The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of plans by the Israeli government to use its security services to disrupt and gather information on supporters of a boycott of Israel; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of such plans on UK citizens.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of media reporting on this issue. No assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken towards securing international agreement for the elimination of nuclear weapons in line with the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and what plans he has for further steps towards such agreement in the next 12 months.
Sir Alan Duncan
As stated in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the UK is working with our international partners to tackle proliferation and to make progress on multilateral nuclear disarmament. The UK plays a leading role on disarmament verification with the US and Norway. In February 2016 the UK proposed a Programme of Work at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva with the aim of reinvigorating the Conference’s work. The P5 Process, initiated by the UK, brings together nuclear weapons states to build trust and confidence to help create the conditions which would enable disarmament. Over the coming year we will continue to press for key steps towards multilateral disarmament, including the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and successful negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.
The Government continues to work to deliver the Strategic Defence and Security Review commitment to reduce our stockpile of nuclear weapons to no more than 180 warheads by the mid 2020s.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that UK businesses that operate in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories are aware of the Overseas Business Risk guidance related to Israel.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Overseas Business Risk (OBR) service covers 106 different countries. This is voluntary guidance to British businesses, available free of charge on GOV.UK. The guidance is regularly reviewed and updated if necessary. The OBR service is routinely promoted as part of officials’ outreach work with businesses and trade promotion agencies and partners. It is the decision of an individual or company whether to operate in settlements in the Occupied Territories, but the British Government would neither encourage nor support such activity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with G4S on that company’s adherence to the terms of the (a) Fourth Geneva Convention and (b) UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights related to the detention of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK considers Palestinians arrested in the OPTs and detained in Israel as contrary to Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The UK Government encourages British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally and we have made this clear in meetings with G4S.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Turkish government on the effect of its policies on freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial and the rule of law.
Mr David Lidington
As a friend and ally we regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the government of Turkey on that government’s proposal to remove parliamentary immunity from opposition members of parliament.
Mr David Lidington
The lifting of parliamentary immunity is a matter for the Turkish parliament. As a modern democracy and candidate for EU accession, we would expect Turkey to undertake any subsequent legal processes transparently and to fully respect the rule of law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the proposed Edinburgh City Deal.
James Wharton
We are working with Edinburgh and South East Scotland on their proposals to drive local economic growth and will continue to do so in partnership with the Scottish Government. As a One Nation Government, serious about rebalancing our economy, we will consider strong, credible ideas from all areas of the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to recommendation 8 of the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, The UK’s role in the war against ISIL following the cessation of hostilities in Syria in February 2016, published on 24 March 2016, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on seeking a negotiated, peaceful and democratic solution to the conflict in predominantly Kurdish areas of Turkey.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The ongoing violence in the predominantly Kurdish areas of south-east Turkey is extremely concerning. We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected. PKK violence must end and the peace process be resumed. We stand ready to help in any way we can. The Foreign Secretary and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress has been made on the Big Society initiative.
Mr Rob Wilson
The UK Government is committed to the Big Society and the increase of social action in communities. The Spending Review has seen this commitment reaffirmed byfunding 300,000 NCS places by 2020, ensuring that any young person who wants to participate is guaranteed a place, and an extra£80million to grow Social Investment. These initiatives are helping to empower people around the country to build more resilient communities and a stronger society for all.
Civil Society and Communities policy are fully devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the application from Mr Hamde Abu Rahma to visit Scotland was rejected; and if she will instigate a review of that decision.
James Brokenshire
In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 the Home Office is limited in what information it can provide when the request is made by someone who is not the applicant. The Home Office is therefore unable to provide the information requested.
All applications are considered on their individual merits and in line with the Immigration Rules.