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  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the continued detention and wellbeing of Hasan Mushaima.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of the case of Hasan Mushaima and have raised it with the Government of Bahrain. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    (a) None. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have any staff in Stoke-on-Trent, and has not abolished or relocated any jobs from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010.

    (b) None. The FCO’s non-departmental public departments and executive agencies do not have any staff in Stoke-on-Trent, and have not abolished or relocated any jobs from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the international legal implications of reports of Saudi Arabia bombing the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    We are currently looking into unverified Iranian reports that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a. The Saudi government has denied that any such attack took place. The priority right now is for all parties to show restraint and responsibility in order to prevent the igniting of further hostilities. The British Government is urging all parties to show calm at this time and to work towards a de-escalation of growing tensions.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, when he last discussed alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Arabian Government the need to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, when he last reviewed alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UK keeps adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) under constant review. The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Government the need to comply with IHL in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. It is important that open and transparent investigations are conducted into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. We welcome the public announcement by Saudi Arabia to establish a fact finding committee into the alleged airstrike on MSF mobile clinic in Taiz on 2 December.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the US (a) government and (b) Congress on comments made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on banning Muslims from entering the US.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We have not made any formal representations to the US Government or Congress. However, the Prime Minister, my right hon Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made clear that he completely disagrees with Mr Trump’s comments, which the Prime Minister described as “divisive, unhelpful and wrong”.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to support initiative to the create an independent regional centre for security dialogue in the Middle East.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    A stable and secure Middle East is a key UK priority. We are working with the international community to support those tackling short term conflict and promoting longer-term reform in the region. We believe that regional security initiatives can have an important role to play too.

    We are not aware of any specific, new initiatives to create an independent regional centre for security dialogue in the Middle East, at the current time.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on Continuity of Education Allowance in independent schools in financial year (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; how many children were in receipt of that allowance in each of those years; and which five schools had the highest spend on that allowance in each of those years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    It is a condition of their employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. Most parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, but in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. It is longstanding practice that the FCO helps staff meet their potentially conflicting obligations by providing financial support for their children’s education in the UK where staff choose this, or are obliged to do so given local conditions in the country to which they are posted.

    Continuity of education is also an important factor, particularly at secondary level.

    The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, staff meet the difference in cost. The maximum amount the FCO will pay is determined by an independent survey conducted by ECA International, which is used by public and private sector employers whose staff work across the world. Various factors, including availability of places (sometimes at short notice) and proximity of other family members, influence which schools staff choose for their children.

    FY UK School costs (CEA) Number of Children
    2012/13 £14,926,061 700
    2013/14 £13,704,118 (£13,162,823)*625 (604)*
    2014/15 £12,943,134 (£12,391,079)*593 (570)*
    *Cost to the FCO after reclaiming costs from other Government departments for their staff deployed overseas

    We are unable to provide the 5 schools that had the highest spend in each of those years as to do so would entail checking individual files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implementation to date of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action on the Iranian nuclear programme.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Following Adoption Day in October, Iran has been undertaking the nuclear actions required under the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action, including recently shipping 12.5 tonnes of enriched uranium to Russia. Iran has almost completed removing the necessary 13,000 centrifuges and put plans in place to remove the core of the Arak plutonium reactor. The International Atomic Energy Agency will verify that Iran has undertaken all of the necessary steps to trigger Implementation Day.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Laos on the treatment of the Christian minority in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We raise human rights concerns on a regular basis with the Lao government both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. As part of Laos’ Universal Periodic Review process starting in January 2015, and the EU-Laos Human Rights Dialogue in November 2015, we raised concerns regarding restrictions on the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with the Lao government to implement its human rights obligations and commitments, including those regarding respect for the rights of religious minorities.