Tag: Hilary Benn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support an independent inquiry into alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the UN Human Rights Council.

Mr Philip Hammond

The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. It is for the Government of Yemen to decide how its domestic human rights monitoring mechanism should work and the UK welcomes Yemen’s commitment to cooperate with the UN on protection of human rights.

The UK has also encouraged members of the Saudi-led coalition to investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law, and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24112, if he will make an assessment of whether there have been contraventions of the (a) 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and (b) 1972 World Heritage Convention during the conflict in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond

We remain concerned about any damage to cultural property in Yemen and are aware of reports of alleged damage by actors in the conflict. Yemen and many members of the Saudi-led coalition are parties to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. We have raised our concerns regarding protection of cultural property with both the government of Yemen and the Saudi Arabian government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Government’s response to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s First Special Report of Session 2015-16, published on 11 February 2016, HC816, when he expects the internal review of his Department to be completed; what the key priorities of his Department are on which that review will be focussed; and if he will publish the conclusions of that review.

Mr Philip Hammond

The internal review is expected to be completed in the Spring. Its remit is to advise on how the FCO can be more expert, agile and focused on the Department’s key priorities. I expect the review to set out a vision of the organisation the FCO should be by 2020. The review is internal. No decision has yet been taken on publication.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which local authority areas applications can be made for naturalisation and a British passport at the same time.

James Brokenshire

Customers are able to book appointments in the following local authority areas:

Brent, Barnet, Southwark, Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Hackney, Wandsworth, Enfield, Hertfordshire, Islington, Camden, Bracknell Forest, Leeds, Slough, Merton, Sutton, Poole, Luton, East Riding of Yorkshire, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith & Fulham, Cambridgeshire, West Sussex, Oldham, Wolverhampton, Trafford, West Berks, Reading, Dudley, Hull, Norfolk, Worcestershire, Redbridge, Westminster, Bolton, Wokingham, Southampton, Warwickshire, Windsor & Maidenhead, York and Pembrokeshire.

This service will be further rolled out within additional local authority areas over the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to reports of his remarks in Ankara in January 2016, what recent estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens who have (a) entered and since left, (b) entered and remained in and (c) been prevented from entering (i) Syria and (ii) Iraq since April 2013.

Mr Philip Hammond

Approximately 800 individuals of national security concern have travelled to take part in the Syria conflict since it began. Of these approximately half have returned. As I said when I visited Ankara in January, the UK and Turkey have worked together to prevent the travel of over 600 UK nationals to Syria and Iraq via Turkey.

The UK continues to work to prevent the flow of extremist travellers to Iraq and Syria, through domestic measures in the UK, and through co-operation with international partners including Turkey.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UN missions in South Sudan in protecting civilians in South Sudan.

Mr Philip Hammond

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has had significant effect in protecting civilians, most notably the 200,000 internally displaced persons who have sought shelter on its bases. However, the mission faces a number of challenges, not least continued obstruction and access restrictions by the parties to the conflict. The UK will continue to work with UNMISS to improve the effectiveness of the mission’s operations and is working with the UN to finalise the new military deployment of 250 – 300 British troops to the Mission announced by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), in September 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Mozambique and tensions between that country’s opposition party’s militia and state security forces.

Mr Philip Hammond

There has been an increase in tension in Mozambique, including continuing clashes between state security forces and the opposition militia in the central provinces. We are also concerned by incidents of intimidation, kidnapping and assassinations, which may be politically motivated. We continue to urge both the government and opposition to address these tensions through dialogue and peaceful means. This is all the more important against a difficult macroeconomic context that is further affected by drought in central and southern provinces and the revelation this month of undisclosed lending, which puts an already weak economy at risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on alleged serious abuses of human rights by Turkish security forces in Cizre.

Mr Philip Hammond

We are aware of several public reports regarding alleged events in Cizre. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein that it is essential that authorities respect human rights at all times while undertaking security or counter-terrorism operations.

We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, a terrorist organisation which has killed hundreds of innocent people in the past year. A PKK offshoot – the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK – has also claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including an indiscriminate suicide car bombing in central Ankara on 13 March that killed over 30 people. Our thoughts are with the victims of PKK attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the recent conflict.

Our Ambassador to Turkey and I have discussed with the Turkish government the importance of respecting human rights and avoiding civilian casualties in the fight against terrorism. We believe the first responsibility for investigating any alleged violations falls to Turkey. And that the PKK needs to cease violence in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library all emails, notes, letters or other documents or records relating to his Department’s exercise of reviewing all correspondence and parliamentary proceedings on the subject of allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi-led Coalition and on the publication of the Written Ministerial Statement Corrections to Parliamentary Questions and Westminster Hall Debates, HCWS125.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

This information has been requested under the Freedom of Information act and will be placed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website in due course. I would also be happy to place this in the Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department holds on the number of people with learning disabilities who are employed in (a) day centres, (b) care homes and (c) schools and colleges.

David Mowat

The Government is committed to increasing the number of people with learning disabilities employed across the full range of National Health Service organisations. NHS Employers and NHS England have a range of tools and guidance to support organisations to increase their recruitment of people with learning disabilities, including providing real examples of jobs currently being done. People with learning disabilities bring their own expertise, personal experience and knowledge to roles. As such, roles that can specifically draw on this experience should be considered.

Further information on the NHS Learning Disability Employment Programme is available on NHS England’s website at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/gov/equality-hub/ld-emp-prog/

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