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  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the government of Burma reported threats that ethnic Rohingya identifying themselves as such in the census could face arrest.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We have not received reports of anyone facing arrest for identifying themselves as Rohingya in Burma’s census; the enumeration period is now over. However, we were deeply disappointed that during the census the Burmese government went against its long-standing assurance that all individuals would have the right to self-identify their ethnic origin. We have been clear that this decision is in contravention of international norms and standards on census conduct. I discussed our concerns on the census with the senior Burmese minister responsible, Immigration Minister U Khin Yi, in March, and summoned the Burmese Ambassador in April.

    The UK, UN and other donors have been in dialogue with the Burmese government and community groups throughout the preparation, enumeration and now the data analysis and dissemination stages of the census. We have been absolutely clear that we want to see as peaceful, credible and complete a process as possible, with the anticipated risks carefully managed.

  • Khalid Mahmood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Khalid Mahmood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement of 10 July 2014 by the Secretary General of the UN on the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We support the statement of 10 July 2014 from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. There has now been further escalation with Israel’s ground operation started on 17 July. The UK will continue working towards our three policy objectives for the Gaza crisis – to secure a ceasefire, to alleviate humanitarian suffering, and to keep alive the prospects for peace negotiations, which are the only hope of breaking this cycle of violence and devastation once and for all.

  • David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2014, Official Report, column 643W, on Diego Garcia, if he will immediately publish the contents of all the records referred to in the Answer.

    Mark Simmonds

    I have asked officials to review the contents of the material, with a view to assessing their suitability for publication, in accordance with our regular procedures.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Israeli military action during Operation Protective Edge has complied with its international legal obligations.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have not yet made a full assessment. We continue to monitor events in Gaza and Israel carefully and call on all sides to ensure that their actions are in line with International Humanitarian Law. International Humanitarian Law requires all sides to distinguish between military and civilian targets and enable unhindered humanitarian access. It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law and are calibrated to avoid any further civilian casualties.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will investigate whether any UK manufactured weapons or components have been used by Israeli military forces during Operation Protective Edge.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We continue to monitor the situation in Gaza and Israel carefully to ensure that all our licensing decisions on weapons and components to Israel remain consistent with our human rights commitments and all applicable criteria. We currently have no plans to undertake a more comprehensive investigation into whether any UK manufactured weapons or components have been used by Israeli military forces during Operation Protective Edge.

  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the degree to which the Cayman Turtle Farm is a humane captive breeding facility.

    Mark Simmonds

    The elected government of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, has devolved constitutional responsibility for animal welfare and conservation including for legislation and policies governing the Cayman Turtle Farm. The UK is responsible for the international relations of the Cayman Islands and for their compliance with obligations arising under international law. The UK has extended the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to the Cayman Islands. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is providing technical support and advice to support the Cayman Islands in fully meeting its international environmental and conservation obligations. The UK CITES Management Authority has not made a recent assessment of whether the Cayman Turtle Farm is a humane facility, but did commission an independent investigation in 2002 in support of an application for registration as a captive-breeding operation under CITES, which found it was a humane facility.

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many emergency travel documents were issued in (a) June 2013 and (b) June 2014.

    Mark Simmonds

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued 2895 emergency travel documents in June 2013 and 5235 in June 2014 (as at 16 July).

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Sri Lankan counterpart (a) on that country’s duties to uphold human rights and (b) in response to recent attacks on Muslims in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Sri Lankan government and urge them to make progress on reconciliation and accountability. The UK was a main co-sponsor of the UN Human Rights Council resolution passed in March, which establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of international law on both sides of Sri Lanka’s military conflict. The resolution also calls upon the Sri Lankan government to end continuing incidents of human rights violations and abuses in Sri Lanka.

    We also continue to raise our concerns about attacks against religious minorities in Sri Lanka with the Sri Lankan government, including the most recent violence in Aluthgama and Beruwala. Through our High Commissioner in Colombo, we have urged the Sri Lankan authorities to take early action to promote peaceful co-existence between all communities, noting the importance of ensuring any acts of violence, intimidation or threats are thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which senior medical and administrative staff responsible for the operation of the Gamma Knife Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Trust are employees of (a) the Trust and (b) the Hospital Corporation of America.

    Jane Ellison

    We are advised that three senior neurosurgery consultants are responsible for the Gamma Knife operation at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, along with one neuro interventional radiologist and two clinical oncologists. All are employed by Barts Health NHS Trust, and are overseen by the Clinical Director for Neurosciences and the Group Director for Emergency Care and Acute Medicine, both of whom are clinicians.

    HCA employs one senior administrator, the Acting Chief Operating Officer for the Harley Street Clinic, along with the physicist and nursing staff and an administration co-ordinator who work in the Gamma Knife centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

    We are advised that HCA owns the Gamma Knife based at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and that HCA pays a rental fee to Barts Health NHS Trust.

    We understand that, as the Gamma Knife was purchased by HCA, St Bartholomew’s Hospital (then part of Barts and The London NHS Trust) incurred minimal set up costs for the establishment of the service in 2009. This included costs for associated building work to accommodate the facility.

    Gamma Knife surgery is funded by NHS England as the commissioner for all specialist services. We are advised that Barts Health NHS Trust receives approximately £9,200 per patient from NHS England and that HCA charges Barts Health £7,310 per patient treated by the Gamma Knife facility at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

    If the hon. Member wishes to obtain further information about the Gamma Knife facility at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, he may wish to contact Barts Health NHS Trust directly.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the annual cost to his Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department estimates that in 2013 it spent approximately £3,900 on stationery for ministerial replies to hon. Member correspondence.

    All parliamentary post is delivered by a Departmental messenger, whose duties include, but are not limited to, delivering hon. Member correspondence. Any correspondence for constituency offices would be sent by post, when requested, but the Department does not record how many replies to hon. Members were sent to constituency offices.