Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers from Nicaragua have arrived in the UK in each year since 2018; and how many of those have been granted asylum so far.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum as part of the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ which is published on gov.uk. Data on asylum applications and initial decisions by nationality are published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2023.
Please note, the applications data in Asy_D01 relates to applications for asylum – not arrivals. Individuals must be in the country to apply for asylum; some will apply immediately upon arrival, but some may be in the country for a period of time before applying. Arrival information for refugees is not collected as part of the asylum application.
Please note that initial decisions in Asy_D02 are based on date of decision and do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. For example, a decision in 2023 may relate to an application made in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan concerning the denial of the right to vote as Muslims of Ahmadi Muslims in the 2024 elections in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In his statement of 9 February, the Foreign Secretary recognised serious concerns about the inclusivity of Pakistan's elections and stressed the need for the new government to represent the interests of all Pakistan's citizens and communities. The UK advocates against any measures which restrict an individual's right to vote, including discriminatory measures used against religious minority communities such as the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. On 19 January, I raised the need for inclusivity in the elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. On 25 September 2023, the former Foreign Secretary raised the importance of credible, inclusive and timely elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar. On 21 August, I wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani to raise concerns about the treatment of minority religious communities and underline the need to ensure all Pakistan's citizens, including Ahmadi Muslims, are able to exercise their democratic rights.
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 14 February (HL2065), whether it remains their position that no British nationals have been named co-conspirators by the prosecution in Jimmy Lai’s National Security Law trial in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The prosecution in Mr Lai's politically motivated trial has sought to highlight Mr Lai's relationships with foreign nationals; including British nationals. As we have made clear the naming of any British national in this trial is unacceptable. None are named as co-conspirators on Mr Lai's charge sheet. In the prosecution's opening statement British nationals Mr Luke de Pulford and Mr Bill Browder have been referenced as individuals Mr Lai "conspired with" amongst others. In the same statement, Mr Benedict Rogers and Mr de Pulford have been referenced as individuals Mr Lai "collaborated with, gave instructions to and/or relayed or received information among a network of persons acting as agents and/or intermediaries in particular for the purposes of requesting sanctions, etc". The judges in the trial have not yet ruled on the prosecution's claims. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific has met with several of the individuals and we have made clear our concerns to the Chinese authorities.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps through the Financial Action Task Force against Russia for violating sanctions on North Korea.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 23 February, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) expressed its concern about the growing financial connectivity of Russia with countries subject to countermeasures, namely North Korea and Iran, and the potential risks of proliferation financing, malicious cyber activities and ransomware attacks.
The UK’s recent joint statement (12 January 2024) is clear that Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles and their use against Ukraine violate multiple UNSCRs. Actively facilitating the circumvention of UNSCR 1718 and violating its prohibitions undermines the global fight against proliferation, the UN sanctions regime, and consequently the financial sanctions requirements of the FATF standards. The UK will continue to call out Russia’s violation of UNSCRs both at the UN and within the FATF.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to place in the Library of the House a full transcript of the discussions held between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A summary of the discussion was published on gov.uk in the usual way. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-meeting-with-chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-february-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, if any, has been made as to whether gems and precious stones from Myanmar sold by British retailers could have been used to finance the Myanmar military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that UK businesses trading with Myanmar should conduct thorough due diligence to ensure their operations are not benefiting the military regime. We have strengthened our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to warn companies of the risks associated with Myanmar's extractive sector. We will also continue to consider a range of sanctions targets that reduce the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment. To date, we have sanctioned the following mining companies for providing economic resources to the Myanmar Security Forces: Myanmar Gems Enterprise, Myanmar Pearl Enterprise, Mining Enterprise 1 and Mining Enterprise 2.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the People's Republic of China, including in discussions between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, regarding that country's behaviour towards Taiwan, including its adjustment of flight routes in the Taiwan Strait.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and have underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside partners in previous G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' and Leaders' communiques.
The UK's longstanding policy on Taiwan has not changed. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion.
The UK has regular discussions within International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the importance of communication and coordination in the protection of air safety, especially when it comes to changes to airspace such as this.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the People's Republic of China, including in discussions between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, to call for the immediate removal of sanctions against British parliamentarians who have raised concerns regarding human rights issues in China, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government considers China's sanctions to be completely unwarranted and unacceptable. When China imposed the sanctions in 2021, the former Minister for Asia summoned China's representative in the UK to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to lodge a strong, formal protest. We continue to urge the Chinese authorities at the highest levels to rescind the sanctions; the Foreign Secretary has called for their removal at both of his engagements with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi - in person at the Munich Security Conference on 16 February, and during their introductory call in December 2023. The former Foreign Secretary also consistently raised sanctioned Parliamentarians, including during his visit to Beijing in August 2023. The Government will continue to raise this issue in our engagement with China.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the People's Republic of China, including in discussions between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, to call for an end to transnational repression of Hong Kong people living in the United Kingdom, and the removal of bounties for their arrest.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 February, the Foreign Secretary met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference. In line with the Government's "protect, align, and engage" approach to China, as set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the Foreign Secretary raised a number of issues important to the UK national interest. The Foreign Secretary reiterated his call for the release of British national Jimmy Lai and unambiguously set out the UK's position across a number of areas of disagreement, including on Hong Kong. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Chinese authorities to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it. We have been clear that we will not tolerate any attempts to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the People's Republic of China, including in discussions between the Foreign Secretary and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference, to call for the repeal of the Hong Kong national security law and the release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 February, the Foreign Secretary met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference. In line with the Government's "protect, align, and engage" approach to China, as set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the Foreign Secretary raised a number of issues important to the UK national interest. The Foreign Secretary reiterated his call for the release of British national Jimmy Lai and unambiguously set out the UK's position across a number of areas of disagreement, including on Hong Kong. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Chinese authorities to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it. We have been clear that we will not tolerate any attempts to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK.