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Written Question

Question Link

Monday 17th May 2021

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the risk of parental child abduction to Japan.

Answered by Nigel Adams

Our Travel Advice for Japan covers Japanese family law and we have also published guidance specifically on child abduction to Japan on GOV.UK. These were revised in February of this year to clarify the differences in Japan's family law and consular support the FCDO is able to provide towards child abduction cases to Japan. I raised the issue of Japan's custody laws with the then Japanese Ambassador to the UK in December 2020 and we will continue to engage Japan on these issues at appropriate opportunities.


Written Question

Question Link

Monday 17th May 2021

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on cases of parental child abduction to Japan.

Answered by Nigel Adams

Our Travel Advice for Japan covers Japanese family law and we have also published guidance specifically on child abduction to Japan on GOV.UK. These were revised in February of this year to clarify the differences in Japan's family law and consular support the FCDO is able to provide towards child abduction cases to Japan. I raised the issue of Japan's custody laws with the then Japanese Ambassador to the UK in December 2020 and we will continue to engage Japan on these issues at appropriate opportunities.


Written Question
Human Rights
Tuesday 27th November 2018

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect people who defend human rights across the world.

Answered by Mark Field

​In 2017 the then Foreign Secretary issued a revised version of the UK Guidelines on Working with Human Rights Defenders to the diplomatic network. In addition, all Human Rights Priority Countries are required to have a Human Rights Strategy which includes working with human rights defenders. The Guidelines give guidance to our diplomatic network on how to support and promote the work done by human rights defenders. Depending on the local context, this might involve making public statements, attending trials, or working privately with host governments. The UK also supports human rights defenders through programmes within the Magna Carta Fund. Officials in London regularly meet human rights defenders to understand how we can support them best. Working at the multilateral level, in November 2017 the UK helped forge consensus on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights Defenders, bringing countries together to recognise and support the excellent work done by human rights defenders around the globe.


Written Question
Overseas Aid
Friday 6th July 2018

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has taken steps to determine the reasons for his Department being ranked 40 of the 45 major aid donors in the Aid Transparency Index, published on 20 June 2018 by Publish What You Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alan Duncan

As a major donor, the FCO has been included in the Aid Transparency Index since 2013. We were disappointed to receive a poor rating this year and are undertaking a review of FCO performance. In discussion with Publish What you Fund, and other Whitehall Departments, we have identified a number of areas for improvement including around the timeliness of publications and our programme documentation.


Written Question
Bangladesh: Human Rights
Wednesday 16th May 2018

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had any recent discussions with the Government of Bangladesh with the objective of either (a) promoting the human rights of female migrant workers and (b) promoting the need for more safeguarding for female migrant workers against exploitation and trafficking; and if he will list the outcomes of recent discussions he has had with that Government.

Answered by Mark Field

The British Government works closely with the Government of Bangladesh on these critical issues. Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking were discussed at the UK-Bangladesh Strategic Dialogue, and at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, this April which Prime Minister Hasina attended. The Secretary of State for International Development, raised these issues with Government of Bangladesh and met female migrant workers when she visited Bangladesh in November 2017. Bangladesh was also among the first group of countries to endorse our Prime Minister's Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking at the UN General assembly last year.

The UK supports Bangladesh to provide greater access to justice for survivors of abuse and trafficking, for example through an online complaints system and legal advice. We also support the Government of Bangladesh to ensure safe migration and prevent trafficking; in December announced a £13m funding package for the second phase of the Work in Freedom programme that will continue to tackle these issues across the region.


Written Question
Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government
Thursday 1st March 2018

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those responsible for civilian deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo are held to account for their actions in the international courts.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

The UK is deeply concerned by the continuing violence in many parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo that is leading to civilian deaths. We frequently raise our concerns with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo since it has primary responsibility for bringing those responsible for unlawful killings to justice. Alongside our international partners we have called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate these crimes swiftly and bring the still unidentified perpetrators before national courts. The International Criminal Court is an independent body and a Court of last resort, which is complementary to national legal systems. It investigates potential crimes only when the domestic authorities are unwilling or unable to bring perpetrators of the most severe crimes to justice themselves.


Written Question
Companies: Ownership
Monday 6th February 2017

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Sixth Special Report HC911, Tackling corruption overseas: Government Response to the Fourth Report from the International Development Committee, Session 2016-17, whether it remains the Government's policy to persuade the UK's Crown Dependencies to adopt public registers of beneficial ownership.

Answered by Alan Duncan

It remains the Government’s ambition for public registers to become the global standard. Our priority is to implement the new bilateral arrangements which were concluded with the Overseas Territories in 2016. Under the arrangements, the Overseas Territories have committed to establish, where they have not already done so, central registers of beneficial ownership information or similarly effective systems, and to give UK law enforcement and tax authorities near real-time access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions.

The Overseas Territories have also committed to systematic exchange of beneficial ownership information as part of a wider international initiative.


Written Question
Democratic Republic of Congo: Homicide
Wednesday 7th December 2016

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support investigations into the recent killings of communities in Beni and the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

​The British Government is deeply concerned by the reports of mass killings in Beni. We are supporting efforts to investigate these horrific incidents, including through funding an independent researcher to assist the UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (MONUSCO) in understanding the underlying drivers of such killings. The UK strongly supports the work of MONUSCO as it seeks to defeat armed groups in DRC. During my visit to the DRC in August, I raised the ongoing violence in eastern DRC with Maman Sidikou, Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in eastern DRC (MONUSCO). In mid-November, my colleague, the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for International Development, James Wharton MP, raised protection of civilians with the UN Deputy Special Representative for Operations and the Rule of Law, David Gressly.


Written Question
Democratic Republic of Congo: War Crimes
Wednesday 7th December 2016

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on ensuring that people who are responsible for deaths as a result of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo are brought to justice in the international courts.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

​The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court's (ICC) mandate and efforts to bring those responsible for deaths as a result of the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to justice. It welcomes convictions made to date, including that of former vice-president Bemba in June this year, and continues to make clear that those responsible for human rights violations will face individual responsibility for their actions. The UK remains committed to active diplomatic engagement to prevent DRC sliding back into conflict – FCO Minister Mr Ellwood visited DRC in August and DFID Minister Mr Wharton in November to urge all parties to ensure that Presidential elections and a peaceful transfer of power takes place.


Written Question
Prosperity Fund: Energy
Thursday 1st December 2016

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's Prosperity Fund was allocated to (a) coal, oil and gas projects and (b) renewable energy projects in each financial year since 2013-14.

Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The FCO Prosperity Fund was the FCO's dedicated annual fund supporting prosperity work overseas from 2011 until March 2016.

Through targeted projects its aims were to support the conditions for global and UK growth. Since 2013/14 the Prosperity Fund allocated the following to coal, oil and gas projects:

•2013/14 approximately 1.9% (£370,000 from a total budget of £19.5m)

•2014/15 approximately 3.9% (£758,000 from £19.5m)

•2015/16 approximately 3.4% (£997,000 from £29.3m)

Since 2013/14 the Prosperity Fund allocated the following to renewable energy projects:

•2013/14 approximately 5% (£983,000 from a total budget of £19.5m)

•2014/15 approximately 2% (£402,000 from £19.5m)

•2015/16 approximately 5.1% (£1.5m from £29.3m)

These figures include ODA and non-ODA projects.