Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department have taken to ensure the UK’s obligations under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong are being fulfilled; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We believe that meaningful political dialogue, taken forward by Hong Kong under its high degree of autonomy, is the best way to resolve the current impasse. It is important that the basic freedoms enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration are maintained
The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN, that remains in force. The UK, as a co-signatory, has an obligation to monitor its implementation closely, and we are committed to doing so.
The Prime Minister discussed developments in Hong Kong with other leaders at the recent G7 Summit, and the Foreign Secretary has recently spoken with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to work with UN Security Council members to ensure that the Stockholm agreement is implemented in Yemen.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We have welcomed UN verification that Houthi forces have begun their withdrawal from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa. This was the first such withdrawal by the Houthis since the conflict began in 2014.
The UK encourages both parties to continue to constructively engage with the Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and General Lollesgaard. We will continue discussions with partners on how the UN Security Council can support the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths on the political process and improving the humanitarian situation, central to which is the implementation of agreements reached during the Stockholm talks.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with international partners on the merits of creating and upholding no-fly zones over Idlib, Syria.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
We are deeply concerned by the civilian deaths caused by airstrikes by the Syrian regime and Russia in Idlib, however we do not consider imposition of a no-fly zone over Idlib to be a realistic option. We have urgently called on the regime and Russia to end their current offensive in Idlib and to respect the ceasefire agreed last year.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Russian and Syrian counterparts on (a) halting military offensives in Syria’s Idlib province and (b) respecting the ceasefire.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The UK has already made clear to Russia and the Syrian regime the need to halt their offensive in Idlib and to respect the ceasefire agreed last September at Sochi. We have said this publicly and at the UN Security Council, including at the emergency session on 18 June, as well as in direct representations to the Russian government. The UK does not maintain diplomatic engagement with the Syrian regime.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to lay before Parliament the Accession Protocol relating to Northern Macedonia's membership of NATO; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We look forward to welcoming North Macedonia as the 30th member of NATO. My Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 26 February outlined the process of the entering into force of the Prespa Agreement and North Macedonia's NATO Accession. In line with that, UK ratification for North Macedonia's accession to NATO is progressing and we plan to lay the Accession Protocol before Parliament in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2019 to Question 234859 on Sri Lanka: Water, what progress has been made by the Sri Lankan Government on determining whether the Chunnakam power plant was responsible for pollution in that area.
Answered by Mark Field
On 4 April 2019 the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka ordered the Northern Power Company, which operated a thermal power station in Chunnakam to allocate 20 million Sri Lanka Rupees to compensate residents affected by contamination of ground water and soil near the station. We understand that the plant is no longer functioning.