Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department will take to assist Bougainville towards independence in line with that region’s agreement with the Government of Papua New Guinea.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK has consistently supported implementation of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement. This includes sharing our experience of conflict resolution and devolution, and providing almost £200,000 to UN programmes supporting the non-binding 2019 independence referendum and subsequent consultations on Bougainville’s final political status. We will continue to support international efforts to help the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville reach an agreed settlement.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent protecting endangered languages from extinction in Papua New Guinea; and what assessment she has made of the importance to indigenous communities of speaking their native languages and the wider linguistic diversity of that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Government acknowledges the importance of Papua New Guinea's rich cultural and linguistic diversity, with almost 850 spoken languages. In partnership with the Leverhulme Trust and British Library, we are funding a three year project - True Echoes - to connect communities in Papua New Guinea with the earliest recordings of their local languages and song, dating from 1898 to 1918, and to make the archive available online for all, including Papua New Guinea's cultural institutions and future generations.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the Government of Brunei on the penalties in place in that country against LGBT people.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. We continue to raise human rights and respect of individual freedoms as part of our bilateral discussions with Brunei. I discussed LGBT rights in my meeting with Foreign Minister II Erywan on 9 December.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to sanction businesses that are complicit in the use of forced labour in Xinjiang, China.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
On the 12th of January, the UK Government announced a series of robust measures in respect of UK supply chains to help ensure that no British organisations - government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently - are profiting from or contributing to human rights violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities in Xinjiang. These measures include a review of export controls as they apply to Xinjiang, the introduction of financial penalties for organisations that fail to comply with their obligations under the Modern Slavery Act, and new, robust guidance to UK businesses on the specific risks faced by companies with links to the region.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of joining Australia, India, Japan and the United States in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As the UK continues to deliver our tilt to the Indo-Pacific, we are building and strengthening partnerships bilaterally, multilaterally and in minilateral groupings across the region. The Indo-Pacific Quad is increasingly important to four of the UK's closest partners in the region (Australia, India, Japan and the US). The UK welcomes the outcomes of the two leaders' level Quad summits in March and September 2021 which echo many of the UK's priorities, including climate change, COVID-19 response and emerging technology and we are looking at options for closer practical cooperation with Quad members in these areas, supplementing our important bilateral engagement with each of these key partners.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the recent tensions between China and Taiwan.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Her Majesty's Government considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. We are concerned by any activity which raises tensions and risks destabilising the status quo and have been clear that the numerous Chinese military flights near Taiwan at the beginning of October were not conducive to peace and stability in the region. We underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside partners in the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' communique in May and G7 Leaders' communique in June.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the prospects of a settlement in relation to Kosovo and Serbia.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We continue to believe that a settlement between Kosovo and Serbia is both possible and essential. The UK supports the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, with the aim of a comprehensive and sustainable normalisation agreement to the benefit of both countries' people. We welcome the recent interim agreement reached under the Dialogue on the car number plate issue, and encourage both sides to maintain their commitment to the Dialogue process.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made on the prospects of Cypriot reunification.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK remains committed to supporting the UN process to reach a Cyprus Settlement in line with UN parameters based on the model of a Bi-zonal, Bi-communal Federation with political equality - a model that we believe to be broad enough to address the concerns of both sides. UK Ministers and Officials continue to engage all sides to urge flexibility and compromise to that end.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on events marking the 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban in 2001.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.
The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the upcoming events marking the 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban in 2001.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.
The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.