Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to his Department’s declaration of ministerial travel published on 29 September 2022, whether the total cost to the public purse of his predecessor’s accommodation, meals and other expenses excluding air travel when visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czechia from 25-27 May 2022 was £128.95; and who paid for any costs incurred above that amount.
Answered by Jesse Norman
All FCDO transparency and freedom of information releases are published on gov.uk. Transparency data has been published in this way since 2009/2010. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-the-prime-minister-on-government-transparency-and-open-data.
It is standard practice across government to publish total overseas travel cost figures for Ministers. These can be found in our published Quarterly Transparency Returns.
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, what steps his Department is taking to help support peace, stability and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK fully supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) sovereignty and territorial integrity. The European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) remains vital. We are working hard to secure its mandate in the UN Security Council and prevent a security vacuum. We have led efforts at NATO to develop a new package of measures to support BiH, including support to the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo to counter disinformation, and are delivering training and capacity building to the BiH Armed Forces. In April, we imposed UK sanctions on Member of the Presidency, Milorad Dodik, and Republika Srpska President, Zeljka Cvijanovic, for their attempts to undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina's integrity, legitimacy and functionality.
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, what discussions he has had with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina following the elections held on 2 October 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK supports the role played by the High Representative and his Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We are in regular contact with him, including through the Steering Board of Ambassadors. In the absence of domestic political will, he has an important part to play in implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement and supporting the framework for a prosperous future. Following his imposition of a package of measures to improve the functionality of the Federation of BiH, domestic political actors must work together to implement the election results in a timely fashion and support the reforms needed for progress on BiH's Euro-Atlantic path.
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, what discussions he has with the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the stability of the Western Balkans.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK supports the role played by the High Representative and his Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We are in regular contact with him, including through the Steering Board of Ambassadors. In the absence of domestic political will, he has an important part to play in implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement and supporting the framework for a prosperous future. Following his imposition of a package of measures to improve the functionality of the Federation of BiH, domestic political actors must work together to implement the election results in a timely fashion and support the reforms needed for progress on BiH's Euro-Atlantic path.
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, what diplomatic steps he is taking to counter Russian disinformation in the Western Balkans.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to counter Russian influence in the Western Balkans. Through our programme funds, we are helping to strengthen the resilience of the region across areas such as cyber security, defence capacity building and countering disinformation. We have also supported the recent deployment of a military counter-disinformation expert to support NATO HQ Sarajevo in countering false Russian narratives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the use of Bonn Powers by the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to (1) election law, and (2) the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and in any such plans, what consideration they are giving to the risk of denial of rights of representation in the House of Peoples for ethnic minorities in the cantons in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The delicate balance of power sharing in Bosnia and Herzegovina is set out in the Dayton Peace Agreement and other documents. These afford certain protections to the three Constituent Peoples and 'Others'. However, misuse of these mechanisms is preventing functional government and blocking progress. There has been no domestic agreement on electoral and constitutional reform despite US and EU facilitated talks. With this in mind and aware of the need for a functional Federation, the UK strongly supports the High Representative and the use of his executive powers should the situation require it.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had within the Peace Implementation Council of the Dayton Peace Agreement regarding (1) election law reform, and (2) forthcoming elections, in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and to what extent any such discussions have noted the importance of maintaining the ability for full electoral participation by ethnic minorities within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly supports the High Representative and the use of his executive powers should the situation require it. Officials have made this clear in meetings of the Steering Board of Ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council. The measures he imposed on 27 July are a valuable step towards increasing the integrity and transparency of the 2 October elections. He has also called on Bosnia and Herzegovina's political party leaders to develop domestic solutions to the significant functionality problems. We encourage leaders to engage constructively to find solutions.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40929 on Dogs: Imports, if he will publish a breakdown of the countries of origin of the dogs commercially imported into the UK from abroad in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Below are tables to show the countries of origin of commercial dog imports. The data for 2020 is for the UK, while the data for 2021 and 2022 (up to 31 August 2022) is for Great Britain only. We do not hold data for Northern Ireland for 2021 and 2022.
This information is drawn from external TRACES and IPAFF systems not directly controlled by the department.
Country Of Origin from EU 2020 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2020 |
Austria | Antigua and Barbuda |
Belgium | Argentina |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Finland | Brazil |
France | Canada |
Germany | Cayman Islands |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Egypt |
Italy | Ethiopia |
Latvia | French Polynesia |
Lithuania | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Poland | Israel |
Portugal | Japan |
Romania | Jordan |
Slovakia | Kenya |
Slovenia | Korea (South) |
Spain | Kuwait |
Sweden | Lebanon |
Switzerland | Macao |
| |
| Malawi |
| Malaysia |
| Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| North Macedonia |
| Oman |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Tajikistan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Turks and Caicos |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| Uruguay |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2021 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2021 |
Austria | Argentina |
Belgium | Australia |
Bulgaria | Bahamas |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czechia | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Brazil |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | China |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Iceland | Ecuador |
Italy | Egypt |
Latvia | Ethiopia |
Lithuania | Guam |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Northern Ireland | Israel |
Norway | Jamaica |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Republic of Ireland | Kenya |
Romania | Kuwait |
Slovakia | Lebanon |
Slovenia | Macao |
Spain | Malawi |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Mozambique |
| Namibia |
| Nepal |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russian Federation |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| South Korea |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Ukraine |
| United Arab Emirates |
| United States of America |
| Viet Nam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2022 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2022 |
Austria | Albania |
Belgium | Algeria |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Bermuda |
Denmark | Brazil |
Estonia | Brunei |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | Chile |
Greece | China |
Hungary | Colombia |
Isle of Man | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Dominican Republic |
Italy | Ecuador |
Latvia | Egypt |
Lithuania | Fiji |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Netherlands | India |
Northern Ireland | Indonesia |
Norway | Israel |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Romania | Kenya |
Slovakia | Korea (South) |
Slovenia | Kuwait |
Spain | Lebanon |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saint Lucia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
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, what steps the Government is taking to help mitigate Russian influence in the western Balkans.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to counter Russian influence in the Western Balkans. Through our programme funds we are helping strengthen the resilience of the region across areas such as cyber security, defence capacity building and countering disinformation, including through the recent deployment of a military counter-disinformation expert to support NATO HQ Sarajevo in countering false Russian narratives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for (1) all visa applications, and (2) visa applications from (a) Albania, (b) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (c) Kosovo, (d) Montenegro, (e) North Macedonia, and (f) Serbia.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Average waiting times are not published for a) Albania, (b) Bosnia and Herzegovina, (c) Kosovo, (d) Montenegro, (e) North Macedonia, and (f) Serbia. To capture the requested data would incur a disproportionate cost.
The processing times for visas can be found on the GOV.uk webpage:
The Home Office’s performance against its service standard by nationality can be found in our transparency data, which is attached and at the following link: Visas and Citizenship data: Q1 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)