Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of the Great Futures programme in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
GREAT FUTURES showcases how UK expertise can help Saudi Arabia deliver against Vision 2030, their ambitious strategy to drive economic and societal change across the country. Including trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural engagement, GREAT FUTURES is designed to create opportunities, connect with senior government and business decision-makers from Saudi Arabia’s ultra-ambitious giga-projects, and establish long-lasting relationships.
The requested information is not currently available as the final costs are still being reconciled.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Ministers attended the Great Futures conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 and 15 May 2024.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
5 UK Ministers attended the conference.
The GREAT FUTURES launch event in Riyadh on 14-15 May 2024 is the flagship moment that kickstarts a year-long programme bringing to life the sheer scale of opportunities for UK businesses in Saudi Arabia linked to Vision 2030. The purpose is to forge partnerships across a number of sectors by gathering together some of the UK's most creative and innovative companies with their Saudi counterparts.
The Deputy Prime Minister led a strong Ministerial delegation comprising Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade; Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary; Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment; Lord Markham, Minister of Health; and Sir Steve Smith the PM’s Special Representative for Higher Education. The delegation of more than 450 UK companies made this the largest trade delegation the UK has sent anywhere for a decade.
Some 50+ agreements and MOUs were signed during the two days. The Deputy Prime Minister and Saudi Minister of Commerce convened a Pillar 1 meeting of the UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership where they agreed the ambition of increasing bilateral trade from £17bn to £30 billion by 2030.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2024 to Question 7549 on Hamas: Audio Equipment, what steps his Department is taking to help support Israel to remove Hamas from power in the Gaza Strip.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is doing all it can to reach a long-term solution to this crisis by calling for the immediate release of all hostages, the removal of Hamas' capacity to launch attacks against Israel, Hamas no-longer being in charge of Gaza, the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza accompanied by an international support package, and a political horizon to a two-state solution.
The Prime Minister has spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu several times, most recently on 30 April. The Foreign Secretary spoke with Foreign Minister Katz on 13 May. He also visited Israel with German Foreign Minister Baerbock on 17 April, met G7 partners in Italy immediately afterwards, and has spoken with leaders and counterparts in the OPTs, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran in recent weeks.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, which human rights issues Ministers raised with their Saudi counterparts during the Great Futures conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 and 15 May 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK ministers regularly raise human rights concerns with the Saudi authorities where appropriate. We will continue to raise human rights with the Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels, including via Ministers and the British Embassy in Riyadh.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of modern-day slavery in (1) the United Arab Emirates, (2) Saudi Arabia, (3) Kuwait, (4) Oman, (5) Qatar, and (6) Jordan, particularly in relation to the kafala system.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The 'kafala' system (sponsorship) has been the source of many allegations of human rights abuses in the Gulf states and Middle East. We have seen some progress in recent years to address these issues. Qatar introduced legislation protecting labour rights particularly for migrant workers in 2020. Saudi Arabia introduced a Domestic Workers Regulation that will be enacted from September 2024. Jordan and Kuwait signed the 'Prime Ministers Call for Action to end forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking in 2017', whilst Oman joined the Arab Charter on Human Rights in 2022. We remain committed to supporting efforts to implement these changes and improve labour rights in the Gulf States and Middle East.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made on modern slavery to the governments of (1) the United Arab Emirates, (2) Saudi Arabia, (3) Kuwait, (4) Oman, (5) Qatar, and (6) Jordan; and what response they received from each.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking and continues to engage with governments around the world, including in the Gulf States and Middle East. For example, the UK Modern Slavery Envoy visited Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup to encourage further collaboration on combatting human trafficking, and participated in the 4th Regional Forum on Combating Human Trafficking in the Middle East hosted by Qatar in 2023. He also met the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission to discuss the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2023.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of the sentences for social media activity imposed on (a) Salma al-Shehab, (b) Fatima al-Shawarbi, (c) Nourah al-Qahtani and (d) Manahel al-Otaibi in Saudi Arabia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi authorities. The British Embassy in Riyadh continues to monitor a number of cases and will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. FCDO regularly raises freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, including as recently as 31 January by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the death sentences of Yousif Al-Manasif and Ali Al-Mubaiouq for crimes they allegedly committed as minors; and what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on those death sentences.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. 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. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has also raised recent cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority, including in January with the President of the Human Rights Commission.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the death sentences of Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal Labbad for crimes they allegedly committed when minors.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. 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. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has also raised recent cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority, including in January with the President of the Human Rights Commission.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what (a) assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of and (b) representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the case of Manahel al-Otaibi.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is closely monitoring the case of Manahel al-Otaibi and the British Embassy in Riyadh will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon regularly raises individual freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, alongside other human rights concerns, including in January with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.