Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the content, and (2) the use of, anti-proselytisation laws in Algeria and their effect on freedom of religion or belief in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Algerian law grants all individuals the right to practise their religion as long as they respect public order and regulations. It is legal to convert to another faith. However, an Ordonnance makes it illegal for non-Muslims to incite or attempt to persuade a Muslim to convert to another religion. The UK is encouraging the Algerian Government to make its laws fully compatible with principles of Freedom of Religious Belief in their Constitution.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Christians in Algeria face severe restrictions in importing Christian literature and other materials.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Algerian law requires Ministry of Religious Affairs permission for the import and production of religious pamphlets and brochures for any recognised religion.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the government of Algeria not to recognise the Association of Protestant Churches of Algeria; and what representations they have made to that government to encourage them to process the Association’s re-registration application without delay
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We understand that the Protestant Church of Algeria is recognised by the Algerian authorities as a religious association, and are not aware of an Association of Protestant Churches of Algeria.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Algeria to ensure that the National Commission for Non-Muslim Religious Groups functions efficiently and fairly, particularly to ensure that applications from churches are considered within the designated period.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is protected under the Algerian Constitution, and we have raised with the Algerian authorities the importance of ensuring those protections are reflected in their law and processes. I discussed FoRB with the Algerian Minister for Religious Affairs in October 2017, as did our Ambassador in January this year.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Egypt on the risk that reconciliation following religiously motivated violence may become a means of avoiding justice.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected.
We regularly raise our concerns around the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, which are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religious Belief in Egypt.
In particular, we welcome President Sisi’s consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK supports continued dialogue between the Church and State, including on the topic of the Church Building Law. We urge the Egyptian authorities to implement the law in a way that enables Christians to exercise their freedom to worship.
Attacks by Daesh against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt are deplorable. The UK is committed to supporting the Egyptian Government’s fight against terrorist groups, including those who seek to target minority groups such as Coptic Christians. All victims of terrorism in Egypt deserve the recourse to justice afforded to them by the Egyptian constitution.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent attacks on church buildings in Egypt and the impact of those attacks on freedom of religion or belief in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected.
We regularly raise our concerns around the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, which are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religious Belief in Egypt.
In particular, we welcome President Sisi’s consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK supports continued dialogue between the Church and State, including on the topic of the Church Building Law. We urge the Egyptian authorities to implement the law in a way that enables Christians to exercise their freedom to worship.
Attacks by Daesh against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt are deplorable. The UK is committed to supporting the Egyptian Government’s fight against terrorist groups, including those who seek to target minority groups such as Coptic Christians. All victims of terrorism in Egypt deserve the recourse to justice afforded to them by the Egyptian constitution.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the promotion and upholding of freedom of religion or belief for all in Egypt, with particular reference to recent changes to laws concerning church buildings in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected.
We regularly raise our concerns around the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, which are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religious Belief in Egypt.
In particular, we welcome President Sisi’s consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK supports continued dialogue between the Church and State, including on the topic of the Church Building Law. We urge the Egyptian authorities to implement the law in a way that enables Christians to exercise their freedom to worship.
Attacks by Daesh against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt are deplorable. The UK is committed to supporting the Egyptian Government’s fight against terrorist groups, including those who seek to target minority groups such as Coptic Christians. All victims of terrorism in Egypt deserve the recourse to justice afforded to them by the Egyptian constitution.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what preparations the international community has made for the protection of the human rights of women and minorities in Syria in a post-Assad regime.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is clear that Syria needs a political transition leading to a more accountable, inclusive, representative form of governance than the Asad regime. A fundamental element of transition needs to be a commitment to protect Syria's minorities and to promote the role of women in the political process and beyond.
Within the International Syria Support Group and in our close work with the moderate opposition, we promote the inclusion and safeguarding of minorities and women as the political process progresses.
The international community is working with the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee. At a launch hosted by the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) in September, they set out a progressive and compelling vision for political transition in Syria, emphasising among other things their commitment to the protection of all components of Syrian society and to promoting women's rights.
The Government has provided £7 million in direct support to gender related projects in Syria since the start of the crisis. For financial year 2016/17, we are due to spend a further £1.9m. Across the 2016 programme, all projects are gender sensitive, with action being taken to raise awareness of gender equality issues, promote the empowerment of women, and gather evidence and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the budget totals for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in each of the last five available financial years; how much of each budget was within the discretion of that department's management; and what proportion of the overall national budget expenditure those two figures represent for the last available year.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Providing the complete information requested would exceed the word limit for responses to written parliamentary questions. However, the information requested is available through Her Majesty's Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s annual reports, whichhave been placed in the Library of the House.