Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has rules regarding officials having sexual relationships with subordinate staff, including interns; and if so, whether those rules apply to secondees to international organisations where that organisation has no such rules.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
All Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff are subject to the Civil Service Code, and expected to meet the standards of behaviour set down in the Department's internal safeguarding policy. It is for their managers to determine whether an individual's conduct meets, or falls short of, those requirements, and what action may be required as a result.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 4 March (HL14583), when the decision to appoint the current ambassador to NATO was made, and by which previous foreign secretary and Prime Minister.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The appointment was approved in December 2024 by the current Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon Member for Tottenham.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government who made the decision to appoint Angus Lapsley as the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to NATO.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The appointment in question was approved by the previous Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister after a fair and merit-based competitive process, in line with the standard approach to SCS3 level Permanent Representative appointments.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make at the next meeting of the Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe during consideration of the non-payments by the Russian Federation to the former majority shareholders of Yukos of the 1.9 billion euros awarded by the European Court of Human Rights.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Meetings of Ministers' Deputies of the Council of Europe are confidential. We consider that the Russian Government should implement the European Court of Human Rights' ruling of July 2014. The UK has made this point on many occasions previously and will continue to press Russia to fulfil its international obligation to comply with the Court's judgement.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suspension of Russia's annual payment to the Council of Europe, what discussions they have had with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General, regarding the possibility of Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Ambassador to the Council of Europe has had regular discussions with the Secretary General to the Council of Europe over Russia's refusal to pay the second instalment of their budgetary payment for 2017. In addition, my right honourable friends in the other place, the Member for Rutland and Melton, Sir Alan Duncan, and the Member for Aylesbury, David Lidington, separately met the Secretary General on 28 November 2017 . We are considering all possible scenarios and are working with the Secretary General and other Member States on this matter. Russia has an obligation to pay its subscription as a member and should start paying again without delay.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the editorial independence of the BBC Chinese Service of its potential relocation to Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have made no assessment regarding the operational decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. The BBC has advised that BBC Chinese Language staff are already able to report from Hong Kong independently and without interference from authorities. The BBC believes this will continue in Hong Kong which hosts regional headquarters and offices for more than a hundred leading international media organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been informed of any plans by the BBC to move the Russian Service to Moscow.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not been informed by the BBC of any plans to move the Russian Service to Moscow. Operational decisions of this nature are for the BBC to take independently of Government.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy to counter misinformation and censorship from Russia and China and what assessment they have made of how the relocation of the BBC Chinese Service to Hong Kong fits with that strategy, given the rise in Chinese intervention in freedoms in Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Russia’s use of disinformation and hybrid warfare is unacceptable. We are actively working with European and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies to protect and promote access to reliable information and bring balance and plurality to the Russian language media.
We are concerned by the harassment and detention of journalists in China. Freedom of expression is a priority for the UK and it should be the bedrock of a strong democracy. Working with the Chinese authorities and civil society to encourage greater freedom of expression in China remains a priority for us. In Hong Kong, we monitor freedom of the press closely, including in the Six Monthly Reports on Hong Kong, as this is one of the fundamental freedoms protected by the Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law
No assessment has been made regarding the operational decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. The BBC has advised that safety is always of paramount importance and BBC Chinese staff are already able to report from Hong Kong independently and without interference from authorities. The BBC believes this will continue in Hong Kong, which hosts regional headquarters and offices for more than a hundred leading international media organisations. The BBC faces challenges to press freedom all over the world every day and this move will not change its commitment to impartial journalism in any way.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the BBC World Service regarding the proposal to move the Chinese Language Service to Hong Kong.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We did not hold discussions with the BBC World Service prior to their decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. Operational decisions of this nature are for the BBC to take independently of Government.
The BBC has since advised that the entire service is not moving to Hong Kong but that there will be a change in the number of staff based in Hong Kong and London to allow more first-hand reporting in the region.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place at a senior level with the government of Spain regarding a referendum on Catalonian independence, following the regional elections on 27 September.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
There have been no official discussions with the Government of Spain regarding a referendum on Catalonian independence since Catalonia’s regional election on 27 September.