Tag: Hilary Benn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to reach a decision on the Leeds New Generation Transport Trolley Bus scheme.

Claire Perry

We are continuing to make progress towards announcing the decision on the scheme. You will appreciate the issues raised by the case have required very careful consideration. We are however mindful of the importance in resolving the uncertainty for Leeds as soon as possible and we hope to be in a position to announce our conclusions shortly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral contribution of 12 January 2016, Official Report, column 697, whether UK personnel provided a quick check on whether the reported airstrike in Yemen on a market place in the Hajjah Governorate had broken international humanitarian law.

Mr Philip Hammond

The role of the UK liaison officers is to maintain an information flow with the Saudi Arabian authorities. We do not comment on the specifics. The Saudi Arabian Government announced on 29 February, that they are forming an independent committee to examine military activity in civilian areas in order to minimise possible civilian casualties; assess the Coalition’s rules of engagement; assess accidents, verification and targeting procedures and advise how they can be improved; and provide a clear, full and objective report for each investigation made including conclusions, lessons learnt and recommendations for future actions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the rate of progress of the implementation of commitments made by the government of Sri Lanka on human rights and the investigation of alleged war crimes.

Mr Philip Hammond

We welcome the progress Sri Lanka has made in implementing its commitments to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution it co-sponsored in October 2015. The Government has started public consultations on reconciliation mechanisms and on constitutional reform. We also welcome the Government’s cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the progress it has made through the return of some military occupied land and the release on bail of some long-term Tamil detainees held under anti-terrorism legislation. We recognise that there is still much to be done and we remain committed to supporting and encouraging the Sri Lankan Government to fully deliver against its commitments. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) reiterated this message when he visited Sri Lanka in January. We now look forward to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of progress at the next meeting of the UNHRC in June.

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 representations he has made to the Indian government on the release from prisons of the five Britons working for the AdvanFort Security Company.

Mr Philip Hammond

We continue to make representations on behalf of the six British men in this case. On 1 April the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised this case for the fourth time with the Indian Prime Minister at a summit in Washington. During April it has been raised again with both the Indian Minister of External Affairs and the Indian Foreign Secretary and with the State Government during the 27-28 April visit to Chennai of the new High Commissioner.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein, of 10 May 2016, what his policy is on the government of Turkey giving independent investigators, including UN staff, unimpeded access to South East Turkey to investigate alleged violations of human rights.

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 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage a reduction in violence in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma

I remain very concerned by reports of violence and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the quality of the implementation of the Quality Toolkit developed by NHS England to assess health services provided to people with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat

NHS England is developing the Quality Checkers toolkits which ensure people with learning disabilities design and create the tools to measure the quality of the services they access. The first two toolkits for general practice and dentistry have been completed and are being piloted in four areas in England. There will be a full evaluation of their effectiveness when the pilot sites report in March 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is the Government’s policy to negotiate to continue participation in the European Patent Office after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson

The UK’s participation in the European Patent Office will be unaffected by leaving the European Union. The European Patent Office and the European Patent Organisation are established by an international treaty, the European Patent Convention, to which the UK is a contracting party. The European Patent Convention is not restricted to EU countries and it currently comprises 38 Contracting Member States.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Women’s League of Burma.

Mr Philip Hammond

Officials at the British Embassy in Rangoon regularly meet representatives of the Women’s League of Burma and its member groups of civil society organisations. The UK has also provided occasional funding support to the Women’s League of Burma, including towards the publication of some of their research. Representatives from the Women’s League of Burma attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2014 at our invitation, and the UK assisted with the cost of that visit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department’s summary of its work in Indonesia 2011-15, published in June 2013, how many hectares of natural forest have been saved since the programme to protect forests in that country started.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Our programme with Indonesia helps it to achieve low carbon growth and reduce poverty by managing its forests, land and natural resources in a sustainable way, and assists the country to meet its emissions targets. As part of this the UK supported the development of a Provincial Spatial Plan in Papua which was agreed in 2013. The spatial plan commits to preserving 90% of forest cover by 2100. The UK is providing support to the Papua Provincial Government to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the Spatial Plan. If this target of 90% is realised, the spatial plan will preserve around 28 million hectares of natural forest. As with all projects, performance against indicators is published on an annual basis. Multilateral forest programmes, which the UK supports through the World Bank, and a centrally-managed programme, which assists the Indonesian government to tackleillegal logging, also contribute towards efforts to halt deforestation in Indonesia.