Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2023 to Question 2222 on India: Diplomatic Service, how many staff of (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments work in the Republic of India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The FCDO currently has between 40-49 staff, in October 2023, working in India. (As reported in our response to PQ 2222).
FCDO do not report headcount figures for other government departments. It is the responsibility of other government departments to report their own staff headcount numbers.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many British diplomatic staff are based in the Republic of India as of 15 November 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The FCDO currently has between 40-49 staff, in October 2023, working in India.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to take diplomatic steps to support Taiwan’s application to join World Health Assembly.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK believes that the people of Taiwan have a valuable contribution to make on issues of global concern. We therefore support Taiwanese meaningful participation in international organisations, as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite, and as an observer or guest where it is.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many British diplomatic staff are based in Taiwan as of 15 November 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship based on dynamic commercial, educational and cultural ties. The UK has no diplomatic staff in Taiwan. Approximately 50 staff work at the British Office in Taipei. This is a combination of staff from the UK and staff employed locally.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) diplomats and (b) other officials accompanied the Prime Minister on his recent visit to India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
A total of 43 officials travelled to India in support of the Prime Minister's visit for the 2023 G20 Summit.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage cultural exchange between the UK and India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Culture features prominently in the India-UK 2030 Roadmap. A key Roadmap deliverable was the recently concluded and hugely successful India-UK Together Season of Culture. This programme saw 51 partners employing nearly two thousand artists, reached an audience of over fourteen million people and welcomed visitors to 21 cities across both countries. This has set the stage for further collaboration and exchange. Furthermore, the Arts and Heritage Minister, Lord Parkinson, recently visited India to attend the G20 culture track and meet his Indian counterparts and key culture sector stakeholders. DCMS (Department of Culture, Media & Sport), the lead UK Department, is committed to facilitating ongoing bilateral collaboration.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the recent ballot in the Zimbabwe national elections on (a) democracy and (b) freedom of speech in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK commends Zimbabwean voters for their peaceful participation in Zimbabwe's recent elections. However, the UK shares the views expressed in International Election Observation Mission preliminary statements that the pre-election period and election day fell short of regional and international standards. The UK is also concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding the compiling of results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the severe disruption of domestic observation. We note the EU Observation Mission findings that over the election period "fundamental freedoms were increasingly curtailed" through "regressive legal changes". We also share the SADC Observation Mission's views that the passing of the amendments to the Criminal Law Code Amendment Act "resulted in severe restriction of freedom of expression".
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) the implications for its policies and (b) diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Morocco in respect of allegations of physical intimidation against a Sahrawi representative at a celebration of African unity in Canberra.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK has not made any assessment of this incident. The UK's long-held position on Western Sahara remains as set out in my [Minister Rutley's] answer of 22 May (UIN 185142) to the Member for Stockport's question of 15 May. We enjoy a wide-ranging and positive bilateral relationship with Morocco, one which sees increasing cooperation in areas such as regional security, education, trade and investment, and defence and security, recently demonstrated during the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in May 2023. The Joint Declaration following this meeting is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/morocco-uk-strategic-dialogue-session-4-joint-declaration-2023/fourth-session-of-the-moroccan-uk-strategic-dialogue-and-second-session-of-the-association-council-of-the-uk-morocco-association-agreement-joint-decl.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will provide financial assistance to people from Hong Kong living in the UK on British National Overseas visas who have been denied access to their pensions under the Mandatory Provident Fund following changes in legislation by the Chinese Government.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are aware of the difficulties BN(O)s are experiencing in seeking early withdrawal of their pension held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong. We have urged the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate the early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. BN(O) visa holders have virtually unrestricted access to employment opportunities in the UK and can work at any skill or salary level. We do, however, recognise that people may fall on hard times. Those on the BN(O) route can apply to the Home Office for a change of conditions to have their No Recourse to Public Funds condition lifted in the event they become destitute, are at imminent risk of destitution, there is a risk to the welfare of a child or the applicant is experiencing exception financial circumstances. This allows successful applicants to access support including benefits, tax credits and housing assistance.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the restrictions placed on independent trade union activity in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The British Embassy in Harare regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders to improve our understanding of political and economic issues in Zimbabwe. The UK does not fund trade unions or involve itself in industrial disputes between the Government and civil servants. However, as the periodic review of human rights in Zimbabwe shows, we are concerned by restrictions on freedom of assembly and the harassment of opposition supporters and civil society, and that the draft Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) amendment bill could be used to restrict civic space if passed into law.