Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on the individual project components of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund British Virgin Island Territory (BVITP) Programme.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The aim of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) British Virgin Island Territory Programme (BVITP) is to support the Government of the Virgin Islands to ensure the successful long-term recovery and development of the British Virgin Islands, following the hurricanes of 2017.
The initial focus of the BVITP is to support the set-up and operation of the Virgin Islands Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), enabling the RDA to attract investment and successfully deliver the Recovery to Development Plan of the British Virgin Islands Government (BVIG) in accordance with principles of accountability, transparency and good governance. The BVITP also directly supports the transition of early recovery projects into the long-term recovery plan as well as the implementation of priority activity from the Recovery to Development Plan in areas that are key enablers for the recovery process and constitutional responsibilities of the Governor. These include robust disaster preparedness, support to improve good governance in the recovery structures and strengthened justice and security.
Good progress is being made on all components of the BVITP: the RDA has been established and is now delivering projects from Phase One of the Recovery to Development Plan. A number of priority security and justice and disaster preparedness projects have been directly supported and are either complete or expected to complete to schedule. The majority of early recovery activity supported by BVITP has now been completed and incorporated into the BVIG's long-term recovery plan. All of the activity has been undertaken in partnership with the Government of the Virgin Islands.
A full assessment, with contributions by all UK Government departments involved in the CSSF programme in the British Virgin Islands will be made on completion of the programme in 2021.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on the individual project components of (a) the Overseas Territories: Justice, Security and Governance (JSG) Programme and (b) Overseas Territories: Maritime Governance and Environment Programme.
Answered by Alan Duncan
In 2018-19, the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Overseas Territories’ Justice, Security and Governance (JSG) Programme worked with relevant Government Departments and Overseas Territories (OTs) Governments to support a range of areas including law enforcement, prisons, child safeguarding, criminal justice, public health, public sector reform and disaster resilience. Progress against objectives has included post-hurricane infrastructure projects for prisons in Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands; provision of a fit-for-purpose counter-terrorism training facility for the Royal Gibraltar Police Force and inclusion of OTs in INTERPOL’s Ballistic Identification Network (IBIN) to support the tackling of gun crime. It also included: support to Chief Medical Officers on the control of vector-borne diseases; development of a multi-agency approach in responding to sexual assaults; and a threat analysis and needs assessment on maritime and border security to prevent drug- and people-trafficking and tackle serious and organised crime.
The Maritime Governance and Environment Programme works with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, UK Home Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to deliver a range of projects including the Blue Belt, which is on track to deliver the UK’s commitment to protect over 4 million km2 of waters around the OTs by 2020. The CSSF has been working alongside OT governments and administrations to ensure these Marine Protected Areas are properly managed, monitored and enforced. Work has been undertaken in the OTs to progress effective maritime legislation in preparation for the International Maritime Organisation Audit 2020; update seabed mapping and navigation products; improve compliance on vessel safety; and deliver training and equipment to support and maintain an effective search and rescue capability and pollution response. Gap analysis and targeted support increase OT capability to tackle the threat posed by invasive non-native species and improve the evidence base on environmental issues across the OTs. Both the FCO and CSSF will produce Annual Reports which will cover support provided to the OTs with a full finance update.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made under each of the individual project components of the Burma Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme.
Answered by Mark Field
In the last financial year the Burma Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programme provided funding for projects supporting the peace process and peacebuilding including through mediation and negotiation skills for key stakeholders; improving public administration approaches and strengthening community-led mechanisms for safer communities; and working towards reconciliation and rehabilitation among communities in Rakhine. Information on individual projects and intended outcomes is included in the Burma Programme Summary, while a summary of progress of programmes meeting their objectives and delivering outputs is included in the Annual Review summary. Both of these documents are published online annually (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conflict-stability-and-security-fund-cssf).
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the projected cost of the planned UK embassy building in Beijing.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to redevelop our embassy site in Beijing which is not fit- for-purpose and does not meet the scale of ministerial ambitions in China. Our SR15 Settlement commits us to provide £80 million of funding towards this raised by the sale of our assets. Project planning continues and is at an early stage. However, details of costs are commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
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 proposed reforms of the (a) National Reconciliation Law and (b) NGO Law in Guatemala; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We welcome the fact that the proposed amendments to the National Reconciliation Law (NRL), seeking to grant amnesty for serious crimes against humanity, lacked sufficient backing in the Guatemalan Congress on 13 March. Two further bills that would allow pre-trial and convicted detainees to be at liberty also did not gain sufficient backing. We remain concerned that proposals of this nature signify a worrying trend towards seeking impunity from serious crimes as well as corruption. Through a local statement issued on 13 March by the G13 group of international donors to Guatemala, the UK joined others in condemning the proposed amendments. The statement highlighted that the amendments to the NRL would violate Guatemala’s international obligations, damage reconciliation efforts and erode faith in the rule of law, and also expressed concern over proposed amendments to the NGO law.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Guyana on the need to call elections within the constitutional time limit following the loss of a no confidence vote in December 2018.
Answered by Alan Duncan
Guyana's Court of Appeal is expected to rule on this matter shortly. The UK Government continues to encourage both parties to work together to reach a resolution which meets Guyana's constitutional provisions. The British High Commissioner to Guyana has on several occasions stressed the importance of respecting the Constitution, most recently during a speech at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 18 March.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns four properties with an asset value of over £5 million in Paris.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The four properties in Paris with an asset value over £5 million are the Embassy building (purchased in 1947), the Ambassador’s Residence and its Gatehouse, and the Consulate site in Rue d’Anjou (all three purchased in 1814). These buildings provide a dedicated base from which diplomats can promote British interests.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns two properties with an asset value of over £5 million in Kampala.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The main High Commission offices and the contiguous Consular Visa Office in Kampala have both been valued for accounting purposes as specialised assets above £5 million. Market value of each of these buildings is below £5 million. We have no plans to dispose of either of these offices.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings, for what reasons his Department owns two properties with an asset value of over £5 million in Buenos Aires.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The two properties each with an asset value of over £5 million in Buenos Aires are the British Embassy and the Ambassador's Residence (acquired in 1945). These buildings provide a dedicated base from which diplomats can promote UK interests in Argentina.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 July 2018 to Question 157685 on South Sudan: Sanctions, whether the power to issue sanctions under the Magnitsky clauses contained in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 would come into force (a) on the day the UK leaves the EU or (b) at the end of a transitional period.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (the Sanctions Act) provides powers for the UK to make secondary legislation to impose sanctions, including to provide accountability for, or to deter, gross human rights violations. On 6 March 2019, the FCO laid S.I. 2019/438 in Parliament for the UK to impose, once commenced, South Sudan sanctions for a range of purposes, including promoting respect for human rights and the peace, stability and security of South Sudan. During the Implementation Period (IP), the UK will remain bound by EU sanctions. We will look to use the powers provided by the Sanctions Act to the fullest extent possible during the IP, but there are some limitations on the measures that we can impose autonomously.