Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Reprieve report, entitled Belfast to Bahrain: the Torture Trail and its findings of work carried out by Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas Ltd in Bahrain.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government continues to assist Bahrain in their reform agenda including by working with the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas (NICO) programme. Our and NICO's aims are to assist the Government of Bahrain to bring its justice system into compliance with international standards. All of NICO's work in Bahrain is regularly monitored and reviewed and continues to comply with rigorous UK human rights standards, which are in line with international human rights law. The impact of their work has been and continues to be positive.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of all of his Department's assessments of security contracts funded by his Department in Bahrain.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
These programmes are routinely monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis to ensure that they are on track for delivery. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides updates on its programme work in its annual Human Rights reports.
All FCO programmes that support security reform are carefully considered in line with Her Majesty's Government's Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Guidance in order to assess and mitigate human rights risks. Our assistance is specifically designed to assist the Government of Bahrain improve human rights standards and strengthen the rule of law.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens are known to have been (a) detained and (b) delayed when entering Israel in the past 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
According to Israeli figures 129 000 British nationals have visited Israel since 1 January 2016, and 50 British nationals have been refused entry into Israel through Ben-Gurion Airport. Of these, 25 sought assistance from the British Embassy. A further 65 British nationals have been refused entry at the Allenby Bridge.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens held in Israel's airport detention facilities have been provided with consular assistance by the UK embassy in Tel Aviv in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Since January 2016, 25 British nationals who have been detained at Ben-Gurion Airport have requested consular assistance from the UK Embassy.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens have raised the issue of poor treatment by Israeli authorities at border crossings and entry points with the (a) UK Government, (b) embassy in Tel Aviv and (c) consulates in Jerusalem and Ramallah in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Since January 2016, 15 British nationals have alleged poor treatment by Israeli authorities at border crossings.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people with dual Palestinian and British citizenship have been (a) refused entry to, (b) detained by and (c) deported by Israel in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel through Ben-Gurion Airport. Dual British/Palestinian nationals enter on their Palestinian documents through Allenby Bridge. We are not aware of any Dual nationals who have been refused entry.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens have been deported by Israel after initially being granted entry to the state in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are not aware of any British nationals that have been deported after being allowed entry, with the exception of people who have overstayed their visa.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens are known to have been detained, interrogated and subsequently denied entry by Israel in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
According to Israeli figures 129 000 British nationals have visited Israel since 1 January 2016, and 50 British nationals have been refused entry into Israel through Ben-Gurion Airport. Of these, 25 sought assistance from the British Embassy. A further 65 British nationals have been refused entry at the Allenby Bridge.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many instances his Department's procurement department sought further information from a company on potential corruption, bribery or fraud in the last two years.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) routinely carries out checks on potential contractors prior to contract award, including on criminal activity, such as convictions for tax evasion, bribery or fraud, and a review of a company's audited accounts. These enquiries are conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.
This process is reiterated in all competitive and single source tender documentation issued to tenderers prior to any contract award.
Any suspicion of corruption is reported to the appropriate authority. Where justified, the MOD can exclude potential suppliers who pose an unacceptable risk to public money.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan; what estimate she has made of the number of (a) refugees, (b) displaced people and (c) people with severe malnutrition in that country.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The humanitarian situation in South Sudan remains dire. More than 2.4 million people are displaced; over 785,000 of them to neighbouring countries as refugees. 4.8 million South Sudanese people, almost half of the population, are at risk of severe food insecurity. Although famine has not yet been declared, there is a looming risk in parts of Unity State. Through DFID, the UK remains the second largest bilateral donor to South Sudan.