Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department encouraged the Tunisian government to set up complaint mechanisms for people to report alleged violations of their human rights as part of the implementation of (a) the upskilling of migrants in-country, (b) the International Organisation for Migration’s Assisted Voluntary Returns & Reintegration Programme and (c) other UK funded programmes.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have engaged with the Tunisian Government on allegations of human rights abuses and expect them to investigate such allegations. The UK has worked with Tunisian officials and partners on the implementation of a ‘code of conduct’ that aims to increase the accountability of Tunisian authorities. With UK funding, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) delivers case management for migrants in Tunisia which provides opportunities to disclose information on their experience of their journey.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether contracts for projects funded by the UK Government in Tunisia should be suspended due to alleged violations of human rights; and whether those criteria have been published.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK Government routinely carries out Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments before agreeing to undertake capacity building and other collaborative activities with overseas governments and agencies.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether chlorothalonil is being manufactured in the UK; if so, in what quantities; what quantities are being exported; and whether they are considering further action in the light of new information about its impact on the health of insect pollinators.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
According to the Health and Safety Executive’s most recent published data, 14.16 tonnes of chlorothalonil were reported as having been exported from the UK in 2023, to the EU and Tunisia.
The export of pesticides from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from GB must notify the importing country via the HSE. In addition, the explicit consent of the importing country is required before export of chorothalonil can take place. In this regard the UK goes beyond current international requirements.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) political and (b) security situation in Tunisia.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Tunisia share an ambition to build the bilateral relationship across trade, energy and security portfolios. The UK monitors the political and security situation in Tunisia closely. As noted by the UK's Human Rights Ambassador last October, the space for political participation in Tunisia has shrunk considerably. In both public and private, we encourage respect for civil, political, social and economic rights and the rule of law in Tunisia. During his visit to Tunisia in January, the Foreign Secretary noted the importance of political participation and human rights in discussions with the Tunisian Government. The UK continues to use a range of programmes and activities to encourage and support an open society, including the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) Programme that aims to directly tackle the drivers of instability.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop (1) cultural, and (2) trade, links with Tunisia.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK and Tunisia share ambitions to build the bilateral relationship across trade, culture and other areas. Bilateral trade is currently £753 million (Q4 2024) an increase of 8.7 per cent from Q4 2023. There are UK-Tunisia cooperation opportunities in sectors such as agri-food and technology, particularly fintech. The UK will welcome a Tunisian delegation and ten Tunisian tech startups to London Tech Week 2025, bringing together innovators and investors.
Through the British Council's work, the UK supports a growing number of Tunisian artists, arts organisations and civil service organisations to benefit from UK partnerships. Recent collaborations include festival partnerships, youth training and capacity building, and cultural heritage preservation.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Tunisia about the security situation in the southern Mediterranean littoral.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK and Tunisia enjoy a long, enduring and positive defence and security relationship. The UK continues to support the modernisation of the Tunisian military both bilaterally and multilaterally through the delivery of an ambitious NATO Defence Capacity Building package to Tunisia as a Mediterranean Dialogue country and key partner in NATO's southern neighbourhood. During the Defence Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa's (DSAME) visit to Tunisia, discussions were held around strengthening cooperation moving forwards and other areas of common interest.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what visits have been made by Royal Navy vessels (1) to ports in Tunisia, and (2) through Tunisian waters, since 2020.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Royal Navy surface vessels have visited Tunisian ports and waters on four occasions since 2020. The visits took place in September and October 2020, April 2021 and November 2022.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential for trade agreements with African countries, and which sectors they are prioritising for such agreements.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson
The UK has nine trade agreements with 18 countries across Africa, including three association agreements covering Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia in North Africa and six development-focussed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in sub-Saharan Africa. UK-African agreements focus on trade in goods. In addition, the UK has a unilateral trade preference scheme, called the Developing Country Trading Scheme, which offers 37 African countries generous preferential access to the UK market, with most countries eligible for tariff-free and duty-free access on all products, excluding arms and ammunition.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on the imprisonment of Said Ferjani.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK monitors the situation in Tunisia closely, including the recent sentence and ongoing case against Said Ferjani. During his visit to Tunisia in January, the Foreign Secretary noted the importance of political participation and human rights in discussions with the Tunisian Government. and on On 17 February, our the British Ambassador to Tunisia raised the case of Mr Ferjani with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials are observing ongoing trial proceedings against Mr. Ferjani to signal our support for the importance of a free and fair trial, and met members of his family on 27 February to discuss his case.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance funding has been spent on countering people smuggling in North Africa in each of the last five years.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The North Africa Cooperation on Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking (NACSAT) project provided £3.1 million for a UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) anti-people smuggling programme across Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Egypt in the three years up to November 2021. Across fiscal years 2022 to 2025, the UK has provided a further £490,000 to UNODC programmes training North Africa law enforcement and border officials to identify and respond to cases of suspected people smuggling. The Foreign Secretary is clear that migration, including the disruption of people smuggling and organised immigration crime, is a top Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office priority.