Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the context of the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations between the UK and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and with reference to meetings between the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and high-level representatives of the GCC on 20 December 2021, whether human rights were discussed during that meeting.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We never pursue trade to the exclusion of human rights. The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally and we continue to encourage all states, including our friends in the Gulf, to uphold international human rights obligations. A wide range of issues were discussed during the meetings with GCC representatives at Chevening House on 20 December 2021, including human rights.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Saudi Arabian counterparts on reports of torture and arbitrary detention of political prisoners in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights in our engagement with the Saudi authorities. We have consistently pressed for due process and raised concerns about the use of solitary confinement, lack of family contact and allegations of torture. On 26 October 2021, Lord Ahmad spoke to the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, and raised a number of human rights issues, including specific cases and women's rights defenders.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the future of funding for the BBC World Service after March 2022.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to providing grant-in-aid funding for the BBC World Service through to 2025. The details of the settlement are still to be finalised.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Hong Kong Government's announcement that it no longer recognises the British National (Overseas) passport as a valid travel document or proof of identify on holders of that passport being able to access their mandatory provident funds early.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Authority is unfairly disrupting people's livelihoods by refusing to accept the British National (Overseas) visa when Hong Kongers apply for early withdrawal of their pensions. This is preventing Hong Kongers from accessing funds they are entitled to. The Government has raised our concerns with the relevant Hong Kong authorities.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to renew the Government's commitment to help 50 million people access nutrition services over the next five years.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is actively considering its approach to the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit, following the conclusion of the Spending Review. We will set this out as early as possible as part of the business planning process.
The FCDO is continuing to work closely with the Government of Japan to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit supports meaningful action by governments, donors, businesses, the UN and civil society.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support people affected by the conflict in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 1 September I announced £500,000 to support the UNDP in enabling effective mine action work in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, including territories returned to Azerbaijan following last year's conflict. The region is one of the most heavily contaminated with land mines in the world and the money the UK has given will eventually allow people to live safely and without fear of harm from unexploded ordnance. This funding complements the £1 million the UK gave last year to the ICRC in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. The UK Government continues to consider what further support we might provide to both the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the coming months as they recover from the conflict.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support people affected by the famine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what steps his Department plans to take to support those people so affected in that country in the future.
Answered by James Duddridge
Preventing famine is one of the UK's top priorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since 2017, UK aid has provided 1.97 million people with food aid, cash and vouchers to reduce food insecurity and treated over 300,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition in DRC. The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention, Nick Dyer, visited DRC in July to discuss with the Government of DRC and the humanitarian community how best to tackle the crisis. I also discussed the importance of tackling the humanitarian situation when I visited DRC in November 2020. This included my discussions with President Tshisekedi during my visit, and again during our telephone call in March. Over the coming year, the UK will continue to prioritise humanitarian assistance for food insecure people and malnourished children and work with the Congolese Government and international partners to address the underlying causes of the crisis.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Israeli Government on that Government's obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide vaccines for the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health and hygiene, to the fullest extent of the means available to it, including in relation to combating the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We also recognise the Palestinian Authority's responsibilities for vaccinations under the Oslo Accords (under Article 17). Cooperation is key to tackling Covid-19: the British Embassy Tel Aviv and the British Consulate-General Jerusalem are in regular contact with both parties and continue to urge them to coordinate on vaccine access.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking in response to the military trial, detention and reported ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised the issue of Palestinian children in detention on 19 March with the Israeli Ministry of Defence.
We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children.