Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (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 Saudi Arabia regarding the recent executions in 2022 and 2023 in that country which were allegedly based on political background or affiliation to the Shia sect.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Saudi Arabia is well aware of the UK's opposition to the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We regularly raise concerns about its use and Saudi Arabia is a FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon regularly discusses a wide range of human rights issues with the Saudi authorities, including on interfaith and the death penalty.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government which military assets, such as airports, the government of Saudi Arabia has made available to other members of the NATO Alliance currently mounting operations against the Houthi.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
His Majesty's Government can confirm that Saudi Arabia have not made any military assets available to any NATO members in any operations against the Houthis.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) UK's arms exports licensing process and (b) role of the export control joint unit in the context of arms sent to (i) Israel, (ii) Saudi Arabia and (iii) nations alleged to have breached international humanitarian law.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government takes its strategic export control responsibilities very seriously. Export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria - a regime that is among the most rigorous and transparent in the world and which provides a thorough risk assessment framework, including in respect of International Humanitarian Law. The Export Control Joint Unit administers our system of export controls and brings together policy and operational expertise from the Department for Business and Trade, FCDO and the Ministry of Defence. All export licences are kept under careful, continuous review and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, where they are inconsistent with the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the (a) adequacy of the trial and (b) use of the death penalty in the case of (i) Abdullah al-Derazi and (ii) Jalal Labbad in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor the cases of the young men, including Abdullah al-Derazi and Jala Labbad, who allegedly committed their crimes as minors and are at risk of execution. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has raised these cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority. During Saudi Arabia's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 22 January, the UK Government recommended that Saudi Arabia abolish the juvenile death penalty and conduct thorough investigations into individuals who may have been minors at the time of their alleged crimes.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the impact of Saudi Arabia's omission from Operation Prosperity Guardian on the UK's relation with that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Maritime security features in our discussions with all of our Gulf partners, including Saudi Arabia, which plays a central role in the region, and with which the UK has a strategic relationship. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have been in regular contact with their Saudi counterparts in recent weeks, and explained why the UK joined with other allies in Operation Prosperity Guardian, in response to sustained Houthi attacks on international shipping. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia both have a shared interest in supporting the UN-led peace process in Yemen and working towards a sustainable long term political settlement in Yemen.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent regional conflict following strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with our allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigation rights and freedoms in the Red Sea.
The Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in the Red Sea with key interlocutors from Saudi Arabia (14 December), United Arab Emirates (16 December & 12 January), Egypt (20 December), Iran (31 December and 17 January), Oman (31 December and 14 January), United States (2 January), the Palestinian Authority (5 January), Italy (8 January), Cyprus (12 and 24 January), Turkey (12 January), Saudi Arabia ( 17 January), Government of Yemen (17 January), United States (17 January), UN Secretary General (17 January), Poland (17 January), Sweden (21 January) and Greece (21 January). He also sent messages to United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on 23 January providing an update on the 22 January strikes.
The UK, alongside international partners, condemned the Houthi attacks through a series of ministerial statements. This included a 1 December United Nations Security Council statement, a 19 December US led statement with 43 signatories, a 3 January statement clearly stating that continued attacks would have consequences, a 12 January statement after the first strikes signed by 10 countries and a 23 January statement after the second strikes signed by 24 countries. On 10 January the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2722 affirming freedom of navigation and noting members states' right to defend their vessels.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to increase trade with Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is currently negotiating an ambitious UK-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to boost trade with the region by cutting tariffs and removing red tape. The ongoing FTA negotiations with the GCC show our commitment to move towards a strengthened and more formalised trade relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Bilaterally, the UK and Saudi Arabia engage together as part of the Strategic Partnership Council to underpin bilateral relations, bolster mutually beneficial trade and investment, and develop partnerships between UK and Saudi giga-projects. I also recently travelled to Saudi Arabia to represent the UK at the Future Minerals Forum, one of the world’s largest critical mineral events.
The Government is also supporting British businesses operating in Saudi Arabia through our extensive market access work, which aims to reduce or remove regulatory or administrative restrictions that can impede a business exporting or investing overseas.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on how many occasions (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) the United Arab Emirates, (c) Qatar, (d) Bahrain, (e) Kuwait and (f) Oman gave awards to members of the Government (i) without seeking permission from the Government and (ii) regardless of permission being denied between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honours Secretariat has a record of one request to confer an award on a member of Her Majesty's Government from these six countries. In 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advised that they wished to confer an award on a member of the Government. Due diligence was carried out before the award was accepted. There are no records of any awards conferred without permission.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Accepting foreign awards: UK rules, last updated on 24 November 2021, on how many occasions permission was (a) sought, (b) granted and (c) denied in respect of foreign awards being conferred to members of the Government by (i) Saudi Arabia, (ii) the United Arab Emirates, (iii) Qatar, (iv) Bahrain, (v) Kuwait and (vi) Oman between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honours Secretariat has a record of one request to confer an award on a member of Her Majesty's Government from these six countries. In 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advised that they wished to confer an award on a member of the Government. Due diligence was carried out before the award was accepted. There are no records of any awards conferred without permission.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help (a) reduce violence and (b) de-escalate the situation in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working with a range of partners, including from Quad (Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), US, UK), African and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN, to advocate for ceasefire, to commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process and to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian access. Most recently, the UK played a leading role in gaining consensus for a UN Security Council press statement published on 22 December, calling on both warring parties to cease hostilities immediately and condemning ongoing attacks against civilians in Wad Medani. On 30 November, I published a Written Ministerial Statement, highlighting the UK's overall efforts to bring peace to Sudan.