Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the provision of capacity building programmes for the domestic legal system in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The former Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling MP, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Justice in 2015. A number of engagements, including a working-level visit, have taken place since that time. All overseas judicial assistance is subject to rigorous assessment based on the merits of the activity and weighing any potential risks, including human rights concerns.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to review the trade relationship with Saudi Arabia as a result of the detention of political detainees and female activists in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding bilateral relationship based on a number of pillars including defence; security; trade and investment; shared concerns about regional issues and energy security.
We are concerned by the detention of political detainees in Saudi Arabia. We raise concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh.
No aspect of our commercial relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly and openly about human rights. We will not pursue trade to the exclusion of human rights. They can and should be complementary.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has received from his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the health and well-being of political detainees in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are concerned about the health and well-being of political detainees in Saudi Arabia. We raise our concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the publication of proof of life evidence on political detainees being in custody in that country.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The British Government is very concerned about allegations of mistreatment of those detained in Saudi Arabia because of their political views. While we have not requested this information from the Saudi authorities, we continue to monitor these cases.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent assessment he has made of progress through international co-operation on tackling climate change.
Answered by Mark Field
The current level of global ambition is frankly out of keeping with the magnitude of the problem. More greenhouse gases are in our atmosphere, and the climate is changing faster than at any time in human history. This requires unprecedented, rapid action to reduce emissions and build resilience and adaptation strategies. The UK is committed to promoting further international co-operation to achieve this.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he will make to the Chinese Government on the protection of minorities in light of the recent allegations of forced organ harvesting in China.
Answered by Mark Field
We are aware of reports that allege that organ harvesting may be taking place in China, including suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted. This includes the 2016 update to the Kilgour, Matas and Gutmann report and other information provided so far to the ongoing tribunal organised by the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China. We continue to scrutinise the situation carefully and review new information as it becomes available. At present, however, our assessment is that there is not a strong enough evidential base to substantiate the claim that systematic state-sponsored or sanctioned organ harvesting is taking place in China. We therefore have no current plans to raise these allegations with the Chinese Government.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) his Cuban counterpart and (c) his counterpart in the US Administration on banking measures to support British businesses in Cuba.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK is aware that banking challenges remain an issue for British companies interested in doing business in Cuba; the low risk appetite of banks continue to be influenced by risks associated with potential enforcement of the US embargo and Cuban compliance standards. The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Trade discussed the banking challenges faced by British companies with senior Cuban officials, during the President's visit to the UK in November 2018. The UK raises its opposition to the embargo and potential further tightening of it with US counterparts regularly, including via two recent EU demarches in Washington.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help safeguard the human rights and security of indigenous peoples overseas.
Answered by Mark Field
The Government remains strongly committed to promoting the respect for the human rights of all people, including indigenous people. We continue to work overseas and through the UN to improve the situation of indigenous people around the world. The UK has supported the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the EU's Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on indigenous peoples.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken towards a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The British Government believes a negotiated two-state solution is in the firm interests of both Israel and the Palestinians. We regularly press both parties to resume direct negotiations towards two-state solution. Most recently at the Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East on 22 January the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN reiterated our belief that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help secure a resolution to the conflict in Syria.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington on 22 January, Official Report.Transcript here.
The Government support and keep in close contact with the UN-led political process to end the Syrian conflict. We have used our relationships and convening power to encourage progress, including by hosting the then UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Syria small group of like-minded countries. We are also engaging with the new UN envoy, who has our full support.