Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on taking steps to support evacuees from Sudan who are approaching the end of their six-month compassionate dispensation visas.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Where a person has leave in the UK but is unable to return home they should apply for Leave Outside the Rules using the FLR(HRO) form [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-flrhro]. Each case will be assessed on its merits. If they are unable to afford the fee then a fee waiver application can be made here: [https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/fee-waiver].
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support people whose livelihoods have been affected by climate change in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling climate change. In the Maghreb region, climate action and collaboration to mitigate or adapt to impacts, including on agriculture, tourism and fisheries, is a priority for UK engagement and support. Such engagement forms part of our dialogue with regional governments, UN agencies, and multilateral development banks. These partners are involved in practical collaboration through initiatives such as the Breakthroughs Agenda, while bilateral programming includes work to support more accurate climate and weather data to inform action. We are also working closely with the United Arab Emirates COP28 presidency to press for additional funding for vulnerable communities.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the potential implications for his policies of allegations of (a) forced disappearances and (b) degrading treatment of female Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. We consistently support language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue efforts to enhance human rights in Western Sahara. We support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and welcomed his September visit to the region. We continue to engage key partners to encourage constructive engagement with the political process. We also discuss human rights with the Moroccan authorities including through our bilateral dialogues.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Western Sahara; and what steps he is taking to help promote accountability for assaults against Sahrawi human rights defenders.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. We consistently support language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue efforts to enhance human rights in Western Sahara. We support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and welcomed his September visit to the region. We continue to engage key partners to encourage constructive engagement with the political process. We also discuss human rights with the Moroccan authorities including through our bilateral dialogues.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) evidence-gathering, (b) accountability and (c) international justice processes in relation to allegations of breaches of international law in (i) the Ardamata area of El Geneina and (ii) in other areas of Sudan since 1 November 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns in the strongest terms increasing reports of atrocities being committed across Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and remains committed to ensuring those responsible for these heinous crimes are held to account. We are supporting the essential work of the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating and documenting the atrocities taking place in Sudan. The UK is funding the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body which is gathering open-source evidence about the ongoing fighting in Sudan; this financial year, we have provided £600,000 to CIR's Sudan Witness Project. The UK also initiated, alongside Germany, US and Norway, a resolution to establish an independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan; a resolution that was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in October. This will support future accountability efforts in Sudan, including in relation to Darfur.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist Eritrean nationals with valid UK visas residing in Ethiopia to obtain exit permits.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
HMG are working alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the Federal Government of Ethiopia, and have agreed a process to issue Exit Visas for Eritreans who hold visas for the United Kingdom. HMG is now working with the ICRC to process outstanding cases and enable them to travel to the United Kingdom as soon as their exit visas are granted.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the sanctioning of (a) Ali Karti and (b) Aviatrade LLC.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work closely with our international partners in addressing the conflict and dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. Most recently, on 3 November, the Minister for Development and Africa called on Sudan's warring parties to protect civilians, de-escalate fighting in El Fasher, refrain from ethnically-targeted violence, and focus on negotiating an end to the conflict, following a similar statement from the US Government. We remain open to considering further sanctions in continuing efforts to press the parties to engage in a sustained and meaningful peace process, ensure humanitarian access, and commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. The UK Government does not speculate on future designations; to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with colleagues in the Home Department on support for evacuees from Sudan who are approaching the end of their six month compassionate dispensation visas.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Western Sahara; and what steps he is taking to help promote the need for accountability for assaults against Sahrawi human rights defenders.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support people whose livelihoods have been affected by climate change in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.