The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many emergency travel documents were issued in (a) June 2013 and (b) June 2014.
Mark Simmonds
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued 2895 emergency travel documents in June 2013 and 5235 in June 2014 (as at 16 July).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the degree to which the Cayman Turtle Farm is a humane captive breeding facility.
Mark Simmonds
The elected government of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, has devolved constitutional responsibility for animal welfare and conservation including for legislation and policies governing the Cayman Turtle Farm. The UK is responsible for the international relations of the Cayman Islands and for their compliance with obligations arising under international law. The UK has extended the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to the Cayman Islands. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is providing technical support and advice to support the Cayman Islands in fully meeting its international environmental and conservation obligations. The UK CITES Management Authority has not made a recent assessment of whether the Cayman Turtle Farm is a humane facility, but did commission an independent investigation in 2002 in support of an application for registration as a captive-breeding operation under CITES, which found it was a humane facility.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will investigate whether any UK manufactured weapons or components have been used by Israeli military forces during Operation Protective Edge.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We continue to monitor the situation in Gaza and Israel carefully to ensure that all our licensing decisions on weapons and components to Israel remain consistent with our human rights commitments and all applicable criteria. We currently have no plans to undertake a more comprehensive investigation into whether any UK manufactured weapons or components have been used by Israeli military forces during Operation Protective Edge.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Israeli military action during Operation Protective Edge has complied with its international legal obligations.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have not yet made a full assessment. We continue to monitor events in Gaza and Israel carefully and call on all sides to ensure that their actions are in line with International Humanitarian Law. International Humanitarian Law requires all sides to distinguish between military and civilian targets and enable unhindered humanitarian access. It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law and are calibrated to avoid any further civilian casualties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2014, Official Report, column 643W, on Diego Garcia, if he will immediately publish the contents of all the records referred to in the Answer.
Mark Simmonds
I have asked officials to review the contents of the material, with a view to assessing their suitability for publication, in accordance with our regular procedures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement of 10 July 2014 by the Secretary General of the UN on the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We support the statement of 10 July 2014 from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. There has now been further escalation with Israel’s ground operation started on 17 July. The UK will continue working towards our three policy objectives for the Gaza crisis – to secure a ceasefire, to alleviate humanitarian suffering, and to keep alive the prospects for peace negotiations, which are the only hope of breaking this cycle of violence and devastation once and for all.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise with the government of Burma reported threats that ethnic Rohingya identifying themselves as such in the census could face arrest.
Mr Hugo Swire
We have not received reports of anyone facing arrest for identifying themselves as Rohingya in Burma’s census; the enumeration period is now over. However, we were deeply disappointed that during the census the Burmese government went against its long-standing assurance that all individuals would have the right to self-identify their ethnic origin. We have been clear that this decision is in contravention of international norms and standards on census conduct. I discussed our concerns on the census with the senior Burmese minister responsible, Immigration Minister U Khin Yi, in March, and summoned the Burmese Ambassador in April.
The UK, UN and other donors have been in dialogue with the Burmese government and community groups throughout the preparation, enumeration and now the data analysis and dissemination stages of the census. We have been absolutely clear that we want to see as peaceful, credible and complete a process as possible, with the anticipated risks carefully managed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implementation of each of the recommendations in the report, Children in Military Custody, published in June 2012.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK has made repeated representations to Israel on their treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including child detainees. Since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded independent report on Children in Military Custody, there has been some limited progress. This includes a pilot to use summons instead of night-time arrests, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. My predecessor wrote to the Israeli Attorney General on 31 March to welcome the steps taken to date and to call for further measures, including the mandatory use of audio-visual recording of interrogations, investigation into continued reports of single hand ties being used, and an end to solitary confinement for children. The British Government has been working with the delegation who compiled the Children in Military Custody report to make a return visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the near future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent changes in Japan’s constitution and its defence doctrine.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK welcomes a more active role for Japan on international peace and security. These reforms, based on a reinterpretation of Japan’s constitution, will allow it to make a greater contribution to international peace and security, including through exercising its right under the UN Charter to collective self-defence. We have worked well with Japan in difficult security environments overseas and we welcome the prospect of greater practical cooperation in these areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the average salary gap is between women and men in his Department.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Salary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is determined by a range of factors including grade, performance, and length of time in employment. The latest data on average salaries of FCO staff by gender and grade are set out below and can be found in the FCO Diversity and Equality report, which was published in April 2014 and based on data for 2013. Full details can be found on page 12 of the report.
| Grade |
Average Female Pay |
Average Male Pay |
% Male Pay Exceeds Female Pay |
| SMS 3&4 | £118,470 | £131,360 | 10.88% |
| SMS 2 | £88,471 | £89,669 | 1.35% |
| SMS 1 | £67,030 | £68,286 | 1.87% |
| D7 | £57,147 | £58,195 | 1.83% |
| D6 | £47,204 | £47,576 | 0.79% |
| C5 | £35,581 | £36,233 | 1.83% |
| C4 | £28,753 | £28,710 | -0.15% |
| B3 | £24,690 | £24,612 | -0.32% |
| A2 | £20,700 | £20,492 | -1.00% |
| A1 | £18,156 | £18,156 | 0.00% |
The pay gap between men and women at Senior Management Structure 3&4 is due to the relatively small number of women currently in those grades.