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  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) military and (b) financial support his Department has provided to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq and Syria in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Militarily, the UK is conducting air operations as part of the Global Coalition to assist the Iraqi Government and Kurdish Regional Government in their fight against ISIL. The UK is also providing training and equipment to Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdish Peshmerga in northern Iraq. The UK has provided over 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns, nearly half a million rounds of ammunition and £600,000 worth of military equipment to the Kurdish Peshmerga. We have gifted 1000 counter-IED VALLON detectors to Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish fighters. We have also delivered over 300 tonnes of weapons and ammunition on behalf of other Coalition nations. In Syria, the UK is not providing material support to Kurdish groups. Financially, the UK, through the Department for International Development, is providing £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to help those across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, who have been affected by ISIL’s brutality. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also manages a portfolio of projects under the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund worth £10 million in Iraq, aimed at helping political reconciliation, building community cohesion and encouraging security sector reform – a portion of which will benefit the Kurdish Region. The UK is providing over £1.1 billion in humanitarian assistance across the region to help those affected by the conflict in Syria.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received representations from any representatives of the Israeli government to stop funding specified Israeli human rights NGOs.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As of 20 November 2015, neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or our Embassy in Tel Aviv have received any repesentations from the Israeli authorities asking the Government to stop funding specified Israeli human rights non-governmental organisations.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of success of the planned peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthis in that country; and what steps the Government is taking to support agreement on an immediate ceasefire at those talks.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We welcome the commitment by President Hadi that the Government of Yemen will participate in UN negotiations, and the commitment by the Houthis, conveyed to UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, of their willingness to discuss Yemen’s return to sustainable peace and long-term stability. We encourage all parties to get behind the UN political process to achieving a lasting peace, and to enter peace talks in good faith and with no pre-conditions. We welcome the announcement by the UN Special Envoy that these talks are forthcoming. I discussed the importance of making progress in these talks with President Hadi on 25 November. We fully and actively support the UN’s efforts, in accordance with Security Council Resolution (SCR) 2216, which remains the framework to achieving lasting ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, release of political prisoners and the resumption of an inclusive political process.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve diplomatic and economic ties with the new government in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma’s constitution establishes a long delay between the election and the formation of a new government, which is due to take place in March 2016. The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 November to offer continued political and economic support for the people of Burma. We will of course keep in close contact on a range of topics and look forward to working with whatever new administration emerges in March.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on establishing marine protection zones in British Overseas Territories; and whether each such zone will require the consent of that Territory’s national assembly prior to its creation.

    James Duddridge

    Overseas Territory Governments are constitutionally responsible for the management of their marine resources, therefore any additional marine protection will have to be agreed, and implemented, by the Territory. In addition to the existing Marine Protected Area designations around South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory and the British Antarctic Territory, we intend to designate the world’s largest contiguous no-take marine protection area around Pitcairn, and are working with Ascension Island to close at least 50 percent of their waters to fishing activities. For other Territories we are at an early stage of scoping whether further marine protection measures are desirable and scientifically justified.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by Waging Peace on the use of rape as a weapon of war in the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.

    James Duddridge

    We remain acutely concerned by the use of sexual violence in Darfur as set out in this and other reports. It reinforces our policy approach of strong support for the presence of the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Mission operation in Darfur(UNAMID) and the need for the mission to have a strong mandate centred around protection of civilians. As a result, the UK led this year’s renewal of the operation’s Mandate to ensure it continues to operate across all the Darfuri states. We will continue to work with the mission, press for robust patrolling and encourage it to engage at the community level. We will also continue to urge the Government of Sudan to cooperate with the operation, and have consistently made clear to them that conditions on the ground must considerably improve before any moves towards the mission’s eventual exit can be made.

    At the same time, we continue – both bilaterally and through the UN’s Security and Human Rights Councils – to call on all armed actors to address sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur. The UK played a significant role in the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2242 reflecting the importance of Women, Peace and Security-related issues for the UN family. Bilaterally, we have provided support to over 150 survivors of rape in Darfur and contributed to the successful prosecution of members of the police and armed forces. We will remain active on these issues.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Saudi Arabia and other parties to the conflict in Yemen to refrain from using explosive weapons with wide-range effects in populated areas in order to avoid high levels of civilian casualties.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by all sides to the conflict and take these very seriously. This includes alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. We have received repeated assurances from the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that they are complying with International Humanitarian Law, and we continue to engage with them on those assurances. The Saudi Arabian authorities have their own internal procedures for investigations and we encourage them to be open and transparent in this. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict to adhere to International Humanitarian Law. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis. We will continue to do this.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on supporting a new UN Security Council Resolution in the event that Resolution 2216 remains an obstacle to a negotiated peace in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We fully and actively support UN efforts in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. This remains the framework to achieving an immediate and lasting ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, release of political prisoners, and the resumption of an inclusive political process. We encourage all parties to get behind the UN political process to achieving a lasting peace, and to enter any peace talks in good faith and with no pre-conditions. We welcome the announcement by the UN Special Envoy that these talks are forthcoming.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the establishment of an independent, international and impartial body to investigate violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation and alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen. The UK fully and actively supports the UN’s efforts to achieve a political solution to bring an end to the conflict. I discussed the importance of progress with President Hadi of Yemen on 25 November. This will help create the conditions for the legitimate Government to improve its capacity to protect human rights.

    The UK has previously engaged the Yemeni Government – both bilaterally and through the UN Human Rights Council – on a wide range of human rights issues. We continue to raise the importance of compliance with international human rights law by all sides to the conflict. The UK welcomes the September UN Human Rights Council resolution which contains mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen.

    The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been tasked to help Yemen investigate human rights abuses and violations, but it will be up to Yemen to decide on how it sets up its own domestic mechanism. The UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on the protection of human rights.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to ensure it works in partnership with businesses involved with wildlife issues to enhance public and private sector involvement in combating wildlife crime after March 2016.

    Rory Stewart

    We will continue to engage with all those with an interest in wildlife issues, including in tackling wildlife crime, as part of normal business and particularly through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime.