Tag: Ann Clwyd

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed with his Kurdish counterparts the detention of Esa Barzani and other critics in Kurdistan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

While we have not made representations on this particular case, during recent visits to Iraq, The Rt Honourable Baroness Anelay of St Johns and I discussed the human rights situation with ministers and senior officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as civil society representatives. Officials at the British Consulate General in Erbil regularly raise human rights concerns with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former workers of Remploy factories in each Parliamentary constituency are (a) looking for work, (b) in work, (c) retired, (d) in receipt of employment and support allowance and (e) in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

The table below is taken from the August 2015 Labour Market Statistics and shows the last data on number of former Remploy employees in work; claiming JSA or claiming ESA in England, Scotland and Wales.

These statistics were gathered as part of the 18 month People Help and Support Package (PHSP) made available to ex-Remploy employees. We do not have the required data broken down by constituency and we did not collect data for those looking for work but not claiming ESA or JSA.

When the PHSP ended in August 2015, 1,523 former disabled employees had received support from a Personal Case Worker and 867 were in work. A total of 1,182 jobs had been found, 422 were on ESA and 234 on JSA.

DWP asked all disabled former employees made redundant from Remploy to give permission to be tracked. The data we have are necessarily incomplete because they only record the progress and outcomes of those individuals who gave this permission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Burmese government relaunches the Prisoner of Conscience Affairs Committee or establishes a new Committee with a mandate to review the cases of people charged or deprived of their liberty for the exercise of their human rights.

Mr Hugo Swire

The release of some 200 political prisoners during its first few weeks in office is a strong demonstration of the new Burmese Government’s commitment to reforming human rights and the rule of law in Burma. However, we remain concerned that arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists could continue while the military retains control of the Home Ministry, Police and Courts.

Tackling the causes of political prisoners will require a thorough but longer-term process of legislative and judicial reform. Having an effective Political Prisoners Committee will be an important element of that process and is something we have consistently called for and will continue to do.

The Government has long campaigned on the issue of political prisoners in Burma. We have maintained pressure through bilateral and international actions such as the two annual UN resolutions on Burma in which we have played an instrumental part. I raised this issue directly with the then Minister for the Presidency, U Aung Min, during my visit to Burma in July 2015. We will work with the new Government to help it continue to make progress.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Kurdistan counterpart on the current status of the parliament of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has been in recess since 12 October 2015 following an escalation in tensions between Kurdish parties over the extension of the term of Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani. This situation has now de-escalated slightly and negotiations over the extension are ongoing. During my visit to Erbil in December, I made clear to all those I met the importance of the parties working together to resolve this issue peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2016 to Question 32065, if his Department will collect data on the number of former workers of Remploy factories in the Cynon Valley constituency are (a) looking for work, (b) in work, (c) retired, (d) in receipt of employment and support allowance, (e) in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance and (f) in receipt of universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson

The Department collected management information on former Remploy disabled employees that gave consent to be tracked during the 18 month People Help and Support Package (PHSP). Although this package ended in August 2015, former Remploy disabled employees that continue to need support can continue to access the specialist employment support that is available for all disabled people including Work Choice and Specialist Employability Support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the report of the review into the Muslim Brotherhood; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We intend to update the House about the main findings of the Muslim Brotherhood Review shortly. We have been clear from the outset that the purpose of the Review is to get a better understanding of what the Muslim Brotherhood stands for, how they intend to achieve their aims and what that means for the United Kingdom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on whether the speaker of the parliament of the Kurdistan region of Iraq is being impeded in fulfilling his role.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

On 12 October 2015, during a period of heightened tensions between Kurdish parties over the extension of the Kurdistan Regional Government President’s term, we understand that the Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament was denied access to Erbil. Our Ambassador in Baghdad and Consul General in Erbil have raised this issue with senior members of the Kurdistan Regional Government and underlined the importance of all parties working together to resolve this issue peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the President of Egypt on that country’s protest and counter-terrorism laws.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed a range of bilateral issues with President Sisi on 5 November, including our concerns about the application of laws regarding protests and counter-terrorism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political, economic and security situation in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I visited Erbil in December where I met a range of Kurdistan Regional Government ministers and officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, civil society contacts and members of the British military deployment in northern Iraq. I welcomed the recent military progress achieved by the Kurdish Security Forces against Daesh, particularly the liberation of Sinjar in November, and was able to see firsthand the contribution of British military training, equipment and support to counter-Daesh efforts. I encouraged progress on implementation of the economic reforms needed to manage the current economic downturn, as well as a rapid return to negotiations with Baghdad to secure a sustainable revenue sharing arrangement. To members of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and political party representatives, I underlined the importance of all the parties working together to resolve the issue of the KRG presidency peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles.