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  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support Saudi Arabia’s internal inquiry into war crimes in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We encourage Saudi Arabia to investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive. Saudi Arabia has its own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail of how they investigate such incidents on 31 January. This will include an independent team of skilled specialists who will assess and verify incidents of concern.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK is taking to prevent a refugee crisis in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has committed £85 million. We have so far helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis, providing food, medical supplies, water and emergency shelter to those most in need. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the current conflict. We are actively supporting the UN facilitated peace process and are working closely with the UN to encourage parties to engage in good faith and without preconditions in future talks.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government holds of terrorists linked to Daesh or Al Qaeda crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports in the public domain that terrorist groups, including Daesh, have an ambition to infiltrate migration routes from Libya. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Belarusian counterpart on recent death penalty sentences handed down by Belarusian courts and the position of the Belarusian government on the abolition of the death penalty.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK continues to press Belarus to implement a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards abolition.

    Officials from London and in the Embassy in Minsk make representations to the Government of Belarus at each available opportunity. Most recently the Director General, Political at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office visited Minsk and spoke about the need for a moratorium on the death penalty during discussions with the Deputy Foreign Minister, Ms Alena Kupchina, on 9 February 2016.

    The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office is funding a conference on the death penalty to help stimulate debate about the advantages of a moratorium and abolition within the Government of Belarus and civil society.

    The UK supports statements and demarches by the European Union on all death penalties handed down in Belarus.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) monitor and (b) counter the activities of Al Qaeda and Daesh in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Daesh fighters in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The political crisis in Yemen remains extremely concerning, particularly the risk that terrorist organisations such as Daesh-Yemen continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities in Yemen. Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by terrorist organisations including Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Daesh-Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many foreign consulates or diplomatic offices have closed in Scotland since 2010.

    Mr David Lidington

    One such mission has closed in Scotland since 2010.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on freedom of expression in Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression. In recent months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have continued to raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities. Most recently, Simon Gass, FCO Political Director, met the Egyptian Ambassador to London in February and raised our concerns on alleged human rights abuses.

  • Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rupa Huq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rupa Huq on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on alleged human rights abuses in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression. In recent months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have continued to raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities. Most recently, Simon Gass, FCO Political Director, met the Egyptian Ambassador to London in February and raised our concerns on alleged human rights abuses.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government’s policies of the recognition of acts constituting genocide in the European Parliament’s Resolution, Systematic mass murder of religious minorities by ISIS, agreed on 4 February 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    European Parliament resolutions are not binding and do not create legal obligations on member states.

    It is the long-standing policy of successive governments that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred should be a matter for the international judicial system rather than governments or other non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations of International Humanitarian Law, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

    Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. That’s why the UK is playing a leading role in a Global Coalition of more than 65 countries and international organisations to respond to Daesh’s inhumanity.