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  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has taken steps to ensure that contractors used by his Department do not instigate investigatory proceedings against staff for writing directly to him about their employment conditions or pay.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    Following the allegations from Citizens UK on 13 October 2015, of disciplinary action taken against the cleaners, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials asked Interserve for further information. Interserve replied on 15 October to say they had commenced an investigation into the letter of 21 July as it potentially represented a breach of the signed confidentiality agreement they have with their staff. They have since confirmed that no disciplinary action has been or will be taken.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on that country’s ratification of the International Covenant on civil and political rights.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We have regular discussions with the Chinese authorities on a range of human rights issues, and have raised China’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on numerous occasions. We last discussed this in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year, and also raised it at China’s most recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2013.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many prisoners of conscience in China have been visited by UK diplomatic staff during 2015.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We closely monitor the human rights situation in China and report on individual cases of concern through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. Working with international partners, UK officials talk to a wide range of human rights defenders. Sometimes it is not possible to meet an individual in person because they are in detention or under house arrest. In these cases, UK officials frequently work with family members and lawyers to maintain contact. We continue to raise cases of concern with the Chinese authorities, including during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has requested that the Chinese government discloses the number of executions taking place in China.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK is against the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and we are committed to encouraging its global abolition. China has recently renewed the number of crimes punishable by death from 55 to 46, but it is still believed to be the biggest implementer of the death penalty with numbers estimated in the low thousands.

    We continue to raise this issue with Chinese authorities and did so in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April. We have not asked China to disclose the full number of executions but instead focus our lobbying on urging China to reduce its use and ratify relevant international treaties – such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. A transparent legal system and reforms in the rule of law will go some way to helping China in this respect, and we will continue to encourage China to make positive developments in these areas.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of freedom of religion or belief in Xinjiang Province.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Freedom of religion or belief remains one of the Government’s top priorities and we are dedicated to its promotion and protection around the world. We remain concerned in particular by the restrictions placed on their right to celebrate Ramadan and wear Islamic dress. We raise this issue regularly with the Chinese authorities, and did so in detail during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year. We will continue to raise this issue.

  • 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 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of developments in the human rights situation in China since March 2015.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and report on it regularly through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. The latest update was published on 15 July and outlines a range of developments from January to June this year.

    Whilst we recognise the improvements China has made to social and economic rights, we continue to have concerns about a range of restrictions to civil and political rights. The operating space for civil society groups is shrinking, and over 200 lawyers have been detained or questioned since July. We regularly raise our concerns with China, both through the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue and through bilateral meetings, and will continue to do so. We also work through international fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council, to highlight our concerns.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently cattle in each region are tested for bovine TB.

    George Eustice

    All herds in the designated High Risk and Edge Areas of England are subject to annual surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for herds in the part of Cheshire falling within the Edge Area, which is currently subject to six-monthly testing. In the designated Low Risk Area all herds are subject to four yearly surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for certain higher risk herds which are subject to annual testing. Herds in all risk areas may also be subject to additional TB testing as a result of TB breakdowns

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of the agricultural industry to total UK carbon dioxide emission levels in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra works closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to identify carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture. We provide detailed farm statistics that DECC feeds into the UK Green House Gas Inventory, which contains the UK’s official reported greenhouse gas estimates.

    The Inventory indicates that:

    • Only around 1% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the UK are attributed to agriculture, these relate mainly to fuel use. Since 1990 there has been an overall decline in estimated carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture.

    • CO2 emissions from agriculture as a proportion of the UK total have fluctuated over the last 5 years between 1.0% and 1.2%. CO2 emissions from agriculture are lower in 2013 compared to 2009 by around 6%.

    • CO2 emissions make up a very small portion of agriculture emissions (around 9-10%).
  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has made available for the maintenance of waterways in (a) Pendle, (b) the North West and (c) England in 2015-16.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government provides grant-in-aid funding to the two largest navigation authorities in England and Wales: the Canal & River Trust (CRT) and the Environment Agency.

    Under the terms of the grant agreement, for 2015-16, the CRT will receive a total of £49.546m for the navigations it owns in England and Wales. The distribution of maintenance funding across CRT’s waterways is a matter for CRT.

    The Environment Agency does not own or manage any navigations in Pendle or the North West.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many visits her Departmental officials have made to China in support of the development of the Strategic Investment Agreement between EDF and China General Nuclear Corporation announced on 21 October 2015; how much each such visit cost; and if she will publish the minutes of each meeting held between UK and Chinese government officials on this agreement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Officials visited China twice, in July and September, as part of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s visits at the same time. The cost of the first visit for the relevant officials was £8,900, the cost of the second visit was £6,750. I do not intend to publish minutes of the meetings, which discussed commercially sensitive information.