Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 September (HL9906), what are the cost, extent and purpose of the current building works, including refurbishment and routine maintenance, taking place at the residence of the UK's Permanent Representative to the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on the 18 September [HL 9906].
The Ducale Residence is a vital part of our diplomatic operations in Brussels, used by the UK Permanent Representatives to the EU and NATO and the British Ambassador to Belgium. Routine maintainance was carried out in order to repair the façade, secure loose masonry and protect window frames at a cost of £62,000.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 18 September (HL9904), what factors, in addition to the charge and length of detention, they take into account when deciding whether to raise cases of persons in detention with the government of Turkey; whether those factors include the profession of those detained; and if so, what professions are most relevant.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
My answer of 18 September 2018 (HL 9904) set out the factors we consider when deciding to raise cases with the Turkish authorities, namely the nature of the charge and length of sentence. The profession of the detainee is not a factor in our decision-making.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what quality assurance process is followed in approving draft responses to parliamentary questions for written answer in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) responses to House of Lords written parliamentary questions (PQs) are quality controlled to make sure they conform to: the 'Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords' paragraph 6.42; Cabinet Office PQ Guidance; and internal FCO Best Practice Guidance. PQs are cleared by: a Senior (SMS grade) Manager in the drafting department; officials in Ministerial Private Offices and the Parliamentary Relations Department; Special Advisers; the Minister responsible for the subject area; and the answering Minister.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what training they provide to officials drafting responses to parliamentary written questions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As well as Civil Service wide e-learning on drafting written parliamentary questions (PQs), the FCO provides a variety of departmental, issues based, bespoke, one-to-one and on-the-job training and guidance on PQs and drafting.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the cost, extent and purpose of the current refurbishment of the residence of the UK's Permanent Representative to the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is no current refurbishment of the UK Permanent Representative to the European Union’s Residence in Brussels. We are, however, currently undertaking routine maintenance to the front of the building.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 July (HL9469), how many separate cases of detention in Turkey have been raised with the government of Turkey; and on how many occasions each of those cases of detention have been raised.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not reveal details of all the cases we have raised with the Turkish authorities nor the frequency with which we have raised them. However we will continue to raise key human rights issues, including individual cases where appropriate and in accordance with the criteria outlined in HL9904 with Turkey.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use when deciding which cases of persons in detention to raise with the government of Turkey.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As explained in HL9056, when deciding which specific detention cases to raise with the Turkish authorities we examine each on a case by case basis, noting the nature of the charge and length of detention. This year we have raised several cases, mainly concerning human rights defenders and journalists. We will continue to engage with the Turkish authorities on these important human rights concerns.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of persons held in detention in Turkey have been raised with the government of Turkey as a result of discussions and decisions taken by the EU member states acting in political co-operation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We closely coordinate our approach to human rights-related work in Turkey with EU and other likeminded countries, such as Canada and Switzerland. We do not reveal details of all the cases we have collectively raised. We will continue to cooperate with our partners in this important field.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 July (HL9056), how many cases of detention in Turkey they have made representations about so far this year; and to give the details for each such instance.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is not our policy to reveal all details of private meetings with foreign officials. As I said previously, we have raised a number of cases, including those of the civil society representatives known as the Istanbul 10.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 June (HL8548 and HL8549), and further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL Deb, col 182), what criteria they use when determining which individual cases of detention in Turkey to make representations about; and how many individuals have had representations made on their behalf so far this year.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
When deciding which specific detention cases to raise with the Turkish authorities we examine each on a case by case basis, noting the nature of the charge and length of detention. This year we have raised several cases, mainly concerning human rights defenders and journalists. We will continue to engage with the Turkish authorities on these important human rights concerns.