The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had on training and registering support dogs for people with mental health problems.
Alistair Burt
The Department has not had any discussions with assistance dog organisations on the training and registration of support dogs for people with mental health problems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 6.32 of his Department’s publication, Living Well for Longer: One year on, published in March 2015, what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken to publish the hepatitis improvement framework on (a) members of the South Asian population and (b) other people in England with hepatitis C.
Jane Ellison
No such assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what he plans will be on the agenda for the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK-China Human Rights Dialogue is a platform for detailed, expert exchanges on human rights issues. The agenda for the next round is still to be agreed with the Chinese government, but we plan to raise the full range of our concerns, as set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue is planned.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK-China Human Rights Dialogue is an annual event which last took place in Beijing in April 2015. We expect to hold the next round in March or April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the UN Human Rights Council on the persecution of Christians.
Mr David Lidington
The UK has a strong record of supporting freedom of religion or belief, including christianity, at the Human Rights Council. We supported the resolution on freedom of religion or belief in both the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly in 2015, and will look to do so again in March 2016. The UK also supported the appointment of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, who is tasked with monitoring and reporting these issues worldwide.
In addition, we regularly support language in country specific resolutions about the importance of protecting religious minorities, as evidenced in the Syria resolution of September 2015. We also regularly work with EU partners to ensure a strong EU position on freedom of religion or belief at the Human Rights Council.
When raising persecution faced by one faith group, we endeavour to frame our remarks in the wider context of the rule of law and freedom – making the point that when one faith community is persecuted, the liberty of all is jeopardised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government plans to respond to the terrorist bombings in Jakarta in January 2016.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK and Indonesia are already working closely together on a broad range of issues, including counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. We continue to provide support and assistance to the Indonesian government as it works to defeat those who plan and perpetrate acts of terror.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on its officials engaging in secondary employment.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Staff are permitted to take up secondary employment providing it does not affect or impinge upon their work for the FCO. They are required to obtain prior written approval before accepting secondary employment and may also be required to sign an agreement to opt out of working time limits in their second job if it would mean they exceed the maximum number of weekly average hours under the Working Time Regulations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will update his Department’s travel advice on visiting the US to give specific advice to British Muslims travelling to that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
Our travel advice applies to all British nationals. We advise all British nationals to read our travel advice before travelling to the US.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure freedom of religion or belief are promoted in countries with high levels of persecution on the grounds of religion or belief.
Mr David Lidington
This Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world, and to being a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right. Our work on freedom of religion or belief continues to be an integral part of our new strategic approach to human rights, refocusing our work around three themes: democratic values and the rule of law; strengthening the rules-based international system; and human rights for a stable world.
We also carry out project work in a range of countries where the level of persecution is high, working with non-governmental organisations on issues such as promoting better understanding between faiths, bridging sectarian divides, promoting dialogue between faith groups and government and offering technical advice on amending discriminatory laws. In the next financial year, there will be more funding available for such work through the £10.6 million Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. At the multilateral level, we are working through the UN General Assembly to establish an internationally agreed set of principles for promoting religious tolerance through education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations on North Korean women trafficked into China as part of the next UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.
Mr Hugo Swire
We remain concerned at the continuing reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in DPRK, and we continue to press the regime to make progress on improving its appalling human rights record, most recently at a meeting that I had in December with a senior visiting North Korean diplomat.
We also continue to raise the situation in DPRK with Chinese counterparts. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised North Korea’s nuclear programme with State Councillor Yang Jiechi during his visit to China earlier this month, and I raised our human rights concerns with Vice-Minister of the Chinese Communist Party, Chen Fengxiang, in December. We consistently raise our concerns during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, particularly on the issue of refoulement (the repatriation of individuals who have left North Korea). We work directly with the Chinese authorities on a number of projects to counter human trafficking which seek to protect the most vulnerable from exploitation, abuse, neglect and violence.