Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps in response to reports that financial institutions headquartered in the UK are preventing early withdrawal access of pension savings held by British Nationals (Overseas) who are seeking to leave Hong Kong and resettle in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The right of people to leave Hong Kong is guaranteed under the Basic Law and should be upheld. It is unacceptable for Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF) Schemes Authority to declare that they will not accept the BN(O) visa as evidence in support of an application for early withdrawal of the MPF.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports that the British National (Overseas) visa is not being recognised by the Hong Kong Government as valid proof of permanent departure from Hong Kong and that people holding that visa and seeking to leave Hong Kong for the UK are being denied early withdrawal of their pension savings as a result.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The right of people to leave Hong Kong is guaranteed under the Basic Law and should be upheld. It is unacceptable for Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF) Schemes Authority to declare that they will not accept the BN(O) visa as evidence in support of an application for early withdrawal of the MPF.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent progress he has made on the next round of sanctions designations under the Magnitsky sanctions regime.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We recently announced designations on International Human Rights Day under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime against ten individuals and one entity for serious human rights violations in Venezuela, Pakistan, The Gambia and Chechnya.
We will continue to consider targets, guided by the human rights objectives of the sanctions regime and the evidence.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; and what progress the Sri Lankan Government has made in improving human rights in that country.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Since the election of President Sirisena in January 2015, the Sri Lankan government has made progress in addressing the legacy of its civil war, including the restoration of important democratic checks and balances, improvements in respect for freedoms of expression and movement, the return of some military-held land to civilians, passing of legislation to establish an Office for Missing Persons (OMP) and the ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. The Sri Lankan government has also co-sponsored two UN Human Rights Council resolutions on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, in October 2015 and March 2017.
However, much remains to be done and the UK encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to now take the steps necessary to deliver in full the commitments it has made to its people and to the international community.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
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 Spanish counterparts on recent incursions by Spanish vessels into British Territorial Waters around Gibraltar.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) has made clear publicly that the UK will continue to protect and promote Gibraltar’s interests. This includes challenging and protesting against all incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Foreign Secretary has also reaffirmed our sovereignty assurances to Gibraltar never to enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes, nor to enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will work with (a) Oman and (b) other Middle Eastern countries to broker a deal to end the current conflict in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), met his Saudi, Emirates and US counterparts on 19 July in London to review the situation in Yemen. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability and end the conflict. We welcome and fully support the UN led talks in Kuwait: now is the time to reach an agreement. We will continue to work closely with the UN and partners in the Middle East, including Oman, to encourage both sides to engage constructively.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments on avoiding further fighting and conflict along the border between those countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are concerned over recent reports of fighting between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces along the border near Tsorena. We have called on both countries to exercise restraint and to adhere to the terms of the Algiers Agreement. We have also made it clear to Ethiopia and Eritrea that they should engage in meaningful political discourse to seek a resolution to the ongoing border issues.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Brazilian government on ensuring adequate security for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Answered by Lord Swire
I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 29 May given in response to PQ 38251.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage Sudan and South Sudan to engage in dialogue to overcome disputes relating to the border between the two countries.
Answered by James Duddridge
I am concerned at the recent increase in tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. As part of our ongoing discussions with the governments of both countries, we have consistently stressed that dialogue is the only means of resolving the border-related disputes. We have also raised our concerns about recent tensions in the UN Security Council and continue to support the efforts of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel to encourage both sides to re-engage in negotiations.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the influence of ISIS in Yemen; and what steps his Department is taking with regional allies to curb that influence.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We remain concerned by the terrorist threat in Yemen, including the presence of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh-Yemen. Long term instability increases the risk that terrorist groups continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities.
Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We judge that they remain a threat to UK strategic interests in the region, rather than a direct threat to the UK. We continue to work with regional partners to tackle the terrorist threat from Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.