Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department and UK embassies are taking to promote LGBT rights (a) in British Overseas Territories, (b) the Commonwealth and (c) globally.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works through our embassies and high commissions, and through international organisations, including the Commonwealth, the EU and the UN, to promote tolerance and non-discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) people and to address discriminatory laws, in particular those that criminalise homosexuality. The UK Overseas Territories are self-governing administrations with their own laws and constitutions and such matters fall within the remit of local legislatures. The FCO works with Overseas Territory Governments to ensure they adhere to international human rights standards generally and encourages them to pursue policies and, where appropriate, enact legislation guaranteeing LGB&T rights.
As a member of the Commonwealth, the UK encourages both the Commonwealth Secretariat and our fellow member states to do more to protect the rights of its LGB&T citizens. Through our High Commissions, we continue to urge all Commonwealth States to review laws that criminalise homosexuality and that discriminate against people on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. At the same time, we raise cases of discrimination and violence against LGB&T people in individual Commonwealth countries.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of persecution of LGBTI people in (a) Macedonia, (b) Slovakia, (c) Malaysia, (d) Egypt and (e) Bahrain.
Answered by David Lidington
Human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. We work to uphold the rights and freedoms of LGB&T people in all circumstances.
We agree with the EU’s assessment that the overall framework for the protection of fundamental rights is in place in Macedonia but that much more needs to be done on its implementation. Efforts are needed to increase awareness of and respect for diversity within Macedonian society and to counteract intolerance perpetrated through the media.
We assess that Slovakia is largely a tolerant society on LGB&T issues and that the level of persecution is not significant.
LGB&T issues remain sensitive in Malaysia and we are aware of some court cases against individuals. Our High Commission in Malaysia meets representatives of NGO and human rights groups to hear their concerns including LGB&T groups. Representatives from the High Commission also observed a landmark LGB&T case last year.
Our Embassy in Cairo monitors LGB&T issues in Egypt closely. We are concerned at recent reports of increased targeting of LGB&T individuals, who are being arrested and charged with debauchery and public indecency.
Bahraini law does not criminalise same sex-activity between consenting persons who are at least 21 years of age, although sodomy is illegal. Although Bahrain is a liberal state compared with many other countries in the region many Bahrainis hold conservative social views. There are some reported cases of individuals punished for same-sexual activity but in practice, we assess that arrests for homosexual behaviour are relatively rare.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the rights of LGBTI people overseas.
Answered by David Lidington
Our work to combat violence and discrimination against Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender (LGB&T) people is therefore an important part of our international human rights work. We work through our embassies and high commissions, and through international organisations, including the UN, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth, to raise awareness of the importance of tolerance and non-discrimination against all people, including LGB&T people, and to address discriminatory laws, in particular those that criminalise homosexuality.
We welcomed the adoption at the Human Rights Council in September 2014 of the UN’s second ever resolution on sexual orientation, which passed by a much bigger majority than the first resolution on this issue in 2011. We work with partners as part of the UN’s LGB&T Core Group in New York to ensure that the UN does more to combat discrimination and protect the rights of all, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We support targeted project work and work with civil society in individual country situations.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the rights of LGBTI people in Gambia.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK position on human rights is clear: human rights are universal and must apply equally to all people. We are therefore concerned about the "Aggravated Homosexuality Bill" recently introduced in The Gambia, and the British Ambassador in Banjul has raised these concerns with the Gambian government on numerous occasions in recent months.
Furthermore, we have raised our concerns at the United Nations when The Gambia’s human rights record was evaluated during the Universal Periodic Review. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also be focussing on The Gambia’s record on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues in its upcoming Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report which will be published on 12 March. This report is HMG’s flagship publication on human rights around the world.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department's Human Rights and Democracy section work in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
Answered by David Lidington
Within the Human Rights and Democracy Department (HRDD), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has one full time Desk Officer wholly dedicated to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), who works closely with the Team Leader in the Equalities and Non-Discrimination Team, who themselves spend approximately 50% of their time on FoRB. Additionally, the Head and the Deputy Head of HRDD spend approximately 5% and 20% respectively of their time on FoRB issues; one Human Rights Advisor spends 5% and one HRDD Communications Officer approximately 10%.
As FoRB is one of only six thematic human rights priorities for the FCO, a considerable number of other FCO officials in London and overseas are engaged directly on FoRB as part of their wider human rights work.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2015 to Question 223612, whether he plans to meet his counterpart in the Philippines to discuss climate change.
Answered by Lord Swire
I have no immediate plans to meet my Philippines counterpart. However, there is ongoing dialogue with the Philippines on this issue, including regular contact through our Embassy in Manila, and with the Philippine delegates to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Climate change has also been discussed during senior British visits to the Philippines - for example when Sir Simon Fraser, the Permanent Under Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited in December 2014, and when Sir David King, Special Representative on Climate Change, visited in February 2014.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 Australian counterpart on climate change.
Answered by David Lidington
The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is also a top foreign policy priority for the FCO. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of countries at ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 Chinese counterpart on climate change.
Answered by David Lidington
The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is also a top foreign policy priority for the FCO. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of countries at ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change. Sir David King, the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative for Climate Change and my Rt Honourable friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton continue to raise climate change with Chinese counterparts, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minister responsible for climate change. Sir David King most recently visited China in January 2015.Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 Mexican counterpart on climate change.
Answered by David Lidington
The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is also a top foreign policy priority with the FCO. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of countries at Ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change. It was recently raised bilaterally at FCO ministerial level and will be a priority for the forthcoming state visit to the UK.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 Philippines counterpart on climate change.
Answered by David Lidington
The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is also a top foreign policy priority for the FCO. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of countries at ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change.