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  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government has offered to the Canadian government to help tackle the wildfire emergency in Alberta.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    On 7 May, The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) wrote to his Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to offer support to the Canadian efforts to tackle the fires. The British Army Training Unit at Suffield, Alberta, has offered assistance to the Alberta Provincial Government. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and I have repeated these messages to the Canadian Foreign Minister and the Canadian High Commissioner in London.

    On 5 May the UK Space Agency was notified of a request by Canadian Authorities for imagery of the wildfires. This request was authorised and satellite imagery of the affected areas was released.

    The Canadians have so far not requested any further assistance from the British Government, though the messages of support have been warmly received.

    We will continue to liaise closely with our Canadian colleagues and stand ready to assist should they request our help.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the reported raid of Nabil Adib’s office by Sudan’s national security and intelligence services and the alleged assault and arrest of people in that office.

    James Duddridge

    The International Federation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture and African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies have all reported on the alleged raid on Nabil Adib’s office on 5 May. We have raised our concerns about this case directly with the Government of Sudan, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan on 11 to 12 May. We will continue to monitor this case closely.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of torture in Egyptian detention facilities.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain deeply concerned with reports of torture in Egyptian detention facilities and we have raised this on a number of occasions with senior Egyptian officials in Cairo and in London, most recently on 5 May. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Human Rights Report 2015 designated Egypt a human rights priority country and recorded that, “In 2015, reports of torture, police brutality, and forced disappearance increased. A local NGO documented reports of 676 cases of torture and 137 deaths in detention.”

    The UK unreservedly condemns the use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as a matter of fundamental principle. The UK will continue to be a leader in advocating strong international systems to combat torture in all its forms.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 10 May 2016 to Question 36136, what additional financial contributions his Department has made to projects in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in each of the last six years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    In addition to the financial contribution the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has made directly to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, set out in answer to Question 36136, the FCO has supported a range of projects relating to the objectives of the treaty, these include conferences on issues related to the treaty, work in support of making progress towards a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone, and support for the universal ratification and implementation of International Atomic Energy Agency verification standards in nuclear non-proliferation. These projects total:

    FY 10/11 = £139,084

    FY 11/12 = £416,884.08

    FY 12/13 = £580,895.57

    FY 13/14 = £313,106.97

    FY 14/15 = £325,297.80

    FY 15/16 = £222,158.92

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make representations to the government of Sudan on the arrests and daily reporting conditions imposed on at least six clergymen and two lay members from three church denominations in Khartoum since December 2015.

    James Duddridge

    Freedom of religion or belief in Sudan continues to be an area of concern for the UK. We have consistently called on the Government of Sudan to ensure all legislation is in line with the commitment to their citizens in the Interim Constitution of 2005; within which religious freedom is enshrined. Our Embassy in Khartoum raised the detention and requirement to report on a daily basis to the National Intelligence and Security Service, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10 May.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the French government about its initiative to restart the Middle East peace process to advance a two-state solution.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    I have discussed the French initiative with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, and with his envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Pierre Vimont. We will continue to work closely with the French government to ensure that their initiative makes a constructive contribution that encourages the parties to resume negotiations.

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent reports that Turkish border guards have shot and killed Syrians crossing the border to seek asylum in Turkey.

    Mr David Lidington

    We are aware of the allegations of the use of lethal force against civilians trying to cross the border from Syria into Turkey. We are unable to verify these allegations, as is the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The allegations have been strongly refuted by the Government of Turkey. We regularly raise with the Government of Turkey issues relating to the management of the border with Syria and the treatment of refugees. Turkey is hosting over 2.7million Syrian refugees and we understand that the Turkish government has made preparations to accept more Syrian refugees should conditions in Syria make that necessary, but that its priority is to enable humanitarian aid to be provided to affected populations inside northern Syria.

  • MiDavies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    MiDavies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Pollinator Strategy.

    George Eustice

    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given the hon. Member for Eastleigh, Johnny Mercer, on 4 February 2016, PQ UIN903446.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made on the effect of the CXL duty on (a) the number of jobs in and (b) exports from the UK’s cane refining sector in the years up to (i) 2017 and (ii) 2025.

    George Eustice

    No assessment has been made of the effect of the CXL duty on the number of jobs in and exports from the UK’s cane refining sector. An economic modelling paper assessing the effect of the ending of the EU sugar quota regime on the price of white sugar within the EU was published in November 2015. This paper is particularly focussed on the likely impact on the cane refining industry in the EU. However it does not model any changes to the structure of either the beet or cane refining industries. The paper can be found on the GOV.UK website.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has her Department undertaken on the effect of the use of increasing levels of yeast and yeast extracts in food.

    George Eustice

    Historically Defra has funded research on yeast under the Food LINK Programmes in relation to its use in brewing, in food and drink spoilage and to develop predictive food microbiological modelling tools. Since 2010 we have engaged with Innovate UK on collaborative R&D with industry supporting a range of issues on food quality.