Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he or his officials have had with the Turkish Government about that country's customs agreement with the EU.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK Government will look to ensure continuity of trade between the UK and Turkey, following the UK's exit from the EU, factoring in the possible implications of Turkey's existing customs arrangement with the EU. UK officials in the Department for International Trade, the Department for Exiting the EU, the UK Permanent Representation to the EU, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have discussed EU-Turkey customs arrangements with officials of the Republic of Turkey.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which governing entity or entities the Government expects will take control of Raqqa after the removal of Daesh from that city; and what steps the Government is taking to prevent the creation of a political vacuum in that city.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Operations to liberate Raqqah City have only just commenced. We are working with our Coalition partners to ensure that once liberated, the population will have inclusive and legitimate local governance that can both protect and represent them.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on whether conditions should be attached to any future EU agreement to financially support the reconstruction of Syria.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK and EU have made clear that they will only commit funding to a reconstruction process in Syria once a credible political transition is firmly under way.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the use of Sarin in the chemical weapon attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Syria on 4 February 2017; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the Hon. Member to a statement to the House on 18 April by my Rt Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. This sets out the UK's policy on Syria and covers a number of issues including the use of sarin in the attack on Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the Regulations Bill in that country since 7 December 2016.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I raised the issue with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister when we met in London on 12 December. I have also raised the issue with the Israeli ambassador to London and have issued two press statements on the issue. The UK is extremely concerned that the Knesset has passed the first reading of a bill which would expropriate privately owned Palestinian land and pave the way for a significant further expansion of settlements in the West Bank. This would be illegal under international law, and once again calls into question the Israeli government's commitment to a two-state solution. The UK urges the Israeli government to reconsider the land regulation bill at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on demolitions that took place on 9 October 2016 in the community of Khan al-Ahmar in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, on 7 September, during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman in London, I raised our concerns about demolitions. The UK's positions on demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: such demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are, in all but the most exceptional of cases, contrary to international law.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the press statement issued by the Minister for the Middle East and Africa on 5 October 2016, entitled Minister for the Middle East statement on plans to construct a new settlement in the West Bank, what discussions he has had with the government of Israel on preventing illegal settlement activity in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised our concerns over new settlements with the Israeli Prime Minister when he met him in Jerusalem on 30 September. On 7 September, during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman in London, I also raised our concerns about settlements. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv also regularly raises our concerns with the Israeli authorities on the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to secure the release of Andargachew Tsege in Ethiopia.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has raised Mr Tsege’s case with his Ethiopian counterpart Dr Tedros 21 times, most recently on 13 February. I have also raised this case, most recently on 28 January. I have met with Mr Tsege's partner, Yumi Hailemariam. We have asked that Mr Tsege has access to a lawyer and a legal route through which he can challenge his detention. The Foreign Secretary has asked the Ethiopians to set out a timeline in which this will happen.