Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on Iranian influence on the actions of the Houthi community against the Baha'i community in Sana'a, Yemen; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are aware of reports from the Baha'i community about Iranian influence on Houthi actions in Yemen. We call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion.
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 and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of people of the Baha’i faith currently being detained by the Yemeni Government; and what information his Department holds on the charges under which members of the Baha’i community are being detained.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are concerned about the treatment of the Baha'i community in Yemen, however, due to the volatile and fluid situation in Yemen the UK does not have access to sufficient information to allow us to make accurate assessments of the number of Baha'is detained by either the Government of Yemen or the de facto Houthi authorities, nor the charges under which they are detained.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Yemen on the treatment of the Baha'i community in that country.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have raised our concerns over the treatment of Baha'is with the Government of Yemen and sought to highlight their plight through public diplomacy. We continue to follow the treatment of the Baha'is in Yemen closely, including through meeting their representatives in the UK and lobbying the relevant authorities; and continue to call on the parties to the conflict for the human rights of all Yemenis to be respected.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support freedom of religion for the Baha'i community in Yemen.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are concerned that the Baha'is are being persecuted for their religious beliefs in Yemen, particularly in areas controlled by the Houthis and forces aligned to former President Saleh. We strongly condemn this mistreatment and continue to work closely with our partners including the EU to raise the issue directly with the de facto authorities. The immediate release of all Baha'is in Yemen imprisoned for their religious beliefs was a key demand in the September UN Human Rights Council Resolution, which we supported. We will work closely with all partners to ensure its implementation.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the (a) UK Baha'i community and (b) Baha'i international community about the human rights situation of people of the Baha'i faith in (i) Iran, (ii) Egypt and (iii) other countries.
Answered by Alistair Burt
I met representatives of the Baha'i community on 13 July during which I discussed the human rights situation of followers of the Baha'i faith in Iran and Yemen.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received of mass arrests of Baha'is in Sana'a, Yemen during April 2017; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I am deeply concerned by recent developments relating to the Baha’i community in Yemen. The Houthis and all parties in Yemen must respect freedom of religion and the rights of all Yemenis.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many postgraduates enrolled at UK universities and colleges are specialising in soil science.
Answered by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Information on enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions are collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The latest data for the 2014/15 academic year suggests there were about 40 full-person equivalent postgraduate students enrolled in soil science across three UK universities and colleges; these are the University of Aberdeen, University of Nottingham and the University of Reading. Of these, about 15 full-person equivalents were masters students studying at the University of Aberdeen.
Soil science has a Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) code of F770. This is a detailed level code and some universities may occasionally allocate students to more general codes.