Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
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 support the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK fully supports the High Representative. In a statement on 8 September the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, the Lord Peach, made clear that attacks by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik against the High Representative were illegal and anti-constitutional. We welcome the decision by the state prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take legal action against Dodik for his failure to implement the decisions of the High Representative.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 23 May 2023, Official Report, vol 733, column 292, what the evidential basis is for his statement that it is a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office during (a) a parliamentary inquiries and (b) privileges committee inquiries of Parliament.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.”
The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown.
This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what ethical advice his Department sought on provision of legal support to the Rt Hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in relation to the Privileges Committee inquiry into that Member's conduct.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award followed the proper procurement process and received full scrutiny from all relevant officials.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the value for money of funding the legal fees for the Rt hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip for his involvement in the inquiry by the Privileges Committee into his conduct.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper processes present under successive administrations.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department's Accounting Officer was consulted on the decision to award legal services contract reference C2298 to Peters & Peters.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for taxpayer funded legal costs for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in relation to his investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee to be set against any claims he should make from the Public Duty Costs Allowance.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
There are no such plans. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister. The Public Duty Cost Allowance exists for a different purpose.
I refer the Noble Lord to the transcript of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, where Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, provided oral evidence on this matter: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12604/pdf/ (Q299-315).
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department recognises Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela as of 10 January 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 30 December 2022 the 2015 National Assembly of Venezuela democratically voted to disband the interim Government and the position of constitutional interim President held by Juan Guaidó, with effect from 5 January 2023. On 12 January, I [Minister Rutley] published a Written Ministerial Statement, noting that the United Kingdom respects the result of this vote. We commend former interim President Guaidó for his service to the Venezuelan people. We continue to consider the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the last democratically elected National Assembly in Venezuela. We continue not to accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolas Maduro since 2019. We do not comment on when legal advice has been received.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department received legal advice on its recognition of Juan Guiaido as interim President of Venezuela.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 30 December 2022 the 2015 National Assembly of Venezuela democratically voted to disband the interim Government and the position of constitutional interim President held by Juan Guaidó, with effect from 5 January 2023. On 12 January, I [Minister Rutley] published a Written Ministerial Statement, noting that the United Kingdom respects the result of this vote. We commend former interim President Guaidó for his service to the Venezuelan people. We continue to consider the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the last democratically elected National Assembly in Venezuela. We continue not to accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolas Maduro since 2019. We do not comment on when legal advice has been received.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact on UK and Jamaica relations of Jamaica's intention to become a Republic.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The decision on whether to become a Republic is one for Jamaica and its people. It is for all Realms to decide their own constitutional arrangements. We have a close relationship with Jamaica, with strong historical connections, friendly people-to-people links, a shared language and legal system. A large share of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) current £400 million multi-country Caribbean programme is invested in Jamaica. We cherish our modern partnership based on common values, shared prosperity, the rules-based international system and close collaboration on climate change deepened through our mutual participation as members of the Commonwealth and look forward to it going from strength to strength.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to raise the case of Kakwenza Rukirabashaija with the Government of Uganda.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are concerned that the Ugandan novelist, Kakwenza Rukirabashija, following a series of tweets, was detained at his home on 28 December 2021 and then held without charge for 14 days at an unknown facility. Using legislation, such as the Computer Misuse Act, to stifle freedom of expression is very worrying. We welcome the decisions of the Chief Magistrate's Court and the High Court in relation to Rukirabashija's release and habeas corpus. We note, however, that Rukirabashija was subsequently charged and placed on remand.
We urge the Government of Uganda to ensure that the rule of law is upheld as a vital component of democracy. Rukirabashija must be afforded all of his rights under the Constitution of Uganda, including access to legal representation. I (Minister for Africa) expressed the importance of upholding human rights with the President of Uganda during my visit to Uganda on 19 January 2022. Our High Commission in Kampala issued a tweet on 7 January publicly stating our concern over Rukirabashija's continued detention. The High Commission has also set out our concerns over his detention with the Government of Uganda, Uganda's human rights institutions and the security services. We have urged all to ensure that Uganda honours its constitutional commitments and international human rights law.