Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) recent protests in Hong Kong, and (2) the impact of plans to allow extradition to China on the judicial independence of Hong Kong.

The significant protests in Hong Kong show the strength of feeling among the people of Hong Kong. We are pleased to see that, in the most part, the people of Hong Kong have peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of speech and assembly, as guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. However all allegations of inappropriate use of force by the Hong Kong police should be fully investigated by the Hong Kong SAR Government.

We welcome the Chief Executive's statement that she would not proceed with the second reading of the bill, if the fears and anxieties of the people of Hong Kong were not addressed. It is vital that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms set down in the Joint Declaration are respected in full.

The most recent 6 monthly report on Hong Kong published on 27 March, made clear our view that judicial independence in Hong Kong remains robust. The proposals themselves have no direct impact on judicial independence. However we are concerned that the proposals could risk leaving the extradition process open to political interference, and could, in future, undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Joint Declaration.