Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether (a) he and (b) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (i) have made and (ii) plan to make representations to their counterparts in Georgia on the treatment of British and international NGOs ahead of elections in the context of the introduction of the foreign agents bill in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. I [Minister for Europe] discussed this and a range of other issues with the Georgian Ambassador on 17 April and 14 May. In my statement of 14 May, I called on the Georgian Government to withdraw the law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, and also noted my deep concerns regarding the orchestrated intimidation of demonstrators in Tbilisi. Our Ambassador in Tbilisi has also consistently made our concerns clear to the Georgian authorities, most recently to the Prime Minister on 22 April and President on 4 May.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether (a) he and (b) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (i) have made and (ii) plan to make representations to their counterparts in Georgia on ensuring free and fair elections in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is committed to supporting Georgia to hold elections that meet international standards. During his March 2023 visit to Georgia, the former Foreign Secretary pledged £500,000 to support election monitoring in Georgia, including £70,000 to support the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights mission ahead of elections expected in October 2024. The former Minister for Europe discussed elections with then Georgian Prime Minister Gharibashvili during his visit to Tbilisi on 21 November 2023.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many referrals have been received by HMRC from trading standards since the commencement of the Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) Regulations 2023; and how many penalties have been issued following such referrals.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Exchequer Secretary (Treasury)
In July 2023 new powers were given to Trading Standards to make referrals to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) where they find evidence of tobacco products that don’t comply with the UK Tobacco Track and Trace System. The referral process which practically implements these powers started in October 2023. HMRC periodically publishes outputs of its tobacco strategy, and will publish the outputs of its work with Trading Standards as part of future publications
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his Georgian counterpart on the impact of the foreign agent bill on the treatment of (a) UK and (b) international non-governmental organisations during elections in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. I [Minister for Europe] discussed this and a range of other issues with the Georgian Ambassador on 17 April, and on 2 May I publicly raised my concerns regarding the apparent excessive use of force by police during demonstrations in Tbilisi. His Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia has consistently made our concerns about the proposed law on Transparency of Foreign Influence known to the Georgian Government, most recently to the Prime Minister on 22 April and President on 4 May.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made recent representations to his Georgian counterpart on the (a) release and (b) pardon of Mikhail Saakashvili.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
His Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia has discussed Mr Saakashvili's health and detention conditions with the Georgian Government and with Mr Saakashvili's supporters on several occasions. The former Foreign Secretary discussed Mr Saakashvili's detention with Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili in January 2023. The UK is clear that Mr Saakashvili must receive treatment in line with international human rights standards, and that any further hearings regarding his case are in line with the rule of law and due process. We continue to follow the imprisonment of Mr Saakashvili's closely.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in Georgia on the conduct of Russia towards that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
As a valued international security partner, the UK holds regular discussions with the Georgian Government regarding combatting Russian hybrid aggression and illegal presence in Georgian territories. In November, the former Minister for Europe discussed Georgia's sovereignty over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with then Prime Minister Gharibashvili and Foreign Minister Darchiashvili, and His Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia regularly discusses these matters with Georgian counterparts. Countering Russian aggression in the region is a priority for the UK.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made recent representations to his counterpart in Georgia on the conduct of elections in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is committed to supporting Georgia to hold elections that meet international standards. During his March 2023 visit to Georgia, the former Foreign Secretary pledged £500,000 to support election monitoring in Georgia including £70,000 to support the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights' mission ahead of elections expected in October 2024. The former Minister for Europe discussed elections with then Georgian Prime Minister Gharibashvili during his visit to Tbilisi on 21 November 2023.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Georgia's draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. I [Minister for Europe] discussed this and a range of other issues with the Georgian Ambassador on 17 April, and on 2 May I publicly raised my concerns regarding the apparent excessive use of force by police during demonstrations in Tbilisi. His Majesty's Ambassador to Georgia has consistently made our concerns about the proposed law on Transparency of Foreign Influence known to the Georgian Government, most recently to the Prime Minister on 22 April and President on 4 May.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring political institutional reform in Ukraine as a condition of providing reconstruction aid to that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The new UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation sets out our reform expectations for the Government of Ukraine, aligning with priority reforms set by NATO, the EU, the International Monetary Fund and our G7 Partners. Ukraine has continued to reiterate its commitment to making progress on reforms as part of the EU accession process and its reconstruction efforts. Institutional reform is a key part of Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts to build back better, ensuring greater transparency and oversight. The UK has been providing technical assistance to key political institutional reforms, including anti-corruption and electoral reform in Ukraine.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on taking steps to help tackle public sector corruption in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Ukraine has made significant progress on anti-corruption reform since 2014. As the Ukrainian Government recognises, there remains more to do. The UK-funded Good Governance Fund Ukraine, a £38 million three-year technical assistance programme, has been supporting key anti-corruption and governance reforms in Ukraine, including the relaunch of the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges, institutions critical to a judiciary free from unlawful interference. The UK also supports defence reform, providing senior UK advisory support to the Ministry of Defence and Defence Reform Advisory Board.