Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with overseas Governments to (a) protect and (b) facilitate the return to the UK of UK seafarers who are having to work indefinitely onboard ships overseas.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We recognise this is a worrying time for British crew on board cruise ships around the world. It is primarily the responsibility of their employers - the cruise ship operators - to ensure the welfare and safety of their crew.??The Government is in direct contact with these operators, as well as directly with many crew members and their families, and we will continue to do what we can to ensure UK crew can access flights home.? The Government restated its commitment to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) at the start of this crisis, ensuring we lead globally on our obligations to seafarers welfare, and this is a position we intend to uphold.
Not all British crew are seeking to return to the UK. Some may wish to stay with the ship (with their employer's consent), while others may be required by their role to do so as part of the minimum safe manning requirements for the vessel. This is a legislative and flag state requirement to ensure the continued seaworthiness of vessels.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) his Department and (ii) Wilton Park in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The quantity and cost of electricity and gas to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK estate and Wilton Park since April 2015 is as follows:
| FCO | Wilton Park | ||
| Usage | Cost | Usage | Cost |
Electricity | kWH | GBP | kWh | GBP |
2015/16 | 26,750,416 | £3,285,904 | 277,496 | £17,811 |
2016/17 | 24,776,275 | £3,309,304 | 15,660 | £14,269 |
2017/18 | 23,126,619 | £3,052,563 | 247,222 | £13,997 |
Gas |
| |||
2015/16 | 682,365 | £24,060 | 276,274 | £11,170 |
2016/17 | 603,753 | £24,440 | 308,927 | £12,835 |
2017/18 | 738,219 | £26,742 | 313,945 | £11,378 |
Wilton Park electricity usage during 2016/17 was not accurately monitored due to a faulty meter. The fault was finally resolved by British Gas in July 2017. Costs for the period have been confirmed and reconciled
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the quantity was of (a) electricity and (b) natural gas used by (i) his Department and (ii) Wilton Park in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The quantity and cost of electricity and gas to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK estate and Wilton Park since April 2015 is as follows:
| FCO | Wilton Park | ||
| Usage | Cost | Usage | Cost |
Electricity | kWH | GBP | kWh | GBP |
2015/16 | 26,750,416 | £3,285,904 | 277,496 | £17,811 |
2016/17 | 24,776,275 | £3,309,304 | 15,660 | £14,269 |
2017/18 | 23,126,619 | £3,052,563 | 247,222 | £13,997 |
Gas |
| |||
2015/16 | 682,365 | £24,060 | 276,274 | £11,170 |
2016/17 | 603,753 | £24,440 | 308,927 | £12,835 |
2017/18 | 738,219 | £26,742 | 313,945 | £11,378 |
Wilton Park electricity usage during 2016/17 was not accurately monitored due to a faulty meter. The fault was finally resolved by British Gas in July 2017. Costs for the period have been confirmed and reconciled.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support access for independent monitors to (a) places of detention in Syria and (b) Saydnaya prison.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I condemn the Asad regime’s arbitrary arrest, illegal detention and mistreatment of tens of thousands of Syrians and call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained, especially women and children, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 2254 and 2268.
I fully support calls for access for independent monitors to all places of detention in Syria, including the regime’s notorious Saydnaya prison. The Government has sought to keep international focus on this issue, particularly via the UN. We have ensured that detention and mistreatment has featured in successive Syria resolutions of the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, and will continue to do so. We also regularly raise detainee issues at the Task Forces of the International Syria Support Group in Geneva.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19830, when he plans to report on his review of the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
Answered by David Lidington
We are currently finalising the review of the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (BHR) and intend to publish it shortly. We are honouring the commitment made by the previous Coalition Government, showing our ongoing commitment to BHR. The plan covers the work of a wide range of Government departments and we have consulted widely as part of the process of updating the plan. The UK is the first country to go through such a revision process.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration; and whether it plans to encourage other states to endorse that Declaration.
Answered by James Duddridge
The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to support the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use During Armed Conflict.
While we welcome the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language and content of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with the US, France, Australia and other countries, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May 2015.