Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many diplomatic posts his Department has (a) opened and (b) closed in the last five years; and whether he plans to open any new diplomatic posts in 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes information about the UK's diplomatic representation overseas on GOV.UK. (www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-foreign-office-posts). Published lists date back to October 2014 and are regularly updated, including changes made during the period of enquiry. The lists include all British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates at the time of publication. Countries not included in a list did not have a permanent UK diplomatic presence at the time of publication.
The locations of HMG diplomatic presence are routinely scrutinised to ensure that the right people are in the right places to deliver UK priorities. HMG redeploy people and resources around the network as needed. A new British Trade Office will open in Almaty, Kazakhstan this year, reflecting a move towards greater engagement with clean energy and digital technology sectors. It replaces our Trade Office in Atyrau, which closed last year. A new office is planned to open in Dodoma to reflect the relocation of the Government of Tanzania from Dar Es Salaam to the capital.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, in which countries does her Department employ staff based in UK (a) embassies (b) consulates.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As of 31 January 2023, this department employed UK-based staff in UK embassies in the following countries:
Algeria, Azerbaijan, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Myanmar.
UK-based staff in UK consulates in the following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United States, Vietnam.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries the UK has visa free travel arrangements with for British citizens.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
FCDO, who have responsibility for this information, have said that the information this question is requesting can be found in public domain https://visaguide.world/visa-free-countries/uk-passport/
We have included the list for ease:
Albania
American Samoa
Andorra
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bolivia
Caribbean Netherlands
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Canada
Cabo Verde
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French West Indies
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guam
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Malaysia
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Namibia
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niue
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Réunion
Romania
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Gambia
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turks and Caicos Islands
Türkiye
United States Virgin Islands
Ukraine
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Zambia
Eswatin
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the President of Kazakhstan on helping to ensure that Kazakhstan is not used to evade Russian sanctions.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Foreign Secretary has not spoken to the President of Kazakhstan. However, on 20 December we will host a Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister Tileuberdi, where we will discuss all aspects of UK-Kazakhstan cooperation, including the response to Russia's war in Ukraine, and sanctions against Russia. The UK is committed to ensuring that third countries are not used by Russia to evade sanctions. We regularly underline our support for Kazakhstan's compliance with international sanctions, and welcome remarks made by Kazakh Government officials regarding their stance against circumvention.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on UK media freedom policy of the use by Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan of libel actions against UK journalists in English courts.
Answered by Gareth Johnson
The government is committed to a free and independent media. The Ministry of Justice is currently developing reforms regarding the challenges which Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) present to journalists and others involved in freedom of expression relating to the public interest. Our recent Call for Evidence response, published on 20 July, sets out the Government’s intention to tackle SLAPPs.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with counterparts in Central Asia since 1 January 2022 on the security implications of the fall of the Afghan government last summer.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State has not discussed the security implications of the fall of the Afghan government with counterparts in Central Asia. I have visited Qatar, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan and have raised the matter with my counterparts. The UK continues to coordinate our response with partners in the region.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 4 April (HL7258), how many of OneWeb’s satellites have been abandoned in Kazakhstan following the decision to suspend use of Russian Soyuz launch vehicles; what is their combined value; and what plans they have to seek their return.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This information is commercially confidential and is a matter for the company.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to increase trade with central Asian countries.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Fast growing economies such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan provide an abundance of opportunities for British business across a wide range of sectors.
My Department is supporting British business to grab these opportunities through trade dialogues and regular business to business exchanges, including the annual United Kingdom-Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission that I co-chaired late last year in Astana.
We are working hard to remove trade barriers with Uzbekistan too.For example, an update to their Intellectual Property regime, removing barriers for British businesses could be worth over £11million per year.
Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 25 January (HL5301), whether OneWeb is still using Russian facilities for its launches after Russia's invasion of Ukraine; and how much is paid (1) directly, or (2) indirectly, to Russian organisations in respect of each launch.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Board of OneWeb voted on 3 March to suspend all launches from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. OneWeb’s launch service provider, Arianespace, announced on 4 March it was suspending the use of Russian Soyuz launch vehicles.
Details of OneWeb’s launch agreements with Arianespace are commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, given the reported violations of human rights in Kazakhstan and the treatment of former Prime Minister Karim Massimov, what assessment they have made of (1) the threat to the UK’s long-term relations with Kazakhstan, and (2) the UK's wider security interests in the region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is following events in Kazakhstan closely. We greatly regret the loss of life and injuries sustained as a result of unrest in January and condemned the violence and destruction of property that occurred. We await a full account of what led to these unprecedented events.
In my recent meetings with Kazakh counterparts, including Deputy Foreign Minister Vassilenko on 2 March, I [Lord Ahmad] asked for an update on the commission set up by President Tokayev to investigate the causes of the violence. We have stressed that this process should be conducted urgently, transparently and effectively, and have sought reassurance that Kazakhstan's international human rights obligations, including commitments to due process and freedom of speech and expression, will be respected.
Kazakhstan is an important partner for the UK. We have built a productive dialogue and wide-ranging ties over the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, sharing experience and jointly tackling global challenges including on security issues. We are committed to furthering that cooperation and will seek opportunities, with international partners, to encourage the economic and social reform priorities set out by President Tokayev.