Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the responsibilities of his Department of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will remain at the heart of the British Government’s efforts to strengthen ties with Europe after we leave the EU, based on our shared values and shared interests. As the Prime Minister has said ‘we are leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe.’ That includes working closely with other Government Departments to take forward a new deep and special partnership with the EU. It also means cementing our strong bilateral relationships with the countries of Europe and our cooperation with them in other international fora.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role his Department plays in preventing human trafficking.
Answered by Lord Swire
Britain’s diplomatic missions are implementing the Modern Slavery Strategy, working with foreign governments in source and transit countries to build their capacity to disrupt and tackle human trafficking. They also support local investigators to increase the rate of prosecutions, conduct awareness raising projects and address the root causes of modern slavery through the Department for International Development’s work in the world’s poorest countries.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role he plans to play in the UK's renegotiations on reforming the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), will lead on the renegotiations, working closely with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and supported by myself and Cabinet colleagues. The Foreign Secretary and I are also responsible for the Referendum Bill. The Prime Minister has already started working with other leaders on how best to address the UK’s concerns and will hold further talks ahead of the June European Council.Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Iran's construction of a heavy-water research reactor at its Arak facility places that country in breach of its international obligations.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Under UNSCR 1737 Iran is prohibited from undertaking heavy water-related activities. Under the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) agreed between the E3+3 and Iran, Iran committed to not make any further advances on the Arak reactor for the duration of the JPoA. The IAEA Director General’s 7 November report on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme confirms that Iran continues to abide by its nuclear commitments under the JPoA. The report also confirmed that the reactor remains under IAEA safeguards.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether human rights abuses in Iran and that country's support for terror groups have been discussed as part of the nuclear negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The nuclear negotiations between the E3+3 and Iran have focused entirely on resolving the nuclear issue. We do however remain extremely concerned both by Iran’s poor human rights record, and by its links to militant groups outside its borders. We continue to address these problems in our bilateral contacts with Iran and through multilateral channels such as the UN.Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the Palestinian Authority's policy of payment of salaries to the families of convicted terrorists; what information his Department holds on the basis and scale of such payments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Hugh Robertson
We receive no such reports. The Ministry of Finance publishes expenditure on its website on a monthly basis, including a breakdown by Ministry. The Palestinian Authority Prime Minister and other Ministers have been clear in both public and to us that their payments to families of prisoners are intended to sustain families whose primary breadwinner has been imprisoned. However, no UK money is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners or their families.