Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department are employed on a contract which is (a) full-time permanent, (b) part-time permanent, (c) for less than two years' duration, (d) on an agency basis and (e) zero-hours.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As of the 31st March 2017, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs 4499 UK-based staff of whom 4278 work full-time and 221 work part-time. There are 47 fee-paid staff on zero hours contracts. The FCO uses zero hours contracts to carry out functions that require specialist expertise but have a fluctuating workload. We only use them for exceptional roles where they represent the best value for the taxpayer and where terms are mutually agreed with the employee. This type of contract does not preclude employees from taking secondary employment.
As of the 13thApril 2017, there were 65 temporary agency workers assigned to the FCO in the UK. Of the 65 workers, 45 have been in their assignment for less than 2 years.
The proportion of staff employed is detailed below:
| Type of contract | Percentage of staff |
| Full-time (UK based) | 94% |
| Part-time (UK based) | 5% |
| Temporary agency workers (UK only) | 1% |
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to encourage the Government of Cameroon to restore peace and democracy to the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission Yaoundé is closely following the situation in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon following the demonstrations and strikes by lawyers and teachers. We are engaged with the Government of Cameroon and will continue to raise our concerns with them.
We have called for restraint by all involved, including in the use of force. We have reiterated the obligation to uphold human rights standards and encouraged the use of transparent legal means to address concerns. We have regularly called for issues to be resolved through broad-based dialogue, with a range of interlocutors, and a return to normality in the two regions.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to UK Embassies overseas to ensure that freedom of religion or belief is included in their work.
Answered by Lord Sharma
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 5 April 2017 - PQ 69539.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by what date the UK Embassy in Bogota plans to comply with the Colombia Constitutional Court's judgment in the case of Action for protection of fundamental rights initiated by Darwin Ayrton Moreno-Hurtado, against the embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland before the Republic of Colombia, dated 22 July 2015.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK has complied with its international legal obligations, and the British Embassy responded to the Colombia Constitutional Court's judgment on 23 September 2015. No further response is necessary.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on French-speaking teachers teaching in schools in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on strikes by teachers and lawyers in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on French-speaking judges presiding in courts in the English-speaking north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Cameroon on reported injuries and deaths of protestors during strikes by teachers and lawyers in December 2016 in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.