Tag: Hilary Benn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on the death penalty imposed on Ibrahim Mohammed Helal and other journalists in that country.

Mr Philip Hammond

We regularly raise our concerns over press freedoms with the Egyptian authorities both in London and in Cairo. The Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised the detention of journalists with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November 2015. I raised press freedoms and freedom of expression with the Egyptian Ambassador in April, and these concerns are expanded upon in the Human Rights Priority Country report on Egypt which was published on 21 April. It is a long term policy of the UK Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle and we have raised this with the Egyptian Government. There are further stages in the legal process and we will continue to monitor the case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to act upon the Resolution of the House of 20 April 2016 on the recognition of genocide by Daesh against Yazidis, Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government shares the House of Common’s condemnation of Daesh atrocities and we remain very concerned about appalling crimes committed against Christians, Mandeans, Yezidis and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim populations in Iraq and Syria. Daesh’s victims, whether in Iraq and Syria or elsewhere in the world, must receive justice. This is why the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), announced on 21 July that the UK will work with our international partners to drive a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings he has (a) had to date and (b) scheduled for a future date with trades unions.

Mr Robin Walker

We have already started a wide-ranging programme of engagement in order to build a national consensus, listening to organisations, institutions and companies in as many sectors as possible to establish their priorities and understand their concerns, and also to hear what they think the solutions could be.

One of the Secretary of State’s first meetings was with the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress. I and my Ministerial colleagues have also met with a wide range of representatives from business groups, the universities, the charity sector and farming and fisheries organisations.

In the weeks ahead, we will continue to engage with as many other firms, organisations and bodies as possible, including with trade unions. We will also be holding roundtables with stakeholders in a series of sectors, to ensure that all views are reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK.

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 negotiate to continue participation in the European Food Safety Authority after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mowat

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the lead Department for relations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The priority of the FSA and of the United Kingdom Government continues to be to ensure effective and proportionate food regulation which protects public health while supporting innovation and growth. The FSA will continue to use independent expert advice on risk assessment to inform food policy and regulation, and will continue to liaise with EFSA as an important source of international expert advice, as well as with other sources of evidence and advice from the UK and internationally. Detailed arrangements for the UK’s relationship with EFSA after the UK leaves the European Union will be determined as part of the UK’s wider approach to the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Philip Hammond

This information is published in the Annual Report and Accounts, and on the FCO’s website under Publications: transparency data.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK personnel have served in UN peacekeeping missions in each of the last 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt

Over the past 10 years, UK military personnel have been deployed to a number of UN mandated peacekeeping missions including: Cyprus (UNFICYP), Mali (MINUSMA), South Sudan (UNMISS), Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), Liberia (UNMIL), Dafur (UNAMID), UNAMI (IRAQ), UNIOSIL (Sierra Leone), UNMIK (Kosovo), UNOMIG (Georgia), UNMIN (Nepal), UNAMA (Afghanistan), UNSOM (Somalia) and UNSMIL (Libya/Tunisia).

The number of military personnel who have deployed on the various UN operations is set out below:

	2006*	2007*	2008*	2009*	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015**
Total number of UK personnel deployed per year	295	290	301	293	279	276	280	278	285	287

* The details supplied are correct as of 31 January each year.

** Correct as of 10 November 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Kurdish Peshmerga in their efforts against Daesh.

Mr Philip Hammond

As part of our wider support to the Government of Iraq and in close cooperation with the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, we are providing substantial assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga. In addition to the air support being provided by the RAF, the UK military training team in northern Iraq we have trained over 2,700 Peshmerga fighters in infantry fighting skills, weapons handling and C-IED procedures. We have also gifted weapons and ammunition, including 40 heavy machine guns, non-lethal equipment and airlifted support provided by other Coalition partners.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22858, on the basis of the evidence seen by the Government, what assessment he has made of who was responsible for the damage to the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a.

Mr Philip Hammond

It is important to determine the facts of any incident. From current evidence we have seen, it does not appear that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy. We are continuing to work with all parties to de-escalate regional tensions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Saudi Arabia following receipt of the Final Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond

As I said in Parliament on 28 January, we regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law with the Saudi Government and other members of the military coalition. I raised the issue of IHL compliance on my recent trip to Rome with my Saudi Arabian counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir. The Saudi government have their own internal procedures for investigations and we encourage them to thoroughly investigate all allegations of non-compliance including those reports in the UN.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK plans to send forensic teams to Sinjar in Iraq to examine mass graves that have been discovered there.

Mr Philip Hammond

We are aware of reports that mass graves have been discovered in northern Iraq. The relevant authorities have not requested us to send forensic teams to investigate these reports, and we have no plans to do so.

We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of Yazidis, Christians and other communities by Daesh. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq to do all it can to ensure the security and rights of all communities in Iraq. We are working to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion or belief, including by funding practical projects designed to enhance community dialogue between civil society and faith groups.