Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on Government attendance at international summits hosted in disputed territories.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO does not have a fixed policy on whether to attend international meetings in disputed territories. Attendance is assessed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with UK interests.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Hazaras in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities. We are working with international partners to ensure credible monitoring. In October, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate. His recent report included an assessment of the violence and threats against religious minorities and the situation for Hazara communities. In December, the Minister for South Asia, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, met representatives from Hazara community groups.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh following Cyclone Mocha.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I was saddened to see the impact of Cyclone Mocha in Bangladesh. We continue to meet ongoing needs in the aftermath of the cyclone. The UK recently announced an additional £2.3 million in humanitarian support for the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.
This new funding will support the rebuilding of shelters destroyed by Cyclone Mocha and by the large fire in March this year. It will also provide healthcare, site management support, and strengthen safeguarding systems for Rohingya refugees and host communities.
The UK is the second largest donor to the crisis, providing £352 million since 2017. We will continue to support the Government of Bangladesh and the Rohingya people until they can return home in a safe, voluntary and dignified way.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many integrated care boards include representatives of dentists.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad lasts.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to closely monitor the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The Foreign Secretary said in his 14 May statement that the UK welcomes the announcement of this Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and will support efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards sustainable peace. The UK has proscribed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist entity since March 2001 and as such does not engage with members of its organisation. PIJ and other terrorist groups must cease all actions that are violent or provocative, or that put civilian lives at risk. The Foreign Secretary wrote to Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen on 10 May to reiterate the UK's support for Israel's right to self-defence and to encourage the facilitation of humanitarian access to Gaza.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is making representations to his Israeli counterpart on the demolition of schools in the West Bank.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to international humanitarian law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. Most recently, on 7 May, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon wrote to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, to express the government's issues with the demolition of Jubbet Adh Dhib school. Lord Ahmad also urged the Israeli government to take all possible steps to halt the imminent demolition of Ein Samiya school and to uphold the right to education for all.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
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 on trade in the eastern Mediterranean of recognising the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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 United Kingdom recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority for the island of Cyprus. Several UN Security Council Resolutions and other multilateral agreements also limit links between the UK and the north of Cyprus. 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: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a timetable for the cessation of the use of the Great Northern Hotel in Peterborough as asylum accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Due to the continued pressures on the Asylum Estate, we are needing to use emergency accommodation hotels for a longer period that originally envisaged, and this has resulted in the conversion of this hotel to lo0nger term contingency accommodation.
There is no plan to decant this site and by using this site as longer-term contingency accommodation, there should be more of a settled residency staying in the hotel until they are dispersed into longer term accommodation. Service users will be supported to registered with health services, access school places, engagement with other local services such as ESOL, engage NGOs for more long terms support (over and above that provided by Migrant Help), accessing local faith groups.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the letter of 25 January 2023 from the hon. Member for Peterborough on a hotel in Peterborough being stood up for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
A response will be provided shortly.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2022 to Question 79324 on Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations, what recent steps he has taken to extend the right to buy to housing association tenants.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.