Tag: Hilary Benn

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bahrainian counterpart on the removal of citizenship and proposed deportation of Professor Masaud Jahromi.

Mr Philip Hammond

We are aware of Professor Masaud Jahromi’s case. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meets its human rights obligations and honour all conventions to which it is a party – including on citizenship rights. We regularly discuss human rights with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015 and most recently, I raised the issue of human rights with my Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on 4 February 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on atrocities committed by Daesh.

Mr Philip Hammond

My officials have regular contact with the Joint Office of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect. Their discussions cover a range of issues related to preventing genocide and mass atrocities, including the actions of Daesh.

The UK provides funding for the Office, including for its work with religious leaders and faith-based organisations in the Middle East and North Africa.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the incidence and nature of human rights violations in South Sudan.

Mr Philip Hammond

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in South Sudan. A range of reports indicate that sexual violence and attacks on civilians remain widespread and that war crimes and/or crimes against humanity may have been committed, if established in a court of law. Bilaterally we are raising our serious concerns directly with the Government of South Sudan and pressing for action. At the regional level we are calling on the African Union to rapidly establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. And internationally we are pressing for a UN arms embargo to be put in place. We also undertook extensive lobbying to help secure a new Commission for Human Rights for South Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council in March.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Israel on the planned demolition of the Bedouin villages of Susiya and Um Al Hiran.

Mr Philip Hammond

Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised UK concerns with the Israeli Government on the issue of demolitions. Demolitions of Palestinian villages not only inflict unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, but are harmful to the peace process and in all but the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. In regards to demolitions of Bedouin villages in green-line Israel such as Umm al-Hiran, any resolution should be consistent with Israel’s commitments under international law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the French government about its initiative to restart the Middle East peace process to advance a two-state solution.

Mr Philip Hammond

I have discussed the French initiative with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, and with his envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Pierre Vimont. We will continue to work closely with the French government to ensure that their initiative makes a constructive contribution that encourages the parties to resume negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made 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 Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have no diplomatic presence in Syria and so are unable to provide an accurate assessment of the damage to cultural property ourselves.

The Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill introduced to Parliament in May 2016 will enable the UK to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of Armed Conflict. We are also working with Counter-Daesh Coalition partners to tackle the illicit trade in antiquities through UN and EU sanctions.

The 1972 World Heritage Convention is policed by the World Heritage Committee, supported by UNESCO. At present all six World Heritage Sites (ancient cities of Aleppo, Bosra, Damascus & N Syria, Crac des Chevaliers & Qal’at Salah El-Din, site of Palmyra), in Syria have been placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list. The continuing concern of the World Heritage Committee was expressed at its annual meeting held in July, but its conclusions are yet to be published.

Earlier this year the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the British Council launched a Cultural Protection Fund, which will allocate £30 million to projects which will foster, safeguard and protect cultural heritage in global conflict zones.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff with learning difficulties are currently employed by each Transforming Care team.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is the Government’s policy to comply with EU rules on the exchange of (a) blood and (b) organs after the UK has left the EU.

David Mowat

The safety and quality of our blood, tissue and cells and organ donation and transplant programmes must be assured. Any proposed changes within or outside Europe will continue to be considered carefully to ensure a safe and high quality service. Whilst the United Kingdom remains a full member of the European Union, EU legislation will of course continue to be in place and all obligations of EU membership will apply. Ongoing discussions are taking place regarding which rules and regulations are best placed to meet UK healthcare needs.

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 assessment he has made of reported irregularities in the run-up to the Burmese election.

Mr Philip Hammond

There were a number of reported flaws and irregularities in Burma’s elections, such as in the voter list arrangements for observing advance voting and the use of religion in the campaign. We are deeply disappointed that holders of Temporary Residence Cards (of which the Rohingya form the largest single bloc) were disenfranchised from the elections by having their identity documents revoked. Nevertheless, the main opposition parties chose to take part in the elections despite these flaws and irregularities. The UK provided practical assistance to mitigate against the risks we have identified, including £2.6m to provide specialist technical advice to the Union Election Commission. British nationals have also been taking part in the EU Election Observation Mission and we funded the training of 5,000 local observers to deter fraud on the day. It is too early to make a definitive assessment of the technical conduct of the elections, but the initial finding of the EU Election Observation Mission was that they were "well-run and competitive", though with "legal reforms and procedural improvements" remaining. Overall, we continue to judge that the election represents the best chance of democracy the people of Burma have had for over 50 years.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average cost to a local authority of taking in a Syrian refugee under the UNHCR VPR scheme in year (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five; and how much additional central government funding has been made to local authorities to help meet those costs per refugee for each of those years.

Richard Harrington

The Government has committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees in the lifetime of this Parliament. The Prime Minister has said that we want to see 1,000 refugees brought to the UK by Christmas.

The first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs will be funded by central government from the Overseas Development Aid budget. The Government has also committed to providing additional funding to local authorities to assist with costs incurred for years 2 to 5. This funding package forms part of the forthcoming Spending Review and full details will be confirmed shortly.