Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on the Indian Government lifting the communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir; and what the response was to such representations.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Zimbabwe’s application to re-join the Commonwealth.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
It is not for the UK to decide if Zimbabwe is to re-join the Commonwealth as the final decision is for all Commonwealth members. However, in light of the Commonwealth's high standards on human rights, the UK would not currently support an application from Zimbabwe.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect on the human rights of (a) the Nubian people and (b) other political dissenters of the Egyptian Government's alleged persecution of those people; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to monitor issues and cases involving Nubians and other minorities within Egypt. Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK and the UK wants to see more political progress and better protection of human rights for all Egyptians, as set out in Egypt's constitution. The UK regularly raise concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government both in public and in private. I raised our human rights concerns with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October 2018.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
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 his Sudanese counterpart on the welfare of Nubian people residing in Sudan.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The British Government has no separate engagement with the Government of Sudan related to the Nubian people. However, we engage frequently with the Government of Sudan to improve the lives and human rights of all people in Sudan. The UK is one of largest humanitarian donors to Sudan, committed to providing lifesaving aid to millions of the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further discussions he plans to have with his Egyptian counterpart on human rights abuses in relation to the Nubian minority in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to monitor issues and cases involving Nubians and other minorities within Egypt. Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK and the UK wants to see more political progress and better protection of human rights for all Egyptians. We call on the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights set out in Egypt's constitution.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
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 his Egyptian counterpart on the welfare of Nubian people residing in Egypt.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We continue to monitor issues and cases involving Nubians and other minorities within Egypt. Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK and the UK wants to see more political progress and better protection of human rights for all Egyptians. We call on the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights set out in Egypt's constitution.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2016 to Question 36968, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that the perpetrators of the Gatumba genocide are prosecuted.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK continues to play a role in efforts to resolve the political crisis in Burundi and supports the refugee reintegration in Burundi, working closely with EU and likeminded international partners.
The only way to stop attacks like that on Gatumba in 2004 is to break the cycle of instability in the Great Lakes region. We regularly raise human rights and security issues with the Government of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo Government, including at the UN Security Council on 21 November and the UN General Assembly in September.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made recent representations to the Government of Israel on the adequacy of the water supply and sanitation infrastructure in the West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK regularly raises concerns over access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Department for International Development discussed this issue with the Israeli authorities on 12 September. The Department for International Development discussed the issue of water at the Ad Hoc Liaison Comittee in New York on 17-18 September.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
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 Israel and Palestinian officials on water permits in the (a) Jordan Valley area and (b) wider Palestinian West Bank.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK regularly raises concerns over access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank. We have not raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote Israeli-Palestinian cooperation relating to the water sector.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We welcome the progress made towards the 'Red to Dead' water supply agreement between Israel and the Palestinians announced in July 2017. The fair and effective distribution of shared water resources across the Middle East is of great concern to us. These resources are limited and therefore require effective co-operation from all parties to manage them in such a manner that ensures there will be enough for all. Although this issue transcends the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is essential that Israel and the Palestinians discuss this issue and ensure that there is a just solution on shared water resources.