Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the US Government on shared intelligence on Huawei's proposed role in developing the UK's 5G network.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Widespread deployment of 5G and full fibre networks is a primary objective of Government policy. The Government published the Telecoms Supply Chain Review in July, which recommended the introduction of a new framework for telecoms security based on evidence and a hard-headed assessment of the risks. The Government has not yet made a final decision on individual high risk vendors and the additional controls that will be applied to them. Our international partners must take their own approach based on their own circumstances, network architectures, capabilities and risk assessments.
The United States of America and the United Kingdom are natural, resilient and strong partners and allies, and we will continue to work closely together, including on the issue of telecoms security.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to meet representatives of the Lima Group to discuss the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
On 4 February the former Minister for Europe and the Americas attended a Lima Group meeting in Ottawa at the invitation of the Canadian Foreign Minister. He addressed the meeting and spoke with several Lima Group colleagues including the Colombian, Brazilian and Chilean Foreign Ministers and the Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister. On 18 June, the former Foreign Secretary and the former Minister for Europe and the Americas met President Duque and Foreign Minister Holmes of Colombia, and discussed the situation in Venezuela and the impact on Colombia, the most impacted country in the region. On 5 August I spoke the Peruvian Foreign Minister, where they discussed the situation in Venezuela and its impact on the region. We continue to work closely with the Lima Group, the Organisation of American States, the United States and like-minded European and international partners to find a peaceful solution to the Venezuela crisis.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meetings held between HRH the Prince of Wales and officials of the Cuban Government during his recent visit to that country.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In accordance with long-standing Royal practice, The Prince of Wales’ conversations are private
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice his Department has given to HRH the Prince of Wales on raising human rights abuses in Cuba with representatives of the Cuban Government on his forthcoming visit to that country.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK government regularly raises human rights issues as part of our dialogue with the Cuban government. We believe the best way to encourage progress on human rights in Cuba is through dialogue and practical diplomacy, which is best enabled through engagement. This is reflected in our policy of engagement with Cuba, in which TRHs' trip will play an important role.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the People's Republic of China on its use of the social credit system to identify and detain citizens of Uighur ethnicity.
Answered by Mark Field
We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.
During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation. We also raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council, and we supported the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.
I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with representatives of Lima Group countries on the political and economic situation in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The political and economic crisis in Venezuela continues to raise concern. On 18 October, I met representatives of the Lima group - the Ambassadors of Peru, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay, and the Canadian High Commissioner - to discuss the situation before my speech on Venezuela at Chatham House on 25 October.
I also discussed the situation in Venezuela with the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, on 12 November.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the international community's commitment to the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty.
Answered by Alan Duncan
As one of its founding signatories, the UK strongly supports the international community's commitment to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (known as the Ottawa Convention). As well as working to meet our own convention-based commitments to clear our sovereign territory in the Falkland Islands of anti-personnel mines, the UK is committed to the global efforts to tackle the scourge of anti-personnel mines through our international mine action programmes. As a demonstration of the UK's commitment, the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development announced on 4 April 2017 that the UK would triple its spending on mine action in developing countries, taking UK expenditure to £100million over the three years to March 2020. The UK also regularly encourages states who have not signed the Convention to do so, most recently fully supporting Austria, as the outgoing President of the Convention, in urging all non-States Parties to join without delay, as well as encouraging signatory states to fulfil their obligations.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the changing level of threat of Islamist terrorism in Bangladesh.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The British Government is concerned by the increase in terrorist and extremist-related violence in Bangladesh. Since the 1 July 2016 attack on the Holey Bakery Café in Dhaka, targeting foreign nationals, the Government has continued to raise its concerns over security directly with senior officials in the Bangladeshi government. We will continue to engage with regional partners and the wider international community to support efforts to address terrorism, extremism and to promote human rights in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to assist Bangladeshis living in the UK to bring their families to the UK in the event of an escalation in political violence in Bangladesh.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The UK has consistently called upon all parties to refrain from using violence, intimidation and confrontational action. The UK will continue to engage constructively with all political parties in Bangladesh and with international partners, to strengthen democratic accountability and build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections. We are under no obligation to consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and it is not appropriate to do so. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach; that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Graham P Jones (Labour - Hyndburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what account his Department plans to take of alleged human rights abuses in Bangladesh in advising on any future trade deal with that country; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of imposing sanctions on Bangladesh in order to improve that country's respect for political and other rights.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the United Kingdom takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy. We will engage fully with a broad range of stakeholders, including both governments and business over the coming weeks and months, taking a large number of political and economic factors into consideration.
We are concerned about protection of human rights in Bangladesh, but believe that engagement, not sanctions, is the correct course of action. Sanctions would isolate Bangladesh at a time when it is, like so many, facing the global threat of terrorism. Trade sanctions would have a damaging effect on Bangladesh’s development and on efforts to bring people out of poverty.