Tag: Ann Clwyd

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.

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 Egypt’s compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law in its counter-terrorism operations in Sinai.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made a formal assessment. In 2015 we shared NATO counterinsurgency doctrine with the Egyptian Government and we hope to discuss this further with them, through a planned upcoming Egyptian visit to the UK Centre for counterinsurgency doctrine.

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 human rights concerns he plans to raise with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt during his forthcoming visit.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi on 5 November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

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 reports he has received on the reasons for the prolonged recess 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. The situation has now de-escalated slightly and negotiations over the extension are ongoing. We are following the situation closely and encouraging all the parties to work 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 assistance the Government has provided to the government of Egypt for counter-terrorism in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date; what equipment has been provided to that government for that purpose; and what types of capacity-building activity and training have been provided.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK and Egypt have a shared interest in the fight against terrorism, and we are committed to working together in a number of areas to combat the terrorist threat. These include aviation security and the protection of tourist resorts. The UK armed forces have also provided their Egyptian counterparts with counter-IED and close protection training.

During President Sisi’s visit to the UK in November 2015, the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Shoukry signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing the Home Office and Egyptian Ministry of Interior to a regular high-level dialogue to increase cooperation across a wide range of areas, including counter-terrorism, illegal migration and organised crime.

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 representations he made to the President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt about the case of Israa Al-Taweel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Although the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did not raise this specific case on 5 November, he discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19906, by whom Lady Justice Macur’s report is being considered.

Caroline Dinenage

The report needs to be considered by law enforcement agencies and the government before it can be published. This includes considering whether redactions need to be made. Lady Justice Macur has recommended that certain material should be considered for redaction.

The work is proceeding at pace with a view to publication as soon as possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what military equipment has been licenced for export to Egypt in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry

Information on military and dual use export licences is published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls which are all available to view on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences.

Data currently covers all years from 2008 up to 31 December 2015.