Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the statement made by the Security Intelligence Service Director-General of New Zealand on 7 March, what discussions they have had with the government of New Zealand about China signing strategic deals with Pacific nations linking economic and security cooperation.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK engages with the Government of New Zealand at both ministerial and official level across a wide range of regional and global issues. This includes any developments relating to economic and security cooperation in the Pacific region.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announcements regarding the reduction in Official Development Assistance, which countries or humanitarian organisations will be exempted from cuts to aid.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). He has been clear that the government will continue to play a key humanitarian role, including in Ukraine, in Gaza and in Sudan. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact and value for money.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve economic ties between the UK and Argentina.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have a growing economic and trading relationship with Argentina. Bilateral trade surpassed £2 billion in 2023 and there are over 120 UK subsidiaries operating in Argentina across various sectors including food and drink, agricultural technology, financial services and transport. The Foreign Secretary had a productive meeting with President Milei at the World Economic Forum in January and with Foreign Minister Mondino at the G20 in February. We continue to work with the Milei administration to deepen our economic relationship in areas of mutual interest, taking advantage of opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding bringing their military operations in Gaza to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a stop in the fighting in Gaza. The Prime Minister discussed the current hostage negotiations with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 30 April and expressed his hope that negotiations are concluded to allow hostages to return home as soon as possible.
We are clear that the vital elements for a lasting peace include the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution and ensures Israelis and Palestinians can live in security and dignity.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Iran regarding the death sentences imposed upon Toomaj Salehi, Abbas Deries, Reza Rasaei and Mojahed Kourkour.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK condemns the death sentence of prominent and fearless artist Toomaj Salehi. Iran's deliberate attempts to silence dissenting voices are clear for all to see. We call for Mr Salehi's immediate release, and the release of all those who are unjustly detained by the Iranian regime. Mr Salehi's sentence is yet more evidence of unacceptable restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran. Nine people associated with the "Woman Life Freedom" protests have been executed.
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We condemn Iran's continued imposition of the death penalty on protesters and have sanctioned 94 Iranian individuals or entities for human rights violations since September 2022. We call on Iran to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Argentina on greater support for the teaching of Welsh in the Chubut Province.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The British Council has delivered the Welsh Language Project (WLP), which promotes and develops the Welsh language in the Chubut region of Patagonia, Argentina, since 1997. Each year, Language Development Officers from Wales spend a full academic year teaching in Patagonia. They develop the language in the Welsh-speaking communities through both formal teaching and informal social activities. His Majesty's Ambassador to Argentina and the British Council Director for Argentina last discussed the programme with the Government of Argentina in mid-March.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan regarding attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK condemns the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan and this is regularly raised in our meetings with the Pakistani authorities. On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. I raised attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October in 2023. On 7 March, the UK formally registered concerns with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech directed towards Ahmadi Muslims, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques, and violence against Ahmadi individuals. In my letter to the newly-appointed Human Rights Minister in March, I underlined the UK's commitment to protecting religious minorities and urged the government of Pakistan to condemn any instances of hate directed towards Ahmadi Muslims and other marginalised religious communities.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Argentina on the future security of the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As fellow G20 members, we look forward to developing a strong and constructive relationship under the Presidency of Javier Milei. When the Minister for the Americas met President Milei at his inauguration, he made clear that the UK has no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and surrounding maritime areas. We are committed to defending proactively the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination; this is not something we will ever be prepared to negotiate on.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Tanzania concerning the forced eviction of the Maasai people from their ancestral lands.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is aware of the complex issue involving the alleged eviction of Maasai communities in Loliondo and Ngorongoro in northern Tanzania, and the Tanzanian Government's voluntary relocation scheme. Whilst recognising that this issue is an internal Tanzanian matter, the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam has met the Government of Tanzania and other stakeholders locally, including Maasai community leaders and civil society representatives, to better understand the challenges posed to all parties by the current situation. We understand that many people have expressed concerns on this issue. We will continue to encourage all stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue.Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to appoint a nominated person or persons to have responsibility for communicating with the Governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in every UK overseas embassy, if those governments so wish.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
While international relations are a matter reserved to the UK Government (UKG) and Westminster Parliament, the UKG recognises the legitimate interest the devolved Governments have on international activity, especially where this has impact on matters of devolved competence, or in their responsibility to implement aspects of international agreements.
Each of the devolved governments has a presence at various locations overseas and often their staff are co-located within UK embassies. FCDO staff in our overseas network already work closely together with officials from each of the devolved governments. The FCDO also has regular engagement with officials from the devolved governments in the UK, including through a recently instituted Director-level forum which held its first meeting in March 2022, with another anticipated in summer 2022. That forum is underpinned by frequent official level engagement across all levels. The FCDO is eager to maintain and develop this engagement further, and identify where closer collaboration and cooperation will continue to bring benefits to every part of the UK, drawing on our extensive diplomatic network overseas.