect them, and to advise on the steps they may need to take to prepare for EU Exit.
We have developed a cross-departmental public information campaign to help achieve this. Over the coming weeks, we will be using a range of channels to direct UK citizens, businesses, EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU to a dedicated area on GOV.UK at Gov.uk/EUexit
Information on the costs associated with this campaign will be released in due course as part the normal data transparency releases by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's ODA-funded projects are listed on the Department for International Development's Development Tracker website.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We list nearly all of our ODA-funded programmes on gov.uk and on the Department for International Development's Development Tracker website. Information on a small number of policy programmes is not in the public domain due to the need to protect national security and the safety and security of beneficiaries, partners or partner governments.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the level of the presence of Islamist extremist cells and jihadist training camps in Sudan and (b) the accuracy of reports of an Al Qaeda Club operating openly at the University of Khartoum.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
We are aware of historical reports related to the presence of extremist groups in Sudan, including the presence of Al-Qaida. The Government of Sudan has in recent years taken steps to address the presence of such groups, and to meet the bilateral requirements set by the US Government for Sudan to be removed from the US State Sponsor of Terrorism List. We continue to encourage the Government of Sudan to address drivers of radicalisation and ensure that all forms of extremism are tackled in compliance with human rights standards. Through bilateral engagement including our biannual Strategic Dialogue we continue to raise issues of concern and discuss areas where we could work together on a range of issues, including counter terrorism and countering violent extremism.
Asked by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the joint G5 regional stabilisation force that was targeted by a suicide bomber in June 2018 at its headquarters in Sevare.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK strongly supports the G5 Sahel Joint Force and condemns the attack against the Force's Headquarters in Sevare in June 2018. The UK has contributed 15.5% of the €100m of EU support to date for the Force, as well as £2m in bilateral funds. We assess that the G5 Sahel Joint Force is having a positive impact against the Islamist terrorist threat, evidenced by a number of effective joint operations since November 2017. The challenge is nevertheless significant and it is urgent that the Force becomes fully operational and the international community makes good on pledges of financial support for the G5 Sahel Joint Force.