Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the new transitional justice legislation in Nepal.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A legitimate and effective transitional justice process in Nepal remains necessary even 18 years after the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. It will help ensure reconciliation and underpin lasting peace. The UK welcomes Nepal's recent step forward with its new transitional justice legislation. The UK continues to engage with the Government of Nepal, the UN and others on how best to provide constructive support for Nepal's transitional justice efforts that are victim-centric, fair and in-line with international standards. We also continue to work to address the injustices, inequalities and exclusion that sowed the seeds of the civil war.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring] frozen Russian assets held in the UK to Ukraine to support the war effort.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's obligations under international law are clear: it must pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. That is why on 22 October the Chancellor announced that we will provide £2.26 billion in additional support to Ukraine, as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans to Ukraine scheme. In line with the Government's commitment to ensure that Russia pays for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK's contribution will be repaid using the extraordinary profits generated on immobilised Russian sovereign assets. We will continue to consider all possible lawful avenues by which Russia can be made to meet its obligations to Ukraine under international law.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to help reunite Nadia Ayoub McCulloch with her family.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO are aware of Nadia Ayoub McCulloch's situation and have been in contact with her directly. The FCDO's Consular team have been providing, and continue to provide, support to Nadia at what we recognise will be a distressing time for her, her family and her friends.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing targeted sanctions on (a) people responsible for serious crimes in Sudan in line with those sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union, (b) people identified in the UN Panel of Experts report of January 2024 and (c) commanders and officials obstructing humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The use of sanctions is one of the tools the UK employs to respond to ongoing conflict in Sudan. Since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the RSF and four entities linked with the SAF. Six of those sanctions were issued on 12 July 2023 under the UK's Sudan Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The UK announced a package of three further sanctions designations on 15 April 2024. These sanctions froze the assets of three commercial entities linked to each warring party. The UK welcomes the Panel of Experts' report from January. Although we do not speculate on future measures, our sanctions policy is continually under review. We continue to engage closely with key international partners on Sudan.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps at the United Nations Security Council to (a) widen the existing arms embargo on Darfur to cover all of Sudan, (b) enforce the existing arms embargo, and (c) to sanction (i) individuals and (ii) companies that (A) have violated and (B) are violating the arms embargo.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is a UN Arms Embargo and Sanctions Regime on Darfur, which the UN Security Council (UNSC) renewed in September 2024, which complements a longstanding bilateral UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan. These regimes have been used to constrain the flow of weapons into the country, and individuals and entities who breach the UN arms embargo may be subject to targeted measures as stipulated in resolution 1591. Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, the UK has sanctioned five entities linked with the Rapid Support Forces and four entities linked with the Sudanese Armed Forces. We consistently use our position as penholder on Sudan at the UNSC to call on States urgently to refrain from enhancing either side's fighting capability.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a new UN convention on the rights of older persons.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is fully committed to promoting and protecting the rights of all people, including older people. Building stronger legal frameworks at the domestic and international level is key. We were an active participant in the work of the UN's Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing and we welcomed the consensus adoption by the General Assembly in September of its recommendations. The UK seeks to play a constructive role on these issues and we are open to considering further standard-setting, including the possibility of a multilateral instrument to help further address the issues faced by older people.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help ensure that civil society organisations working on peacebuilding in Israel and Palestine are integrated into a future diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. The UK is pushing for an immediate ceasefire. The fighting must stop, the hostages must be released and much, much more aid must enter Gaza. A deal is on the table, and we are urging both sides to show flexibility. The Civil Society organisations we work with are valuable partners of the government, and we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with them closely.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consular support is in place to assist Indians with British citizenship when they are visiting India.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We would not normally provide consular support to a dual British national living or travelling in the country of their other nationality. In countries which recognise and permit dual-nationality, we would consider an exception if someone is vulnerable and we have human rights or humanitarian concerns. Some countries, such as India, do not recognise dual nationality so providing consular assistance to a British/Indian dual national may not be possible.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the news release entitled Myanmar: Military Forcibly Recruiting Rohingya, published by Human Rights Watch on 9 April 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are concerned by credible reports of forcible detention and recruitment of the Rohingya by the Myanmar military. This has the potential to further stoke inter-communal tensions. In April, the UK convened the UN Security Council to raise concern over the escalating conflict in Rakhine State. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will continue to use all of our multilateral channels to maintain a spotlight on the situation in Rakhine.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the impact on Brazil’s GDP of floods in the Rio Grande do Sul region.
Answered by David Rutley
I [Minister Rutley] visited Brazil in May, where I met with Rio Grande do Sul's representative to Brasilia, Henrique Pires, to discuss the impact of the floods, and how the international community can support. The UK has supported an allocation of £193,000 through the Start Fund to provide humanitarian aid in response to the flooding in Brazil and are working with British companies in Brazil to support their donation efforts. His Majesty The King has written to President Lula to offer his condolences. We are in regular communication with the Brazilian authorities to understand the evolving economic and environmental impact of the floods.