Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he had discussions with his Brazilian counterparts on respecting the outcome of Brazil's 2022 democratic presidential election.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has consistently made clear its firm hope that the entire country of Brazil, including all candidates and political parties, will respect core democratic principles, electoral processes and the election result. I raised this with my Brazilian counterpart, Ambassador Carlos Franҫa, during our introductory call on 10 October. The Prime Minister tweeted on 31 October, congratulating President-elect Luis Inácio Lula da Silva on his election victory and saying that he looks forward to the UK and Brazil working together to promote democratic values.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK will refuse to recognise North Korea as a nuclear state.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK does not recognise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear weapons state. The DPRK cannot have the status of a nuclear-weapon State in accordance with the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), as stated in UNSC resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009). We call upon the DPRK to return to, and fully comply with the NPT and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, as well as to comply with its international obligations in accordance with UNSC resolutions.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Spanish counterparts on the role of Spanish border officials in the events which led to the death of people in Melilla on 24 June 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Senior FCDO officials have spoken to the relevant authorities in Spain and Morocco regarding the events of Friday 24 June on the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, during which many migrants died. We welcome the decision of both authorities to carry out investigations and follow up on the incident.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help supply Kyiv with water after recent Russian missile strikes on that city.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has committed £220 million in humanitarian assistance to support the most vulnerable in Ukraine and the region following the Russian invasion. This includes a contribution to the Disasters Emergency Committee which has helped 1.7 million people in Ukraine to benefit from the supply of clean water. We have also provided £15 million to UNICEF, who are improving access to safe water for 3.5 million people by delivering water treatment chemicals and equipment in Ukraine. These organisations are working swiftly to respond to the recent Russian attacks on critical national infrastructure, including by repairing water treatment plants. The UK has, and will continue to, call out such attacks.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart about the impact of the Indian constitution's prohibition of dual citizenship on Indians in the UK.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This is an internal matter for the Government of India. We respect the Indian Government's right to set its migration and citizenship policies, just as we expect the Indian authorities to respect UK Government policy. British nationals who wish to visit India can use the Government of India's regular/paper visa application services for all visa categories.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 potential merits of taking steps to removing the Schengen visa requirement for third country citizens with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Some third country nationals are required to hold a visa when travelling to the Schengen Area and it is for Member States to implement that visa policy. A list of the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the Schengen Area, and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement, is detailed in EU regulations. Third country nationals should look to the country whose nationality they hold to make representation to the EU regarding visa requirements.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department will impose further sanctions on Belarus for permitting the stationing of 9,000 further Russian armed forces personnel in its territory.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK, along with our allies, will continue to put pressure on Lukashenko's regime until he withdraws his support and facilitation of Putin's unjust war. Nothing and no one is off the table. The UK Government has already imposed extensive sanctions on Belarus, delivering commitments made by the Prime Minister in her previous role as Foreign Secretary to extend sanctions against Russia to people and entities in Belarus who support Putin's illegal war. The UK Government does not speculate on specific future designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to raise the issue of women's rights protests in Iran with his foreign counterparts.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The violence levelled at protestors in Iran by the security forces is truly shocking. On 3 October the Foreign Secretary instructed the FCDO to summon Mehdi Hosseini Matin, Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK, over the Iranian authorities' violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. At the meeting the UK Government made its position clear: instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, the Iranian authorities should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people.
The UK will continue to work with its partners to hold the Iranian authorities to account for their flagrant violations of universal human rights. On Monday 10 October, the UK announced sanctions on the Morality Police and two of its leaders. The UK also imposed sanctions on five other leading political and security officials for committing serious human rights violations in Iran. These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities that the UK will hold it to account for its repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence inflicted on its own people.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make a statement on women's rights protests in Iran.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The violence levelled at protestors in Iran by the security forces is truly shocking. On 3 October the Foreign Secretary instructed the FCDO to summon Mehdi Hosseini Matin, Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK, over the Iranian authorities' violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. At the meeting the UK Government made its position clear: instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, the Iranian authorities should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people.
The UK will continue to work with its partners to hold the Iranian authorities to account for their flagrant violations of universal human rights. On Monday 10 October, the UK announced sanctions on the Morality Police and two of its leaders. The UK also imposed sanctions on five other leading political and security officials for committing serious human rights violations in Iran. These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities that the UK will hold it to account for its repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence inflicted on its own people.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department had with the Government of Bermuda on the Bermuda Cannabis Licensing Bill 2022 before announcing that the UK Government would not Assent to the Bill as drafted.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Bermuda's constitution provides for the Governor to reserve assent of legislation which do not appear to be compatible with international obligations. The Foreign Secretary carefully considered the Bermuda Cannabis Licensing Bill 2022 and concluded that it is contrary to the UK's and Bermuda's obligations under the UN Conventions, which prohibit the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use. The UK is responsible for the Overseas Territories' compliance with international law, and assent was not therefore given. Prior to the legislation being presented for assent, UK officials offered and continue to make themselves available to the Government of Bermuda to discuss the policy and how the UK can support Bermuda.