Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
As of 6 May, in Yemen there were 23 publicly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. The World Health Organisation's (WHO) assessment is that a widespread outbreak in Yemen will be catastrophic. We are extremely concerned by the capacity of the healthcare system to respond to a severe outbreak of COVID-19. Only half of Yemen's health facilities are currently functioning and almost 20 million people lack access to basic health care. We are also concerned about the capacity of the Yemeni authorities to contain and manage the outbreak given the ongoing conflict; we are urging all parties to agree a ceasefire and to work together to enable a nationwide response. The Department for International Development is currently assessing how best to respond through existing programmes in Yemen, with the WHO and United Nations Children's Fund already working with Yemen's Ministry of Health to strengthen the country's health care capacity, by providing vital equipment across the country.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291427 on Kashmir: Armed Conflict, whether actions to de-escalate the tensions were agreed in those discussions.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
In his discussions with Prime Minister Modi of India and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s longstanding position that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people, and underlined the importance of maintaining dialogue. The Foreign Secretary also expressed concerns and called for calm in his discussion with his counterpart Dr Jaishankar. We encourage India and Pakistan to find lasting diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability. We welcome the Indian Government’s stated intention to return the situation to normalcy and lift the remaining restrictions.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Indian counterpart on reports that 13,000 boys have been detained in Kashmir since its autonomous status was revoked on 5 August 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the serious situation in Kashmir closely. The continued use of detentions is worrying. We have raised our concerns with the Indian Government: the Prime Minister has discussed the situation with Prime Minister Modi and the Foreign Secretary has also discussed it with his counterpart Dr Jaishankar.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to work towards the de-escalation of tensions over the situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the situation in Kashmir closely and are in regular contact with both the Indian and Pakistani Governments. The Prime Minister has spoken to Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan about the situation and the Foreign Secretary has also raised his concerns with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with his international counterparts on the situation in Yemen at the UN General Assembly.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has played a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key international actors to try to find a peaceful solution. On 26 September, the UK co-hosted a political event at the UN General Assembly to coordinate the international community’s support for the UN-led peace process and endorse the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths’ plan to begin wider political discussion.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the maintenance of Iran Nuclear Deal.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We are clear that maintaining this deal is critical to our national security interests; the British Government is working with our European partners to ensure it is upheld as long as Iran continues to meet its nuclear commitments in full. We are urging Iran not to take escalatory steps and to continue to meet its commitments under the deal. While Iran is in compliance, we remain fully committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in our shared security interests.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support a diplomatic solution to potential military action in the Gulf region following the recent attacks on oil tankers in that region.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK remains in close co-ordination with international partners to find diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions, and specifically advising Iran – using our diplomatic relationship – that escalation is not in their interest.
On 22-23 June, I met with senior Government representatives in Tehran. I held open, frank and constructive conversations with the Iranian authorities. I was clear about the UK’s long-held concerns over Iran’s activities, as well as the UK’s determination to maintain the nuclear deal which is in our shared security interests.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 25 April 2019 to Questions 245922 and 245923, how he measures the success of the UK's support for democracy and human rights in Somaliland.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
UK assistance is making a significant contribution to supporting Somaliland’s ongoing democratisation process, including through: improving the accountability of the judiciary and public security structures; strengthening the technical capability of the National Electoral Commission; and building understanding between government and journalists through support to a new media law. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges on which we are engaging with the Government of Somaliland, for example, on the continued political marginalisation of women and minority clans, and the ongoing arbitrary detention of journalists. We also remain concerned by the lack of progress in the preparations for 2019 parliamentary and local elections, including the passage of electoral legislation in Parliament, and have called on all three political parties to demonstrate their commitment to democratisation and make the necessary compromises to move the process forwards substantively and ensure elections take place on time on 12 December 2019.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support basic human rights in Somaliland.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK provides a range of assistance that supports human rights in Somaliland. This includes working with the Somaliland judiciary to establish a Code of Conduct and a Monitoring and Inspection Committee, to provide judicial training on rights compliance, to ensure the police are operating in line with international human rights standards, and to improve detention conditions. The UK also supported the Somaliland government to establish a media code of conduct, and maintains regular engagement with civil society on freedom of expression, women's rights, and minority 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 and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to support democratic processes in Somaliland.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK is committed to supporting Somaliland's democratisation process, in particular timely elections in Somaliland. This forms an integral part of the ongoing dialogue between the British Office in Hargeisa and the Somaliland government. Earlier this month, our Ambassador to Somalia met President Bihi of Somaliland to underline the need for parliamentary and local council elections to take place on time, on 12 December 2019. The UK also provides technical expertise to the Somaliland election commission, and is working to support improvements to the voter registration system and promote women’s participation.