Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Czech counterpart on the purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Foreign Secretary has discussed with his Czech counterpart how we can assist with their scheme. The UK will spend £245 million throughout the next year to procure and invigorate supply chains to produce urgently needed artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
We continue to engage in intensive bilateral and multilateral lobbying efforts to ensure Ukraine gets the military support it needs, leveraging the additional support we have announced this year to secure new commitments.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on the potential impact of that country's Forestry Law on (a) deforestation and (b) human rights.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Minister Rutley] visited Peru in October 2023 and held discussions with senior representatives of the Peruvian Government on a range of priorities, such as the importance of protecting human rights and the environment. We are working with the Peruvian Government to drive sustainable development that protects human rights and delivers climate objectives. Our Embassy in Lima has regularly discussed with the Peruvian Government the potential impacts of changes to the Forestry and Wildlife Law and raised concerns about how these could affect achievement of Peru's international commitments.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Indonesian counterpart on authorising a visit to West Papua by (a) the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, (b) Special Rapporteurs and (c) mandate holders.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK fully respects the territorial integrity of Indonesia and regards the provinces of Papua and West Papua as an integral part of Indonesia. The UK Government continues to support the efforts of the Indonesian authorities and civil society to address the needs and aspirations of the Papuan people. We hope dates for a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights can be agreed soon.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps to help support (a) the claim of the Kichwa people for the return of indigenous lands and (b) authorities with the investigation of the murder of Quinto Inuma in Peru.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of the challenges faced by indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon, and their supporters. We monitor the threats that indigenous people face from groups linked to serious and organised crime, as well as the actions of the Peruvian Government to protect these communities. I [Minister Rutley] was saddened to hear of the tragic murder of Quinto Inuma Alvarado - whom I met recently in Peru and who spoke so passionately about protecting the Amazon. His death underlines the urgent need to protect environmental defenders; the UK stands ready to support the Peruvian authorities with efforts to do so.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Israeli counterpart on the arrest of Mohammad Barakeh.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories remain a human rights priority for the FCDO. Human rights are a crucial element underpinning the UK's foreign policy. We regularly raise concerns with the Government of Israel, where they exist, and we will continue to do so, including in relation to the Israel/Gaza conflict.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how (a) much funding and (b) many full-time equivalent staff have been allocated to the Forced Marriage Unit in each financial year since its foundation; and how many cases have been reported to that unit in each of those years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is jointly funded by the Home Office and FCDO. It currently has six full time staff, two joint heads (one from each department) and four case workers. The Unit's operating costs including staff time, outreach activity and casework are funded through the departmental budgets of its parent organisations.
The FMU publishes annual statistics, including on the total number of cases per year, online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forced-marriage-unit-statistics
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the alleged torture and killing of young people in West Papua by the Indonesian military; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly monitor the ongoing tensions in the Papua region and are aware of recent reports of violent incidents in Papua. FCDO officials maintain dialogue on a broad range of issues with the Indonesian Embassy in London, including on Papua. British Embassy Jakarta staff visited Papua in March 2022 and met officials, police, local businesses, human rights defenders, environmentalists, and religious leaders.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Indonesian counterpart on the alleged killing of West Papuan civilians by the Indonesian military in August and September 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly monitor the ongoing tensions in the Papua region and are aware of recent reports of violent incidents in Papua. FCDO officials maintain dialogue on a broad range of issues with the Indonesian Embassy in London, including on Papua.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has met his Brazilian counterpart to discuss the ongoing impact of the Mariana Dam incident.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government regularly engages with the Brazilian Government on a wide range of issues, including the continuing impact of the Mariana Dam incident. Minister Docherty, the Minister of State for Europe, spoke at a Westminster Hall Debate on 22 June and mentioned ongoing work between the UK and Brazil to improve safety measures around tailings dam management. In 2019, following the collapse of the Brumadinho dam in Brazil, the Department for International Trade supported an initiative to publish the world's first Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, to help improve safety worldwide. A partnership between the British Embassy in Brasilia and the Prosecutor's Office in the State of Minas Gerais led to the launch, in May 2022, of the world's first independent tailings dam monitoring centre in Brazil, which aims to improve safety and transparency in tailing dam management.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is considering making any financial contribution to the proposed Industrial Park in the Banteng Region of Indonesia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is not planning to make a financial contribution to the proposed Industrial Park in the Banteng Region of Indonesia. There is great potential to increase trade and investment flows between the UK and Indonesian as set out in the UK-Indonesia Partnership Roadmap which was launched in April 2022. In February 2022, I [Minister Trevelyan] visited Indonesia as Secretary of State for International Trade to hold the first UK-Indonesia Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) in support of achieving our joint ambition for our future trade relationship.