Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps in response to the Islamic Centre of England's holding of a vigil in memory of General Qassem Soleimani in June 2020 contravening regulatory advice and guidance set out by the Charity Commission.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Any evidence that a registered charity is engaged in misconduct or mismanagement should be referred to the Charity Commission, as the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales.
In June 2020, the Charity Commission exercised its power under section 75A of the Charities Act 2011 to issue an Official Warning to the Islamic Centre of England as it found the trustees had failed to discharge their legal duties towards the charity, which resulted in misconduct and/or mismanagement. The Charity Commission has an open and ongoing regulatory case into the charity to follow up on compliance with the requirements of the Official Warning.
Asked by: Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UN Human Rights Council Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, published on 29 June, which found that the killing of Iranian General Soleimani by a US drone strike violated international law, what representations they have made to the government of the United States.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are aware of the report presented by the UN Special Rapporteur, Agnes Callamard. Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. The strike against Soleimani was not a UK operation. The United States set out the basis for its action in a letter to the UN Security Council of 8 January.
Asked by: Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 January (HL142), when they were first notified that the government of the United States had made a decision to use lethal force against General Soleimani.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 21 January 2019, PQ HL142:
We became aware of the operation as it happened. We do not comment on our allies' operational decisions.
Asked by: Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (HL Deb, col 258) and the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 January (HL523), whether the military operation on 3 January which killed General Soleimani met the test of imminence for the purposes of self-defence in international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. The strike against Soleimani was not a UK operation. It is for the United States to say how the criteria for self-defence are met, and you will be aware that the United States set out the basis for its action in a letter to the UN Security Council dated 8 January 2020.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether RAF Menwith Hill had a role in the drone programme that assassinated Qasem Soleimani.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In accordance with long standing policy we do not comment on the details of the operations carried out at RAF Menwith Hill in providing intelligence support.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani on 3 January and the President of the United States' subsequent statement on Twitter on 13 January that it "doesn’t really matter...because of his horrible past" whether an imminent attack was planned by General Soleimani, what assessment they have made of the case for a review of the international legal framework in relation to (1) the conduct of targeted assassinations, and (2) strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. Any use of force must be in accordance with the requirements of applicable international law.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the government of the United States of America first informed them of their military operation on 3 January which killed General Qasem Soleimani.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We became aware of the operation as it happened. We do not comment on our allies' operational decisions.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with his US counterpart on Iran prior to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani; and whether the Government was given prior notice of the US intention to strike.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We became aware of the operation as it happened. We do not comment on our allies' operational decisions.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the late General Qasem Soleimani's involvement in Lebanon.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As the Prime Minister has said, Qasem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the US killing of Qassem Soleimani on the security and stability of the middle eastern region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani. Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests.