Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made on implementing the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict; and what steps he is taking to help other governments prevent and prosecute those responsible for sexual violence in conflict.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are implementing the Protocol through advocacy, capacity building and national application. We have translated the Protocol into French, Spanish, Bosnian and Arabic to ensure it is as widely used as possible. We are developing a set of training materials to support its use, regional training modules on how to implement the Protocol in different local contexts, and a series of bespoke training packages. This includes developing long-term training, mentoring and support programmes on documentation and investigation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; providing financial support to the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Casa de La Mujer to implement the Protocol in Colombia; planning a year-long training project for local human rights NGOs and lawyers in Nepal and hosting launch events in Bosnia to raise the profile of the Protocol amongst government, judicial and NGO partners. These plans will help support governments and civil society organisations to be able to prevent and prosecute sexual violence crimes.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Bahrain on its human rights record.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Our Ambassador and his team regularly discuss human rights and political reform with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels. We are supportive of the reforms underway in Bahrain and commend the steps taken by the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and UN Universal Periodic Review. Whilst progress has been made in a number of areas, we are clear that more needs to be done. I will continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to ensure that the recommendations are fully implemented.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese government on the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Swire
I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 14 October 2014 (PQ 210244).
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) outsourced workers and (c) workers in agencies which report to his Department are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
None of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's, or its agencies, direct employees or agency staff are paid below the living wage. We do not hold information on the earnings of outsourced workers.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's announcement of 20 February 2014, on funding for the International Organization for Migration Greece Assistance for the Voluntary Return and Reintegration of Returnees project, from which budgets the Government's contribution will be funded; how that funding will be spent; what assistance will be provided to the victims of human trafficking from EU countries being supported through that project; what reintegration assistance will be provided to the 75 returning migrants; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
Her Majesty's Goverment Returns and Reintegration Fund is financing the project. The funding will be used to return to their countries of origin migrants who might otherwise travel on to the UK illegally and thereby impose significantly greater costs on UK taxpayers. The funding will include ticket costs for repatriated migrants and small resettlement grants. 75 of the most vulnerable migrants will have support such as training or in finding work as part of their reintegration. Victims of trafficking from EU countries are eligible to receive funding for transportation to their country of origin.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights in North Korea.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UK is deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as I made clear in my Written Ministerial Statement following the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry report into these violations. I have called publicly on the DPRK to take immediate steps to close political prison camps, to act on the Commission's recommendations and to give full and unimpeded access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant parts of the UN. I also made clear the UK's commitment to ensuring the Commission's findings were a beginning and not an end.
Reflecting this commitment, the UK played an active role in ensuring a strong DPRK resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council. I lobbied personally on this issue during my visit to Geneva at the beginning of the Council. Since the resolution was passed we have continued to engage, supporting an informal briefing of the UN Security Council and pressing the DPRK during its recent Universal Periodic Review to respond to the Commission of Inquiry's findings. In May, I met US Special Envoy on DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, to discuss next steps, and during a visit to Geneva next week I will have further discussions with Ambassador King and others.