Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what formal international defence treaties the UK has outside of NATO.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of how to search for UK treaties can be found via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's dedicated treaty unit at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-treaties
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to review sanctions on Russian assets: and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation licensing rules to require owners to maintain sanctioned properties.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We keep our sanctions powers, regimes, designations and measures under review to respond to new developments and changing circumstances.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) may issue general or specific licences on behalf of His Majesty's Treasury to allow activities otherwise prohibited by an asset freeze, such as payments for existing obligations or property maintenance. However, a licence only permits these actions - it does not require the designated person to carry them out. Maintenance or repairs will occur only if they choose to do so.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when did his Department last raise concerns with his Pakistani counterpart about former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his supporters.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While judicial matters are for Pakistan's courts, the UK has consistently emphasised to its counterparts in Pakistan the need for due process, fair trials, and humane treatment for all, including Mr Imran Khan.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 encourage Pakistan to respect (a) democracy, (b) human rights and (c) the rule of law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan, and we regularly engage Pakistan on these issues at the highest levels. The former Foreign Secretary raised human rights, democracy and the rule of law in meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister when he visited Pakistan in May. I raised these issues with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister last month and with the Interior Minister on 31 March. The UK Government consistently urges Pakistani authorities to act in line with their international obligations and respect fundamental freedoms and human rights. Through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are supporting progress on human rights in Pakistan through dialogue, technical assistance, and targeted programming. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 (a) ensure the safety of British nationals in Iran and (b) provide safe routes for (i) those nationals and (ii) their families to return to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. However, the FCDO does not have the jurisdiction to guarantee the safety of British Nationals overseas, which is the responsibility of local authorities.
The FCDO has long been clear that the support we are able to provide in Iran is extremely limited. In an emergency, we will be unable to provide face-to-face assistance for British nationals in difficulty, or to assist with evacuations. We continue to advise against all travel to Iran, where British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention. During the recent conflict between Iran and Israel, the FCDO updated travel advice for Iran to note the temporary withdrawal of UK staff from Iran, the status of Iran's land borders and the closure of Iranian airspace, which re-opened in early July.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will summon the Israeli Ambassador to explain ask why (a) Israeli armed forces seized the British-flagged ship Madleen and (b) arrested British citizens on board that ship.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister for the Middle East summoned the Israeli Ambassador on 20 May to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza, its wholly inadequate plan for aid delivery and to demand that a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza takes place immediately.
We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces. We understand that this happened without serious incident or injury to any passenger. There were no British Nationals aboard.
We pressed the Israeli authorities to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law. We will continue to urge that any Israeli actions following the interception of the vessel and arrest of its passengers must be in line with International Law.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 protect British citizens abroad from (a) cybercrime and (b) digital asset theft.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides country specific travel advice and consular assistance to British nationals abroad. The FCDO also works in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and other agencies to raise public awareness through guidance and advice on global threats to help individuals, the public sector, and the Government to stay secure online. This guidance is applicable worldwide and addresses a range of cyber risks. If British nationals overseas are affected by cybercrime while overseas, they should contact the local police and, if necessary, seek consular support in line with our published services on gov.uk.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to recognise the State of Palestine following the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Madrid.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering. On the 25 May at the Madrid conference, I met with partners to discuss how to deliver a two-state solution with a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process. UK bilateral recognition is the single most important action the UK can take with regard to Palestinian statehood. That is why it is important to get the timing right so that it creates genuine momentum and is not simply a symbolic gesture. We are continuing to engage all partners on advancing a two-state solution and supporting the foundations of Palestinian statehood.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 support people affected by political persecution in the India- Pakistan conflict.
Answered by Catherine West
The agreement to cease further military action reached on 10 May is a hugely welcome development. The UK's long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
The UK Government recognises that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. We continue to encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards.