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 effect of the withdrawal of press credentials from journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times on the preservation of freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

As Lord Ahmad said in the Lords on 19 March, the Chinese Government's announcement that they will prevent certain American journalists from working in China and Macao restricts transparency at an important time. The suggestion by the Chinese MFA that this measure may apply in Hong Kong is particularly concerning. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is clear. It sets out that immigration decisions are the sole responsibility of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, and freedom of the press is guaranteed. It is imperative that these rights and freedoms are fully respected.