The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential for Russia to use submarines to monitor internet traffic through undersea cables.
Mr David Lidington
Her Majesty’s Government continually assesses a range of possible threats to the UK’s infrastructure and interests.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Burmese government about (a) human rights and (b) conduct of the election in November 2015 in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
I have consistently raised both human rights and elections in bilateral meetings I have held with the Burmese government in 2015. I raised both issues with the Burmese authorities during my most recent visit to the country in July, and reiterated these points when I met the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. I also regularly raise these issues in public, as I did during the adjournment debate on Burma on 22 October, and in multilateral fora, such as at the UN Secretary General’s Burma Partnership Group on 29 September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the government of Somalia in preparations for elections in that country in 2016; and what assistance the UK has offered for those preparations.
James Duddridge
We are in regular discussions with the Federal Government of Somalia on the electoral process in 2016. The UK also co-chairs, with the Federal Government of Somalia, the elections working group set up under Somalia’s New Deal Compact, supporting preparations for the 2016 electoral process. At the UN General Assembly in September, My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron), the Prime Minister, discussed progress towards an inclusive electoral process with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as did My Right Honourable Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) Minister of State in the Department for International Development, with Prime Minister Omar Abdullah Sharmarke. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Somalia attended the National Consultative Forum recently convened by the Federal Government of Somalia to discuss electoral preparations. In the UN Security Council, the UK is working to ensure that Somalia remains a high priority and that there is a coordinated international position in support of the electoral process in Somalia in 2016. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time. The UK provides funding to the UN election support programme in Somalia through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. This channels support to Somalia’s National Consultative Forum and National Independent Electoral Commission. The UK is also working in partnership with USAID to support a nationwide civic education programme that would last for 5 years and would cover all elections in Somalia, both local and national, during that time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the Prime Minister of India during his forthcoming visit the welfare of elephants being trained to work in the tourism industry in that country; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are very much looking forward to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit, which gives us an opportunity to discuss a range of issues. We will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on whether cluster munitions have been used in Yemen.
Mr Philip Hammond
We are aware of recent reports that the Saudi-led coalition, as well as the Houthis, may have used cluster munitions in Yemen. We note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not yet a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but have encouraged it to accede to the Convention. We have raised these allegations with the Saudi Arabian Government, stressing that all parties to the conflict should act in accordance with international Humanitarian Law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to (a) support the Safe Schools Declaration which arose from the Oslo conference on safe schools in May 2015 and (b) implement the Guidelines on Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
Mr Philip Hammond
The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during Armed Conflict. While we support the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with other countries such as Australia, Canada and France, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what average time his Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.
Mr David Lidington
The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his objectives are at the Joint Ministerial Council during the week of 30 November 2015 in respect of central registries of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories.
James Duddridge
In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premiers of the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda asking them to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of central registers of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective systems, by the November Joint Ministerial Council.
We set out that any system should meet the following criteria:
a)UK law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards;
b)These competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and
c)Companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is underway.
My objective is to press the Premiers to repeat their commitments to uphold international standards of transparency to ensure the highest degree of effectiveness including on holding beneficial ownership information. I will be discussing their proposals and timetable for doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on extending the list of NATO aspirant countries.
Mr David Lidington
There is no formal list of NATO aspirant countries. However, this term is presently understood within the Alliance to refer to Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. The United Kingdom strongly supports NATO’s open door policy for any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership, and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. We therefore support the membership aspirations of all countries currently seeking to join the Alliance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hoare on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of Pakistan in securing justice for people killed in the 2007 Mumbai attacks.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a deplorable act of terrorism in which a British national was amongst the 166 innocent people killed. Many hundreds of others were seriously wounded. Given the gravity of those horrific events, the UK Government is deeply concerned by the release on bail of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, one of the alleged planners, in April. Pakistan has committed to bring to justice the perpetrators and sponsors, and we continue to urge Pakistan at the highest levels to follow through on that commitment.
The UK Government recognises that Pakistan is on the frontline of terrorism, and continues to make considerable sacrifices on a daily basis. We remain fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle the scourge of violent extremism which threatens both our interests. It is essential for stability in the South Asia region and for the safety of UK nationals that Pakistan delivers on its commitment to tackle all terrorist groups.