Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent discussions he has had with international agencies on the security situation in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The security situation in Yemen is of great concern. Working with partners and agencies, we are monitoring developments and doing all we can to end the conflict. The UK has played a leading role in diplomatic efforts and will continue to do so. My Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Yemen in March. He also hosted a ministerial Quad meeting last month to discuss implementation of the Hodeidah agreement and next steps in the political process. I welcome reports over the weekend that the Houthis have begun their withdrawal from Hodeidah. I look forward to receiving independent verification from the UN and hearing the assessment of the UN Special Envoy during his briefing to the Security Council.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the detention of Abdullah Ocalan.
Answered by Alan Duncan
British Embassy officials discussed the imprisonment of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan with Turkish officials in mid-January. They also covered the hunger strikes in support of Abdullah Öcalan by Kurdish prisoners, including Leyla Guven MP. We are pleased to note that she was recently released from prison. We expect the Turkish authorities to ensure that prisoners' human rights are observed, including access to medical treatment.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The situation in Yemen is of great concern to the government and the UK remains at the forefront of the diplomatic response. Most recently, the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the Yemen Ministeral Quad with US Secretary of the State Pompeo on 13 February in Warsaw. At this meeting, we highlighted our continued commitment to progress on Yemen, which is at a critical juncture.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the British Council can continue to operate at its current capacity in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government is committed to continuing to support the excellent work of the British Council. The FCO has increased the British Council's overall grant over the current Spending Review period. Whilst specific grant funding for its work in the developed world has decreased, it has recently been agreed to provide some additional funding in this period to specifically support the British Council's work in Europe and in the developed world up to 2020. Decisions beyond this date will be taken in the next Spending Review.
The British Council's activity and presence in Europe is primarily a matter for its management team and its Trustees. The British Council would have to seek the agreement of the Foreign Secretary before any closures of offices. Before any decisions are made, the British Council would also undertake an extensive consultation process with partners, stakeholders and the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of persecution of members of the Sikh religion in Afghanistan.
Answered by Mark Field
There is no reliable data on the number of Sikhs residing in Afghanistan, but it is estimated to be in the low thousands. Afghanistan’s Constitution states that all citizens have equal rights and that non-Muslims are free to exercise their religious beliefs. However leaders of the Sikh community continue to report discrimination. The UK strongly condemned the 1 July attack on a group of Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad, responsiblity for which was claimed by Daesh. Afghanistan is a priority country for the FCO’s human rights work. The UK works closely with Afghanistan’s National Unity Government, NGOs, civil society and other international partners to support the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 Chinese counterpart on animal welfare standards in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
I have had no recent discussions on animal welfare in China with my Chinese counterpart. However my officials are in ongoing contact with Chinese officials and local Non-Governmental Organisations regarding animal welfare standards and the Illegal Wildlife Trade and the Foreign Secretary raised it with Vice-Premier Liu Yandong on 7 December.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the human rights situation in Tibet and the ethnic Tibetan prefectures in China were raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue held on 22 June 2017.
Answered by Mark Field
As an EU Member State the UK contributed to preparations for the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue. The rights of religious and ethnic groups in Tibet and across China were raised at the last EU-China Human Rights Dialogue on 22 June.
The UK continues to have concerns about human rights and freedoms in Tibet. We consistently urge the Chinese authorities to respect all fundamental rights across the People's Republic of China, in line with both its own constitution and the international frameworks to which it is a party. We raised our concerns about Tibet at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue held in Beijing on 27 June.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 whether Turkey is meeting its international human rights obligations.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The British Government has consistently encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of human rights, through implementation of its international human rights obligations. Ministers monitor the situation closely, and the Prime Minister raised human rights with President Erdogan at the G20 summit on 8 July. The FCO also provides direct support to a number of Turkish civil society organisations working to protect and promote fundamental freedoms.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
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 Turkish counterparts on ensuring the safety and freedom of speech of political dissidents.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I, and UK Ministers, have frequent discussions with our Turkish counterparts on the issue of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and to urge respect for freedom of media and speech, which are essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Government of Bangladesh on human rights and political violence in that country.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
I raised concerns about human rights and political violence with the Government of Bangladesh during my visit to Dhaka from 2 to 4 March. In my meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leaders Begum Khaleda Zia and Raushan Ershad MP, I called on all parties to participate in future elections and to ensure that they were free, fair and credible.
In my meeting with Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on 3 March I emphasised that Bangladesh's "zero-tolerance" approach towards terrorism and extremism must respect the rule of law and international human rights standards.