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  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received regarding the need for a vaccine for bovine TB; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    We have received representations on all aspects of tackling Bovine TB, including vaccination for cattle and badgers, from a very wide range of stakeholders. The role that cattle and badger vaccination can play in eradicating Bovine TB is outlined in our comprehensive Strategy for achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free status for England.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Government’s response to the Government’s Environmental Audit Committee’s Report HC 1195 published on 26 March 2014, what the forecasted costs and savings are under each cost heading for planning authorities of implementing the biodiversity offsetting proposals over a five year period.

    Dan Rogerson

    The consultation paper “Biodiversity Offsetting in England”, published on 5 September 2013, set out a number of options for taking forward offsetting in England. The accompanying Impact Assessment (Defra 1126) set out the available financial information. However, the costs and benefits to each sector would vary according to the system of offsetting which was adopted. In keeping with the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendations, the Government will not take any policy decisions on offsetting until the assessment of the six pilots is available.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times he has visited Gibraltar in an official capacity since taking up his present office.

    Mr William Hague

    I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Gibraltar since taking up office. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) visited in April 2011.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what occasions he has met the First Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, since Mr Picardo became First Minister.

    Mr William Hague

    I have met Mr Fabian Picardo three times since December 2011. I had discussions with him in the margins of the reception for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee on 5 June 2012 and during the Conservative Party Conference in October 2012. We also had a substantive meeting in London on 28 August 2013. In addition to those meetings, the Chief Minister and I have spoken on a number of occasions by telephone about various policy issues concerning Gibraltar.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the Minister for Europe has held with the European Commission to discuss incursions by Spanish government vessels into British-Gibraltar territorial waters in the last two years.

    Mr William Hague

    We are confident of UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) under international law, a matter over which the European Commission has no locus to intervene. As a result the the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), the Minister responsible for Europe, has not had any meetings with them in the last two years where the sole purpose was discussing Spanish incursions into BGTW.

    However, my right hon. Friend has raised on a number of occasions, at a senior level in the European Commission, the adoption by the European Commission of a proposal from the Spanish government to designate a site of community importance (SCI) under the EU habitats directive (92/43/EEC). The SCI in question overlaps virtually the whole BGTW area. Spain has used this fact to justify certain incursions on the grounds that they are enacting obligations in relation to EU environmental legislation.

    The British Government maintains that the purported site known as the Estrecho Oriental was unlawfully designated and, in any event, cannot have any legal effect in BGTW due to UK sovereignty over this territory. We have made our position on this clear to the European Commission and the Spanish government.

  • 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 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on (a) the trial in Bahrain of Mohammed Abdulla Al-Tajer and (b) his treatment in custody.

    Hugh Robertson

    We are aware of the case of Mohammad Al-Tajer. We understand he spent four months in detention in 2011 before his case was moved from the National State Safety Court to the civilian courts, as recommended by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, where he was sentenced to one month in prison. We understand that he appealed the verdict and was acquitted by the High Appeal Civilian court. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights obligations, and adhere to international standards.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will instruct UK diplomats resident in Japan to raise the human rights case of Mr Iwao Hakamda with the Japanese authorities.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    British Ministers have made clear to their Japanese counterparts on numerous occasions the UK’s hope that Japan will move to abolish the death penalty. This is in line with UK policy towards all countries which continue to use the death penalty. Most recently, on 12 December 2013, EU Ambassadors in Tokyo wrote a joint letter to the Japanese Foreign Minister on , expressing their concern at executions which took place the same day, and deploring the eight executions authorised by the Minister of Justice since the beginning of that year.

    The FCO part-funded a study by the NGO Death Penalty Project in 2013, the conclusions of which argue that aspects of Japan’s use of the death penalty – including the sentencing and detention of Mr Hakamada – amount to breaches of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The British Embassy in Tokyo has disseminated this report widely in Japan, including to all Members of the Diet, and we continue to raise the points in the report with the Japanese authorities. The British Embassy in Tokyo will continue to follow closely the case of Mr Hakamada, and will work with like-minded partners to raise its profile. The Embassy and the FCO put out messages on social media about the case on 28 March following his release for retrial.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the Minister of State for Europe has held with the European Commission with the sole purpose of discussing incursions by Spanish government vessels into British Gibraltar territorial waters.

    Mr William Hague

    We are confident of UK sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) under international law, a matter over which the European Commission has no locus to intervene. As a result the the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), the Minister responsible for Europe, has not had any meetings with the EC in the last two years where the sole purpose was discussing Spanish incursions into BGTW.

    However, my right hon. Friend has raised on a number of occasions, at a senior level in the European Commission, the adoption by the European Commission of a proposal from the Spanish government to designate a site of community importance (SCI) under the EU habitats directive (92/43/EEC). The SCI in question overlaps virtually the whole BGTW area. Spain has used this fact to justify certain incursions on the grounds that they are enacting obligations in relation to EU environmental legislation.

    The British Government maintains that the purported site known as the Estrecho Oriental was unlawfully designated and, in any event, cannot have any legal effect in BGTW due to UK sovereignty over this territory. We have made our position on this clear to the European Commission and the Spanish government.

  • 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 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will investigate reports that Osama Hussain Al-Najjar has been tortured while held in custody in the UAE.

    Hugh Robertson

    We are aware of these reports, and will continue to monitor reporting of Osama Hussain Al-Najjar’s case.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further steps his Department is taking to ensure that the international investigation into the human rights situation in Sri Lanka is carried out transparently, robustly and swiftly.

    Mr William Hague

    On 27 March, the UN Human Rights Council passed a renewed resolution on Sri Lanka which establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations of international law on both sides of Sri Lanka’s military conflict, and calls upon the Sri Lankan government to make progress on human rights and reconciliation.

    The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will now begin the process of establishing an investigation and assessing the evidence. It is expected that the investigation will draw on expertise from a range of fields and examine a broad range of information and evidence. The High Commissioner will provide an oral update to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this September, and will provide a comprehensive report to the UNHRC in March 2015.

    The British Government fully supports the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. We will continue to work with them and international partners, and continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to ensure proper implementation of the resolution.