Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to suspend funding to UNRWA on trends in the level of humanitarian support provided in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
The UK is playing a leadership role in alleviating the suffering in Gaza. We more than trebled our aid commitment last financial year, to over £100 million, and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the security of the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The arson attack against UNRWA's headquarters in East Jerusalem was unacceptable. The perpetrators of this attack must be held to account. The UK Head of Mission, together with Heads of Mission in several partner countries, condemned the incident in a joint statement on 10 May.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 24982 on Oppression, if he will publish the details of future reforms made to the systems and processes for tackling transnational repression.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.
It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May to Question 24982 on Oppression, on what date his Department announced new training for front line officers.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.
It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 24982 on Oppression, what his expected timetable is for the publication of his Department's review on transnational repression.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The UK will not tolerate transnational repression (TNR) and will stand up for the rights of all people to live here safely and freely. The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our legal powers to counter foreign interference, and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats.
The Defending Democracy Taskforce, is reviewing the UK’s response to TNR to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.
The review is nearing completion and I will be updating Parliament in due course. The review is an in-depth exploration of the issue, including material which is classified, it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the document in full. I intend to provide the House with a statement which summarises the key findings and recommendations.
It is crucial that those who believe themselves to be victims of state-backed threats report concerns to the police. At the UK - Hong Kong Symposium on 27 April, I set out that the police are in the process of finalising a new suite of resources to raise awareness and capabilities of frontline officers across the UK, which will be launched over the next few months. This will enable frontline officers to increase their understanding of the threats that foreign powers present, support their engagement with communities who may be at risk, and respond appropriately to reports from members of the public.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to raise concerns with the Government of Turkey over the treatment of its Kurdish population.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Turkey on improving relations with the Kurdish population in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department is taking steps to help support civilians fleeing from (a) Vovchansk and (b) other towns near Kharkiv in the context of recent attacks in that area.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are deeply concerned about the current situation around Kharkiv and the ongoing attacks by Russia. UK partners on the ground are operating in this challenging context to provide support to displaced people and those affected near frontline areas, where humanitarian needs are already most severe and access to basic services is most constrained. To date, we have committed £357 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine and the region, which includes support to evacuate from frontline areas. Our partners are coordinating their efforts with the Government of Ukraine who are leading the response.
We will continue to monitor the situation around Kharkiv as it develops.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has plans to visit Mauritius.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
It is long-standing policy not to comment on Ministerial travel. To do so could compromise the integrity of protective security arrangements and affect the safety of the individuals involved.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his French counterpart on the potential merits of ensuring British passport holders have an exit stamp added to their passport each time they leave the Schengen area.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As of 1 January 2021, British citizens are treated as third-country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. This means British citizens' passports should be stamped on entry to and exit from the Schengen Area, unless they can show evidence that they lawfully reside in an EU Member State or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country. Border guards will use passport stamps to check that third-country nationals are compliant in terms of the length of stay permitted in the Schengen Area. The Government engages with European counterparts at all levels to ensure the consistent application of the Schengen Borders Code.