Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds in its archives on MI6 operations that (a) took place in (i) the Ukraine, (ii) Belarus, (iii) Germany and (iv) the Baltic States between 1945 and 1953 and (b) reference Stanislaw Chrzanowski.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the long-term effect on (a) UK foreign policy and (b) bilateral relations with the Kurdistan Region of the 1991 decision to initiate a safe haven and no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
UNSCR 688, and the subsequent initiation of no-fly zones over the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) represented a historic moment for Iraqi Kurds, and for the UK-KRI partnership. The no-fly zones provided a crucial security umbrella to protect the Kurdish people, and to promote stability in the region.
In the years since, we have further strengthened our relationship with the KRI. Many of their interests and values align with our own: a belief in diversity, tolerance, and publicly stated commitment to preventing extremism are some examples. The UK will continue to play its part in supporting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to build a more peaceful, more prosperous future.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2021 to Question 140775 on Iran: Nuclear Fuels, what the timetable is for action to tackle Iran’s non-compliance with the JCPoA.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We have made our position clear to Iran in recent E3 statements, at the Joint Commission and at the JCPoA ministerial meeting on 21 December, that implementation of the new nuclear law is jeopardising our efforts to preserve the JCPoA and risks compromising the important opportunity for a return to diplomacy with the new US Administration. We remain in close contact with the other remaining JCPoA participants to assess how to best address Iran's non-compliance within the framework of the JCPoA.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2021 to Question 140776, how many Palestinian children received copies of UNRWA’s self-learning material; and what steps UNRWA is taking to retrieve that material and counter harmful educational messages.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We contacted UNRWA directly regarding this issue. UNRWA informed us that they had identified the material in question through its own regular monitoring and took swift action to correct the issue. The Agency also conducted a review to address any education materials in breach of its policies. UNRWA has reported that these materials are no longer circulated and are not used in current lessons. The issue was rectified by November 2020.
We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the permanent members of the UN Security Council on reports that Iran is advancing research on uranium metal production.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal, which could provide knowledge gains applicable to a weapons programme. We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without delay. We continue to engage closely with the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council to address Iran's non-compliance.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education's report on the content of educational material published by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency during the Covid-19 pandemic to assist remote learning, published in January 2021.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK government has zero-tolerance to incitement of violence, and we have raised this issue with UNRWA. We understand that as soon as the mistake was identified, UNRWA took swift action to correct the issue and conducted a thorough review to address any education materials in breach of its policies. We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values. No UK funds were used for the development of UNRWA's self-learning material.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of the existing premises for the UK Consulate-General for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and northern Iraq.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Consulate-General Erbil provides an effective platform for delivering our objectives in conjunction with the Embassy in Baghdad. The FCDO regularly reviews whether the existing premises meet HMG needs and provide value for money. Our physical footprint has remained in one location since 2015 throughout periods of regional instability and provides a fit for purpose and secure diplomatic presence.