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Written Question
Jimmy Lai
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the call made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture on 8 March that Hong Kong and China investigate the admission of evidence allegedly obtained by torture in the trial of Jimmy Lai, and (2) the statement by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC that evidence which appears to have been procured by torture may be used in proceedings against Jimmy Lai.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 8 March the UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), UN and Other International Organisations (Geneva) highlighted the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture's comments and noted the allegation that some evidence to be used to prosecute Jimmy Lai had been obtained through the torture of Andy Li. Article 15 of the Convention against Torture, which China has ratified, prohibits the use of statements established to have been made as a result of torture in court proceedings. We are clear that no evidence gained via torture can be valid evidence.


Written Question
Pakistan: Ahmadiyya
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 March (HL2717), whether they will specifically raise with the government of Pakistan why Ahmadi Muslims were not included on the single electoral list with all other voters in the recent elections in that country.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the inclusivity of the elections and the rights of religious minorities. We will continue to raise human rights issues affecting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in engagements with the new government and reaffirm the importance of Pakistan respecting the voting rights of all religious communities.


Written Question
Hong Kong: Human Rights
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alignment of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international laws and standards; and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the legislation on British National (Overseas) visa holders, in particular the six exiled Hong Kongers in the UK with arrest warrants and HK$1 million bounties who might be considered “absconders” under the new security legislation.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Hong Kong is required to ensure that national security legislation complies with international standards and upholds rights and freedoms, as set out in the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, and international law. The future application of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, implemented under Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, enacted on 23 March is likely incompatible with international human rights law and will have a negative impact on the people of Hong Kong in the exercise of their rights and freedoms. That is why the Foreign Secretary on 19 March urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect rights and freedoms and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December 2023, we will not tolerate any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK.


Written Question
Hong Kong: Pensions
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to impose sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee for his role in the development of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong; and whether they will make representations to HSBC and Standard Chartered to allow Hong Kongers to access to their Mandatory Provident Fund.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF). Financial institutions operating in Hong Kong do so within a strict legal and regulatory framework. British officials in Hong Kong have raised this directly with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong MPF Schemes Authority and will continue to do so. We have also raised the issue with trustee HSBC directly. We will continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities and all relevant bodies to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. We continue to keep sanctions designations under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions measures as to do so could reduce their impact.


Written Question
Ukraine: Crimes of Aggression
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations to establish a Register of Damages for the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine, what assessment they have made of the categories of claim included; how entries to the Register are to be made; and how the distribution of damages will be determined and audited to deter corruption.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to ensuring Russia pays for its unprovoked war in Ukraine, including in our role as an inaugural member and Chair of the Conference of Parties of the Register of Damage. The Register is an important step in the pursuit of justice and ensuring those responsible are held to account. The Member States of the Register are expected to approve the list of claims categories and the process for submitting claims at the end of March 2024. The Register will have no adjudication functions with respect to claims, including determination of responsibility and allocation of any payments.


Written Question
Chelsea Football Club: Sales
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the issue of a licence by the Office of Financial Solutions in May 2022 to enable the sale of Chelsea Football Club, why the sale has not been expedited, when the anticipated £2.5 billion realised by the sale will become available to support victims of the conflict in Ukraine, and whether the funds may be used for the creation of an International Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the noble Lord to the answer to Question HL2826 given on 13 March 2024, which can be found on the Q&A web pages (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-28/hl2826).


Written Question
Ukraine: Crimes of Aggression
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the establishment of an International Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, and what assessment they have made of the ways that Tribunal’s processes for ensuring that victims of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine are able to access justice and reparations.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The United Kingdom is a member of the Core Group established by Ukraine to explore options for a tribunal for the crime of aggression. We continue to engage proactively in discussions within the group, including on the form that any tribunal might take.


Written Question
Ukraine: Reconstruction
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the wide range of estimates for the reconstruction of Ukraine; what action they have taken to confiscate Russian assets to contribute to reconstruction costs; and what estimate they have made of the value of those assets.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As the Government has made very clear in parliament and through collective statements at the G7, Russia should pay for the damage it has caused. The World Bank calculates total recovery and reconstruction needs at $486 billion. The UK will remain a credible partner on this by assuring ourselves of the safety, robustness and legality of any proposal to make use of Russian assets to support Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine between February 2022 and October 2023, cumulatively £22.7 billion of Russian assets have been reported frozen due to UK financial sanctions regulations.


Written Question
China: Internment
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL2663), whether they have made any estimate of the number of camps, including the so-called anti-extremism centres and re-education camps, in (1) Tibet and (2) the rest of China.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government refers to credible external estimates, in particular those from the United Nations, of numbers of individuals in China detained under various circumstances and within certain geographies. For example, the April 2023 UN Special Procedures found "[h]undreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been 'transferred' from their traditional rural lives to low-skilled and low-paid employment since 2015" noting "the labour transfer programme is facilitated by a network of 'vocational training centres', which focus less on developing professional skills and more on cultural and political indoctrination in a militarised environment." As noted in the Government's response to Written Question HL2663, with regard to the situation in Xinjiang, in 2018 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination estimated "upwards of a million people were being held in so-called counter-extremism centres and another two million had been forced into what the Chinese refer to as 're-education camps' for political and cultural indoctrination."


Written Question
Afghanistan and Iran: Women
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the report of the Gender Apartheid Inquiry Shattering Women's Rights, Shattering Lives, launched on 4 March, and whether they intend to formally respond to its findings and recommendations.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO is aware of the report. There are complex legal and political questions which arise in considering any new crime of 'gender apartheid'. We are considering these questions and consulting legal advisers and subject matter experts.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban and Iranian policies and actions that restrict the rights of women and girls. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers to reverse their harmful policies on women and girls. Since Iran's mass protests of 2022-23, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We will continue to work with the international community to address women and girls' rights issues in Afghanistan and Iran.