Tag: Hilary Benn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of alleged mass graves in Burundi.

Mr Philip Hammond

I am deeply concerned by the discovery of alleged mass graves in Burundi. I am aware that the UN is currently analysing satellite images to investigate reports of at least nine mass graves, including one in a military camp said to contain more than 100 bodies. There must be an impartial investigation into these allegations. Where crimes have been committed, those responsible must be prosecuted. In the margins of the African Union Summit the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) met the African Union’s Peace and Security Commissioner, Smail Chergui, and the Burundian Minister of External Relations and International Cooperation, Alain Nyamwite. He strongly urged the Burundian Government to accept responsibility for what was happening in their country and to take decisive action to improve the situation. We are exploring what more we can do to support the African Union’s leadership, and have intensified our efforts at the UN and with our EU partners to halt the violence in Burundi.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security situation in Somalia since the attack on AMISOM forces in January 2016.

Mr Philip Hammond

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has made significant territorial gains in Somalia since 2007, regaining all major cities and much of the territory formerly controlled by Al-Shabaab. The overall improvement in the security situation has created the space for progress towards a permanent political settlement and the recently accepted model for the 2016 electoral process is an important step forward. Recent events however, are a reminder, that although it no longer poses an existential threat to Somalia, Al-Shabaab continues to pose a significant terrorist threat in Somalia and the region.

2016 is a critical year for security and political progress in Somalia. It is therefore crucial that the Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM work together to renew offensive operations against Al-Shabaab and secure the electoral process. The upcoming High Level Partnership Forum in Istanbul and AMISOM Troop Contributing Country (TCC) Summit in Djibouti, are important opportunities to ensure sustained progress. As announced by the Prime Minister, my right hon. friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) at the UN General Assembly in September, the UK will bolster support to the SNA and AMISOM through a deployment of up to 70 UK troops to the UN Support Office in Somalia. The UK will also continue to provide SNA troop stipends and UK advisory teams.

We therefore stand shoulder to shoulder with Kenya, as her longest-standing defence partner, and particularly at this difficult time following the losses at El Adde. We greatly value the contribution made by Kenya and the other TCCs to AMISOM. The Prime Minister has written to President Kenyatta to offer condolences and express appreciation for the sacrifices that Kenyan Defence Forces are making in Somalia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on (a) geopolitical stability and (b) the UK’s influence in the world.

Mr Philip Hammond

At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has been clear that in remaining in a reformed EU the UK can play a leading role in one of the world’s largest organisations from within, helping to make the big decisions on trade and security that determine our future. Working together with EU partners, for example on sanctions against Russia, or on the Iran nuclear dossier, has given the UK’s foreign policy an important additional dimension.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Liberia.

Mr Philip Hammond

Liberia has made significant progress since the end of its civil war in 2003. However, Liberia’s second Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015, highlighted continuing concerns over gender-based violence and victims’ access to justice; the length of pre-trial detention; investigative capacity of the police and judiciary; and the death penalty. The government of Liberia accepted 147 of the 186 recommendations made. The UK Government regularly presses for concrete action in these areas through our Ambassador in Monrovia and in multilateral fora.

The UK is concerned about inflammatory statements by the Liberian opposition in the run-up to the country’s elections in 2017. In March, our Ambassador urged the Government of Liberia to show restraint by ensuring that their responses to such statements are proportionate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of elections due to take place in November 2016 on political stability in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Philip Hammond

The Government is concerned that elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may not take place by the Constitutional deadline in November 2016. We believe that it is still technically possible to hold the elections on time and remain committed to doing what we can to support this process.

On 4 March 2016 the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my Hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), announced in Kinshasa that the UK was prepared to make available £11.4 million to support the elections provided that certain conditions were met. These conditions include the production of a credible timetable and budget for the elections.

We have called upon the Government of the DRC to ensure that political freedoms, freedom of media and speech and human rights are respected to ensure a peaceful and fair environment for the elections. We have also called upon all actors to respect the law and avoid inciting violence and disorder.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the fairness of conduct of elections in Serbia.

Mr Philip Hammond

Elections took place in Serbia on 24 April. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) deployed a 22 person election monitoring mission and we and other countries fielded additional observers. We await final reports and ODIHR’s full and thorough assessment of the fairness and conduct of yesterday’s elections.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence given to the Committees on Arms Export Controls on 27 April 2016 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, how many final reports his Department has received from the Saudi government’s independent investigation committee on alleged breaches of international humanitarian law to date in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond

Saudi Arabia is conducting a number of investigations into specific allegations of breaches of International Humanitarian Law. On 31 January Saudi Arabia held a press conference where they announced the result of the investigation into the MSF hospital incident on 26 October in Sa’ada. They also announced more detail of how they investigate allegations of IHL breaches and apply lessons learnt from these investigations. It is important that these investigations are thorough and conclusive. We would encourage them to publish their findings where appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Bahrain on the imprisonment of Sheikh Ali Salman in that country.

Mr Philip Hammond

We are concerned about the recent extension of the imprisonment of Al Wefaq’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Ali Salman. We continue to raise his case with the Government of Bahrain, including most recently on 30 May when I raised his case at the highest levels during a visit to Manama. I understand there is a further stage in the legal process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils attending state-funded (a) grammar schools and (b) schools that are not grammar schools (i) are eligible for free schools meals and (ii) have special educational needs.

Nick Gibb

The Government does not collect data on pupils who have social educational needs.

The number and proportion of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals are set out below.

	Eligible for and claiming FSM
State-funded grammars	2.5% (4,237 of 166,517 pupils)
Non-selective state-funded secondary schools	13.8% (416,279 of 3,026,901 pupils)

Source: January 2016 school census return. The data includes all pupils on roll, including those over 16.

The consultation document Schools that work for Everyone proposes that we should seek to identify and support those families which are ‘just managing’; those on modest incomes who might not be in receipt of benefits but nevertheless are just about managing. The document also proposes that we should place conditions on new selective schools so that they attract more pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and that they should work with non-selective schools to raise standards for all pupils.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45944, on Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff, how many offers of pro bono support from consultancy firms his Department has (a) been offered and (b) taken up.

Mr Robin Walker

The Department for Exiting the European Union has received a significant number of offers of support from individuals and businesses. To date, the department has utilised the services of seven consultancy firms on a pro bono or nominal (£1) basis.