Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the settlement of refugee children from Afghanistan with no familial links to other countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government has committed to welcome up to 20,000 people through the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS) over the coming years. The ACRS will provide those put at risk by recent events in Afghanistan with a route to safety. Unaccompanied children may be offered resettlement where they have been identified as eligible for the ACRS and it is determined that resettlement to the UK is in their best interests. This assessment will be made with expert partners. Where a child is unaccompanied, it may be in their best interest to remain in the region, where they are more likely to be reunited with family.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the situation in (a) Marib and (b) Al-Hudaydah in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We condemn the Houthis' escalation of violence around Marib and their intensifying of cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. On 20 October the UK supported a UN Security Council Press Statement calling for an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib. On 9 November we achieved international agreement to impose sanctions against Houthi military leaders for leading offensives, orchestrating cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia and using their position to seize the assets of opponents and circumvent the UN arms embargo.
The Houthis, and all other parties to the conflict, need to engage constructively in negotiations. Dialogue is the only way to sustainably end this conflict and alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Middle East on Yemen since taking office.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
UK Ministers and officials engage with their international and regional counterparts on Yemen regularly and use the monthly briefings to the UN Security Council to encourage efforts towards a political solution, deliver further economic support and bring an end to the humanitarian suffering. Administrative restrictions imposed on humanitarian partners remain the principal driver of access constraints across Yemen. We are clear that humanitarian aid must not be used as a political tool and call on all parties to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2451 by facilitating safe, rapid, and unhindered access for the humanitarian response.
On 20 October the UK supported a UN Security Council Press Statement calling for an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib, and the Foreign Secretary also visited Riyadh where she discussed the conflict in Yemen with Saudi counterparts. We urge the parties to engage constructively with the UN process and call on all states to release humanitarian funding commitments promptly.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international partners to help ensure access for humanitarian aid to Marib and Al-Hudaydah, Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
UK Ministers and officials engage with their international and regional counterparts on Yemen regularly and use the monthly briefings to the UN Security Council to encourage efforts towards a political solution, deliver further economic support and bring an end to the humanitarian suffering. Administrative restrictions imposed on humanitarian partners remain the principal driver of access constraints across Yemen. We are clear that humanitarian aid must not be used as a political tool and call on all parties to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2451 by facilitating safe, rapid, and unhindered access for the humanitarian response.
On 20 October the UK supported a UN Security Council Press Statement calling for an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib, and the Foreign Secretary also visited Riyadh where she discussed the conflict in Yemen with Saudi counterparts. We urge the parties to engage constructively with the UN process and call on all states to release humanitarian funding commitments promptly.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign Secretary recently discussed the cases of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 8 November. The Foreign Secretary has also taken every opportunity to discuss the situation with other key players in the region and more widely and will continue to do so. I raised their cases with my Iranian counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani when he visited the FCDO on 11 November. Our Ambassador in Tehran also continues to regularly raise Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministers hold regular meetings with officials to direct activity across the FCDO to secure the release of unjustly detained British nationals.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the scale of the current use of pellet guns by Indian security forces in Kashmir; and what discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on the use of those weapons.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We have previously expressed concern at reports of use of pellet guns by Indian security forces. The UN Secretary General also expressed concern in a June report and called on India to end the use of shotgun pellets against children. Ministers and senior officials have raised our concerns with the Indian Government and we call on all states to take preventive measures to protect children.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the scale of human rights violations in Kashmir; and what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the 2020 Human Rights and Democracy Report with respect to Kashmir.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We recognise that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered-Kashmir and Pakistan-administered-Kashmir. We encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards. Any allegation of human rights violations or abuse is deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly and transparently. We have raised our concerns with the Governments of India and Pakistan.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on press freedom in Kashmir.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Freedom of expression and of the media are essential qualities of any functioning democracy. We are concerned by reports of some ongoing detentions of journalists and call for these to be lifted as soon as possible. We also work closely with the Indian media, including by funding an annual South Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme under our flagship Chevening brand. Last year, we funded 17 fellows, including seven from India.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions (a) she and (b) her predecessor has had with her Saudi counterpart on that nation's policy on deportations to Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are aware of recent reporting related to migrants being expelled from Saudi Arabia. Officials have raised this issue and the potential humanitarian and economic implications with the Saudi authorities. I, Lord Ahmad and the previous Foreign Secretary raised human rights in our latest engagements with the Saudi authorities. No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect British NGO’s importing life-saving goods into Yemen from potential legal repercussions following the US Administration’s designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Following the US Administration's decision to designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, we have urged the US ensure that the international humanitarian response, commercial imports and UN peace efforts are able to continue. We welcome the US commitment to work with the UN, NGOs and donors to address the implications for humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen. We await the release of full legal documentation of the designation framework, which will allow us to more fully understand its impact.