Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions (a) she and (b) her officials have had with Chinese counterparts on the suspension of all direct flights from the UK to China by the Chinese authorities.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK Government recognises the importance of people-to-people links with China and is fully aware of the impact of the suspension of direct flights has on the business, academia and tourism sectors, as well as those separated from family and friends. The Department for Transport, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been working together to seek agreement from the Chinese Government to allow the resumption of direct scheduled passenger services. We have raised this in Beijing and London at the highest levels.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what (a) advice and (b) consular assistance her Department is providing to British nationals (i) in Afghanistan and (ii) who have reached a third country from Afghanistan who wish to return to the UK; and how such advice and guidance is being made accessible to those people.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
British nationals still in Afghanistan are strongly encouraged to register their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office using a publically available form on our foreign travel advice page for Afghanistan. If they register, they will receive important updates on available consular services, as well as the advice that is publically available on the travel advice page. We advise British nationals who have reached a third country from Afghanistan to make contact with the nearest British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission where full consular services remain available.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British Nationals have registered their presence in Afghanistan, by UK constituency as at 15 September 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Between 15-28 August over 8,300 British nationals and dependents were evacuated from Afghanistan. Additionally the FCDO has supported over 90 British nationals and their eligible dependants to leave Afghanistan on Qatari Government charter flights. Over 4,400 individuals have signed up to the FCDO's "Register your Presence in Afghanistan". We are working to verify how many of these are British nationals still in Afghanistan and eligible for consular assistance. We are continuing to look at all possible avenues to ensure that any British nationals are able to leave safely if they wish to.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings Ministers of his Department have had with Israeli human rights organisations on restrictions placed on them by the Israeli Government; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of those restrictions on civil society space in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Israel has a strong and vibrant civil society, and Ministers meet with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) as part of our broad engagement with Israel. We have not made any formal assessment of the impact of recent legislative changes on NGOs in Israel, but consistently call on all countries to avoid any steps which could limit the space for civil society.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham 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 Israeli counterparts on accountability for attacks on medical teams by Israeli forces, including the recent raid of al Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem.
Answered by Alistair Burt
While we have not raised this issue specifically, we are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham 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 Israeli counterpart on medical exit permits for patients needing to leave Gaza, including cancer patients.
Answered by Alistair Burt
While we have not raised this specific issue, we have consistently called on the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are supporting the UN Access Coordination Unit who work with the Israeli Government, Palestinian Authority (PA) and aid agencies to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian goods including medical equipment and supplies. We are aware that Israeli hospitals do treat Palestinian patients following referrals from the PA.