Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ben Howlett and Alan Duncan

Tuesday 28th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne) (Con)]

13. What recent assessment he has made of the strength of relations between Poland and the UK.

[The Minister for Europe and the Americas (Sir Alan Duncan)]

British-Polish relations are strong and getting stronger. The inaugural intergovernmental consultations last November were a firm demonstration of our commitment. I was delighted to launch the first Belvedere civil society forum earlier this month in Warsaw with the Polish Foreign Minister and many others.

[Ben Howlett]

Given this Government’s proud record of tackling modern slavery, does my right hon. Friend welcome the UK, Poland and Lithuania modern slavery conference, held in Warsaw in March, as a signal of how we can work together to strengthen the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery?

[Sir Alan Duncan]

The Prime Minister has rightly called this

“the great human rights issue of our time”.

The Home Office-funded conference to which my hon. Friend referred, and the workshop that went with it, was the culmination of an intense period of Government activity. As a result of the workshop, we have strengthened regional co-operation to tackle modern slavery in central and eastern Europe.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ben Howlett and Alan Duncan

Tuesday 21st February 2017 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Europe and the Americas (Sir Alan Duncan)]

As the hon. Gentleman well knows—I have written to him in detail—it is impossible to reinstate that person as the job no longer exists.

[Ben Howlett (Bath) (Con)]

T3. Bath has a great local charity called GlobalARRK, which helps women who are stuck overseas, often facing domestic violence. What is my right hon. Friend doing to help stuck parents who are unable to return to their home country with their children?