Asked by: Guy Opperman (Conservative - Hexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to raise the plight of persecuted Christians abroad; and what steps he is taking to raise the case of Meriam Ibrahim with his Sudanese counterpart.
Answered by Mark Simmonds
I am appalled at the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, and her continued imprisonment. Immediately following her trial, I issued a statement describing her conviction as barbaric and calling upon the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief and international human rights laws as enshrined in its own constitution. The Chargé d'Affaires of the Sudanese Embassy in London was summoned to the Foreign Office on the 19 May at the request of Foreign Secretary. DFID Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Lynne Featherstone, reiterated our demand with the Sudanese Foreign Minister when she met him on 20 May. Our Embassy in Khartoum, that attended her trial, continues to press the Sudanese authorities for Meriam Ibrahim's release, and is in close contact with the defence team.
This is a priority human rights area for us. We speak out regularly against violence perpetrated against Christians. The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) gave a speech in Washington in November last year on the need for unity in confronting the intolerance and sectarianism that leads to minority communities being persecuted. We also lobby for changes in discriminatory laws and practices that affect religious minorities, including Christians, and support UN resolutions on the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.
Asked by: Guy Opperman (Conservative - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much in pupil premium has been paid to (a) first, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in (i) Hexham, (ii) Northumberland and (iii) the North East to date.
Answered by David Laws
Figures showing the pupil premium allocations to schools in the Hexham constituency area, Northumberland local authority, and the North East in the financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 are given in the table attached. These include allocations to academies in each area in each year. The figures for secondary schools include middle schools and all-through schools.
Asked by: Guy Opperman (Conservative - Hexham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he has made any assessment of the appointment of former Senator Daniel Filmus as head of the Malvinas Secretariat in Argentina.
Answered by Lord Swire
We do not judge that Mr Filmus' appointment marks a significant change in Argentina's policy towards the Falkland Islanders. Rather we understand that Mr Filmus is accountable to Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, who retains overall responsibility for Falklands policy within the Argentine Foreign Ministry.