Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to further increase the UK's bilateral relationship with Japan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-Japan bilateral relationship is a strong and wide-ranging partnership. It is an increasingly deep and broad relationship, encompassing close collaboration in areas from security and defence to science and innovation. Our economic relationship is going from strength to strength following agreement of our bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2020, which we are now seeking to implement in full. In the security and defence space, Japan and the UK have agreed in principle the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) and we continue to work on closer collaboration on combat air programmes. As fellow members of the G7 and ahead of Japan's G7 Presidency next year, we look forward to continuing to grow the UK-Japan relationship.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will introduce new sanctions on Iran to prevent the import of spares and parts used in the manufacture of drones used for attacks against (a) Ukraine, (b) Israel and (c) international shipping.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's support for the Russian military campaign in Ukraine is deplorable, and the supply of drones is in violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231. Iran is profiting from Russia's attacks on Ukrainian citizens, causing human suffering and the destruction of critical infrastructure. On 20 October, the UK introduced a sanctions package that targets Iranian individuals and business responsible for supplying Russia with drones. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. A full list is available on the UK Sanctions List.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-iran-relating-to-human-rights
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with social media companies on taking steps to help improve the consistency of access to social media in (a) Iran, (b) Myanmar and (c) other countries during periods of heightened political tension.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We publicly oppose governments who restrict or disrupt access to the internet or mobile platforms all with the aim of frustrating the exercise of democratic rights online, and we condemn online attacks against women and girls, including journalists, political candidates, or others engaging in public debate who are targeted for their expression. We also remain troubled by the way in which social media platforms enable the promulgation of disinformation and hate speech against minorities, for example the Rohingya in Myanmar. We are committed to working with the international community and our partners, including social media platforms, to promote a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace and see digital freedom win out over digital authoritarianism.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Kenyan counterpart on freedom of the media in Kenya following the recent presidential elections.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The August 2022 Presidential elections, while reflecting areas of real progress, exposed some weaknesses within the media sector in Kenya. As part of the UK's engagement on democratic reforms, open society and independence of institutions, the UK will discuss how to strengthen media freedom with the Government of Kenya once the new administration has been appointed.