Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Rwanda: country policy and information notesFound: unspecified) Embassies are ‘standard practice in RSD: one member of RSDC is from the Ministry of Foreign
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to tackle human rights violations in Iran (a) relating to recent protests and (b) generally.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its unacceptable human rights record. At the 55th Human Rights Council session, the UK was on the core group for the Iran human rights resolution, which successfully renewed the mandates of the Special Rapporteur and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran human rights, enabling continued monitoring of abuses against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities, as well as freedom of expression. We continue to engage with UK-based and international organisations on human rights, including Iranian diaspora organisations. In October 2023, the former Foreign Secretary and Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted a roundtable with women's rights activists, joining them publicly in calling for an end to impunity and violence. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for enforcing Iran's mandatory hijab law. We continually assess our human rights sanctions regime, and will make further designations where we have the evidence to do so. We will continue to raise human rights issues with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Iranian counterpart on (a) the treatment of women, (b) freedom of expression and (c) other human rights issues.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its unacceptable human rights record. At the 55th Human Rights Council session, the UK was on the core group for the Iran human rights resolution, which successfully renewed the mandates of the Special Rapporteur and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran human rights, enabling continued monitoring of abuses against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities, as well as freedom of expression. We continue to engage with UK-based and international organisations on human rights, including Iranian diaspora organisations. In October 2023, the former Foreign Secretary and Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted a roundtable with women's rights activists, joining them publicly in calling for an end to impunity and violence. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for enforcing Iran's mandatory hijab law. We continually assess our human rights sanctions regime, and will make further designations where we have the evidence to do so. We will continue to raise human rights issues with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to monitor (a) the enforcement of dress codes and (b) other human rights abuses in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its unacceptable human rights record. At the 55th Human Rights Council session, the UK was on the core group for the Iran human rights resolution, which successfully renewed the mandates of the Special Rapporteur and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran human rights, enabling continued monitoring of abuses against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities, as well as freedom of expression. We continue to engage with UK-based and international organisations on human rights, including Iranian diaspora organisations. In October 2023, the former Foreign Secretary and Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted a roundtable with women's rights activists, joining them publicly in calling for an end to impunity and violence. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for enforcing Iran's mandatory hijab law. We continually assess our human rights sanctions regime, and will make further designations where we have the evidence to do so. We will continue to raise human rights issues with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the impact of sanctions on Iran's human rights (a) policies and (b) practices.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its unacceptable human rights record. At the 55th Human Rights Council session, the UK was on the core group for the Iran human rights resolution, which successfully renewed the mandates of the Special Rapporteur and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran human rights, enabling continued monitoring of abuses against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities, as well as freedom of expression. We continue to engage with UK-based and international organisations on human rights, including Iranian diaspora organisations. In October 2023, the former Foreign Secretary and Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon hosted a roundtable with women's rights activists, joining them publicly in calling for an end to impunity and violence. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for enforcing Iran's mandatory hijab law. We continually assess our human rights sanctions regime, and will make further designations where we have the evidence to do so. We will continue to raise human rights issues with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has shared legal advice from the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law with representatives of her workforce within (a) the Public and Commercial Services Union and (b) other unions.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
FCDO advice informs decisions made by the Department for Business and Trade Secretary of State as the decision-making authority. The content of this advice is confidential. Union membership is a matter for individual staff members and does not alter the manner in which teams work in the Civil Service.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has received reports from the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law since January 29 2024.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government periodically reviews advice on Israel's overall commitment to International Humanitarian Law, and Ministers act in accordance with that advice.
On 8 April 2024, following advice from the Foreign Secretary, the Business and Trade Secretary took the decision that our position on export licences would remain unchanged. This was consistent with the advice Ministers received. We are keeping all licences for Israel under careful review.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel live in single living accommodation in each UK region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The attached table shows the number of service personnel living in single living accommodation in each UK region.
SLA is a significant component of the domestic accommodation for Service personnel, ranging from multi-occupancy rooms with shared ablutions, through to high specification ensuite rooms with storage, social areas and kitchens depending on the accommodation purpose and requirement.
SLA is broken into three principal categories:
Permanent. Accommodation on units/bases to which personnel are allocated for an assigned tour of duty. For some people, this is where they live during the week and they may commute back to their family home at weekends; for others, this room can be their only home in which they have all their possessions and where they live full time over weekends and leave periods.
Temporary (transit). Accommodation for visitors, or those on training courses. This can be for one night or for some months where residential courses are delivered for example. Furthermore, a person on a four-month course can be occupying two bedspaces: their home unit room where they have all their possessions and their room on the course. In some cases, a serving person can live in an SFA with their family, occupy a room at their unit during the week and also occupy a transit room for a period. The definition of transit accommodation may also change; if a unit decides to change a block of transit accommodation into permanent accommodation or vice versa then they may do this in response to accommodation demand. Units may designate certain rooms in a permanent block as transit for varying periods of time this allows flexibility to be responsive to accommodation demands that ebb and flow. They can host foreign nations on exercises, accommodate personnel from other bases as overflow or in support of ceremonial activity.
Training estate. Where units and individuals deploy to exercise, there are no accommodation charges levied for this component of the estate, neither is there a grading system.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Ghana concerning its Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which criminalises homosexuality; and what assessment they have made of Ghana's continued membership of the Commonwealth in the light of that Bill.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned that Ghana's Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter and the values and principles of the Commonwealth. The Foreign Secretary, Ministers and senior officials have expressed these concerns, including during Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell's visit to Ghana in February 2024 and his meeting with the Ghanaian High Commissioner to the UK in March. We are working through our options for responding should the Bill become law. Issues around membership and the Commonwealth Charter are addressed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). The UK is not currently a member of CMAG.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Uganda concerning the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023; and what steps they are taking to protect LGBT people living in Uganda.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law, the Minister of State (Development and Africa) released a statement setting out our strong opposition to the Act. Both the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State (Development and Africa) reaffirmed this position on 3 April, following the Ugandan Constitutional Court's judgment to uphold all but four sections of the Act. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) met the Ugandan Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on 3 April, underlining the importance of ensuring that people are free from persecution, regardless of sexuality. We will continue our consistent support to the human rights of LGBT+ people, and all Ugandans.