Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of drone attacks on the Myanmar military in Naypyidaw.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are monitoring the escalation of the conflict in Myanmar closely, including the recent drone attacks on Nay Pyi Taw. We are concerned by rising atrocity risks and humanitarian need across the country. We are working to ensure our humanitarian assistance reaches the most vulnerable with over 18.6 million now in need and over 2.7 million displaced. Since the 2021 military coup, the UK has provided almost £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare and education support, and work to support civil society and local communities across Myanmar.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of the expulsion of Argentinian diplomats from the Argentinian Embassy in Bogota.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Diplomatic relations between Colombia and Argentina are a matter for those two countries.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with the St Helena Government on steps to return the remains of formerly enslaved people from St Helena to their ancestral homes.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Approximately 8000 former slaves died after being taken to St Helena by the Royal Navy's West African Squadron trying to halt the slave trade in the mid-nineteenth century; their ancestral homes are not known. 325 Skeletons were unearthed during the construction of St Helena Airport and the UK Government provided support for their reburial on 21 August 2022. St Helena Government plans to create a memorial and interpretation centre to honour those who died.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the car bombing in Azaz on 30 March 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains concerned by the increased violence in north-west Syria in recent months, particularly since October 2023. The escalating violence is causing immense suffering to the civilian population. We call on all parties to de-escalate. We continue to press - including at the UN Security Council - for progress in the UN-facilitated political process. Only a political settlement in line with UN Security Council resolution 2254 can deliver a lasting peace for Syria.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to receive a Building Assessment Certificate.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
At the beginning of April, the Building Safety Regulator started directing Principal Accountable Persons to apply for their Building Safety Assessment Certificate. We will monitor this process carefully. The Department is happy to receive further information about specific cases.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is working with HS2 Ltd and its supply chain to assess the cost implications of the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2a and 2b. This work is ongoing and updates will be provided in future Parliamentary Reports on HS2.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent negotiations he has had with trade unions on planned train strikes.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has no role in negotiations. Negotiations must take place between the employer, which the Rail Delivery Group has done on behalf of the train operating companies (TOC), and the trade union. We remain committed to supporting those who are involved in resolving this dispute so that important workforce reforms can take place, supported by a fair pay deal. ASLEF remains the only TOC in a national level dispute causing disruption to passengers and impacting the economy. We continue to urge them to negotiate with industry.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to increase staffing levels on trains to improve public safety.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The train operating companies, as employers, are responsible for ensuring there are adequate numbers of staff to suit their operational needs, which includes maintaining the safety of the public using their trains. The British Transport Police (BTP) is the national dedicated police force for the railways in England, Scotland and Wales. It also has responsibility for the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Tyne and Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway and the IFS Cloud Cable car. We urge all passengers, to please report any incidents to the BTP either via its text-reporting service on 61016, its Railway Guardian App, online via its website, or in an emergency by dialling 999.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of findings in SusTrans' Walking and Cycling Index 2023, published in March 2024, relating to people's opinions on relative funding for (a) road building schemes and (b) walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport options.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has noted the findings in this report and agrees that it is important that people should be able to choose how they make their everyday journeys. The Government is investing around £3 billion over the current Parliament in schemes to enable more people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling, which is more than any previous Government has invested. The Government also recognises the importance of local bus services and has announced over £4.5 billion to support and improve bus services in England outside London since 2020.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his polices of the Ugandan Constitutional Court’s decision to decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government is appalled that the Government of Uganda has signed the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 into law.
It has increased violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people and is part of a wider roll-back of human rights. The Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Mitchell] commented to this effect on 3 April, following the Ugandan Constitutional Court's judgment. I [Minister Mitchell] met the Ugandan Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on 3 April, underlining the importance of ensuring that people are free from persecution, regardless of sexuality. We will continue to support the human rights of LGBT+ people, and all Ugandans.