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 the Government has had with the (a) African Union peace envoy and (b) US peace envoy on the conflict between the Ethiopian Government and Tigray.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are extremely concerned by the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and the implications it has for the country as a whole. The UK is working to bring an end to the violence. I discussed Ethiopia on my visit to Kenya 17 to 18 January and met Prime Minister Abiy in Addis Ababa on 20 January when we discussed the conflict. Whilst in Addis, I also met new US envoy Satterfield. I have called on all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid through. I have continued to emphasise the need for a ceasefire through calls with my African counterparts, including from Kenya and the African Union (AU). We have spoken with a variety of international partners about the situation in Ethiopia, and have urged them to support a ceasefire and support the efforts of AU High Representative Obasanjo to bring an end to the violence. I have also spoken to HR Obasanjo. The British Ambassador in Addis Ababa remains in touch with HR Obasanjo.
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 her Department is taking to support the UN Human Rights Council inquiry into atrocities in Ethiopia.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are extremely concerned by reports of widespread human rights violations and abuses in Ethiopia committed by all sides to the conflict. All those responsible for human rights violations and abuses should be held to account.
The Foreign Secretary, as Chair of the G7 Foreign and Development Minister's meeting, made a statement on 12 December 2021 that called for an additional independent investigation on human rights violations as recommended by the Joint Investigation report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. The UK supported the Human Rights Council resolution of 17 December 2021 that mandates an independent and transparent mechanism for investigation and redress of human rights violations. The UK will continue to support the UN in the need for independent, transparent and impartial investigations and will work to ensure that those responsible for these atrocities are held to account.
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 her Department is taking towards the normalisation of relations between the Ethiopian Government and Tigray.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are extremely concerned by the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and the implications it has for the country as a whole. On my recent visit to Ethiopia, I met Prime Minister Abiy on 20 January and discussed the UK's concern over conflict in the north but hope for lasting peace in Ethiopia. I also met Ethiopian State Minister Redwan and reiterated my message for peace.
The UK is working to bring an end to the violence. I have called on all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid through. I have continued to emphasise the need for a ceasefire through calls with my African counterparts, including from Kenya and the African Union (AU). We have spoken with a variety of international partners about the situation in Ethiopia, and have urged them to support a ceasefire and support the efforts of AU High Representative Obasanjo to bring an end to the violence.
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 she will take steps to empower Counter Terrorism Command SO15 to investigate suspects of crimes against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001 who are neither British residents nor nationals.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The United Kingdom is committed to upholding international law and holding those who commit the most serious crimes accountable for their actions. Under the International Criminal Court Act , crimes against humanity are an offence against the law of England and Wales if committed in England or Wales or outside the United Kingdom by a United Kingdom national or resident or a person subject to UK service jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the courts in the UK to try crimes is premised on a presumption of territoriality, unless there is express statutory provision to the contrary. It is UK Government policy that the United Kingdom should not provide a safe haven for war criminals or those who commit other serious violations of international law. The UK is committed to helping other countries to prosecute offences that take place within their territory or within their jurisdiction.
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 her Department takes to ensure that at least one official from her Department is present during all (a) meetings and (b) phone calls relating to Government business between Ministers and third parties.
Answered by Amanda Milling
It is standard practice for FCDO Ministers holding meetings or telephone calls on government business to be routinely accompanied by their private secretary or another official, in line with the expectations of paragraph 8.14 of the Ministerial Code.
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 her Department’s process is for (a) recording and (b) keeping minutes of all meetings relating to Government business.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Formal, structured meetings are usually minuted, however, not all meetings need to be minuted. It is expected that the general guidance that departments give to their staff will help officials make judgements as to what meetings need to be minuted, noting their Civil Service Code obligation to 'keep accurate official records.'
Specific procedures are in place for external meetings involving ministers. These are publicly available and can be found in the Guidance on the management of Private Office Papers at: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/popapersguidance2009.pdf
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 the total value of contracts awarded by the former Department for International Development to Randox has been in each year since 2010.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The former Department for International Development have issued no contracts to Randox in the period 2010 to present.
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 she is taking to ensure that the delivery of 100 million COVAX vaccines overseas by June 2022 is on target following the Government’s donation of 9 million COVAX vaccines in July 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is working closely with the Cabinet Office and UK Vaccines Task Force to ensure we meet our commitment to donate 100 million doses by June 2022. To date, we have donated 10.5m doses. At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021 the Prime Minister announced that we will be donating a further 20 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines before the end of the year in order to meet our 30 million target by the end of 2021. 80% of all our donations will go through COVAX.
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 planning to take in respect of foreign leaders and officials found guilty of bribery, corruption or tax violations as a result of revelations in the Pandora Papers.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Through the network of overseas Posts, the FCDO is monitoring the consequences of several of the stories associated with the recent Pandora Papers leaks. We understand some investigations are being considered in some countries, but it is too early to say who, if anyone, might ultimately be found guilty of bribery, corruption or tax violations. Irrespective of this, the FCDO remains committed to fighting global corruption and illicit finance. Under our Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime established in April this year, the UK has so far imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 27 individuals from 10 countries for their involvement in serious corruption. We continue to fund the vital work of the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit, which has restrained, confiscated, or returned over £1.1billion of assets stolen from developing countries since 2006. And we continue to encourage countries everywhere, including through our ongoing Presidency of the G7, to take steps to improve beneficial ownership transparency, so that we can limit the role of anonymous shell companies, as highlighted by the Pandora Papers, in enabling international illicit finance.
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 she has had with the Premier of the British Virgin Islands on closing potential tax loopholes as a result of revelations in the Pandora Papers.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) regularly share confidential information on beneficial ownership and tax with UK law enforcement and tax authorities. They provided information that made the UK's first Unexplained Wealth Order possible. The BVI have committed to work towards introducing a publicly accessible register of company beneficial ownership, along with the other Overseas Territories.
The BVI participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Common Reporting Standard, which is an agreement to automatically exchange financial account information with other jurisdictions. This means that they supply information on account holders who are foreign tax residents. This reciprocal, automatic exchange of financial information addresses the secrecy that facilitates offshore tax evasion and provides evidence of tax non-compliance. The BVI are a member of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), signalling their commitment to fighting BEPS risks by implementing the BEPS minimum standards. They have also committed to implementing the OECD's two pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. The UK is providing assistance and support ahead of BVI's evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force.