Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on CCTV footage of hostages held by Hamas in Shifa Hospital.
Answered by David Rutley
We cannot provide a running commentary on intelligence concerning hostage negotiations as they are highly sensitive and ongoing, but we continue to engage closely with international partners to secure the release of hostages, including the US, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and others. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 23 November and met Prime Minister Netanyahu, his counterpart Foreign Minister Cohen and other key interlocutors to discuss the Israel/Gaza conflict and our shared goal of releasing all hostages.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that money repaid to Iran for the non-delivery of military hardware was spent on humanitarian purposes.
Answered by David Rutley
The International Military Services (IMS) debt was settled in full compliance with UK and international sanctions and all legal obligations. Whilst the arrangement remains commercially confidential, HMG can confirm that the funds were ring-fenced solely for humanitarian purposes and mechanisms were put in place to ensure this was delivered.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of Hamas terrorists that have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government has not made an official estimate of the number of Hamas terrorists killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. We continue to engage closely with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and international and regional partners on the conflict.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) the Falkland Islands of the election of Javier Milei as the President of Argentina.
Answered by David Rutley
I [Minister Rutley] join the Foreign Secretary in congratulating President-elect Javier Milei on his election victory. As fellow G20 members, we look forward to developing a stronger and more constructive relationship. The UK and Argentina have worked well together on many shared priorities, among them climate change, science and innovation and human rights, and we are keen to develop and improve such collaboration with President-elect Milei's administration.
The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and is committed to proactively upholding the Falkland Islanders' rights, including their right of self-determination.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied region of Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Property is one of the most complex and sensitive subjects caught up in the Cyprus Problem. Ultimately, the most effective way to resolve the issues arising from the events of 1974, including property claims, is through the UN-facilitated talks aimed at reuniting Cyprus on the basis of a just and lasting settlement. The UK continues to support the UN-led process and encourage the two sides to return to negotiations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to seek renewed negotiations on a resolution in Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government remains committed to supporting UN efforts to reach a Cyprus Settlement within the UN parameters based on the model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. We engage with all parties on this. The UK Government believes that, with flexibility, sufficient common ground to start formal negotiations can potentially be found. In the meantime, the UK continues to support confidence-building initiatives to build links between the communities to prepare for any future Settlement.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on the removal of military personnel in Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty
HMG regularly discusses the prospects for Cyprus Settlement with Turkish authorities at all levels. The Minister for Europe did so with his Ministerial counterparts on 16 November during his visit to Ankara. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus is the best means of resolving the difficulties caused by the division of the island.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of people that migrated from Turkey to the occupied region of Northern Cyprus since 1983.
Answered by Leo Docherty
In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. The FCDO does not hold any information about the number of people that emigrated from Turkey to Cyprus since 1983.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the news release of 18 October 2023 from Human Rights Watch, entitled Israel/Palestine: Videos of Hamas-Led Attacks Verified, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of the recommendation that the attacks by Hamas-led gunmen on 7 October 2023 should be investigated as war crimes.
Answered by David Rutley
It is for competent courts to determine if the barbaric attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October constitute war crimes, after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. In the first instance, the Government would expect the Israeli domestic judicial system to investigate and, where appropriate, to try or extradite those accused of grave breaches of international law.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate his Department has made of the extent of violence against civilians in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley
Civilian casualties in Yemen have remained largely unchanged, despite truce-like conditions over the past eighteen months having reduced frontline violence. 500 fatalities and 1300 injuries were recorded among civilians in the year up to September 2023. Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) continues to be perpetrated, including in detention as a form of torture. According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 77,000 migrants from the Horn of Africa remain at risk in Yemen from human rights violations including torture, violence, and trafficking.