Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of (i) hospitals and (ii) primary health care centres and (b) availability of (i) medicine and (ii) basic medical supplies in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain gravely concerned about the deteriorating health provision in Gaza, particularly in the north. It is unacceptable that northern Gaza now has no fully functioning hospitals. On 5 November, I reiterated this in a call with Israel's Ambassador to the UK. At a UK-chaired meeting of the UN Security Council on 12 November, Lord Collins expressed our condemnation of Israel's ongoing aid restrictions. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary pressed Israel to increase aid flow in calls with their counterparts on 19 and 27 October. This Government is clear that Israel must also do much more to protect civilians, healthcare infrastructure and humanitarian workers, including the medics northern Gaza desperately needs. The UK is supporting the provision of essential healthcare to Palestinians, including through field hospitals operated by UK-Med in Gaza, and through support to the Egyptian health ministry to care for medically evacuated Palestinians.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure compliance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the UK's long-standing policy that any determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. This approach ensures that any determination is above politics, lobbying and individual or national interest.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Pakistan Government on the rights of minority groups in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people as laid down in Pakistan's Constitution and in accordance with international standards. I (Minister Falconer) underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 19 November. On 20 November, I attended a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mosin Naqvi, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on allowing humanitarian assistance to be delivered in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear that Israel can and must do more to get aid into Gaza. The Prime Minister stressed this in a call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on 19 October, and the Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his call with the then Foreign Minister Katz on 27 October. On 5 November, I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador to the UK to underline the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's key role in delivering lifesaving aid to those most in need. As the Prime Minister said on 28 October, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is simply unacceptable, particularly in the North. October saw the lowest number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza since the crisis began. We continue to work alongside partners to press for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Myanmar on upholding human rights in that country.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns human rights violations by the Myanmar military, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, gender and sexual-based violence, and forced recruitment, including of children. The UK has announced 19 rounds of targeted sanctions, most recently in October 2024 against suppliers of aviation fuel and equipment to the Myanmar military. We consistently use our role as penholder at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to maintain a spotlight on Myanmar, convening four UNSC meetings on Myanmar this year including to address human rights violations and calling for humanitarian action. In April, we co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar and in May we coordinated a statement with partners calling for an immediate end to violence from all sides in Myanmar.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is committed to the promotion of respect for International Humanitarian Law worldwide. The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara, and remains concerned about the humanitarian situation facing Sahrawi refugees in the camps in Tindouf, which the UK provides humanitarian assistance to via our contributions to UN bodies such as the World Food Programme. The UK has consistently supported Security Council Resolutions which note "with deep concern the continued hardships faced by Sahrawi refugees and their dependency on external humanitarian assistance, and further noting with deep concern insufficient funding for those living in Tindouf refugee camps and the risks associated with the reduction of food assistance".
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether arms exports licences have been issued for (a) equipment and (b) technology to Morocco for use in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley
We examine each application on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria - a regime that is among the most rigorous and transparent in the world and which provides a thorough risk assessment framework.
HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. The most recent Official Statistics cover the period 1 April - 30 June 2023.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he is taking steps to (a) promote and (b) defend the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Western Sahara and will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process and monitor progress.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to support peace and human rights in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley
During my visit to Colombia in March, I [Minister Rutley] met with Vice Foreign Minister Coy and discussed our ongoing support for peace and stability in Colombia. Since 2016, the UK has committed £80 million towards supporting the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and improving the security and the human rights situation.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Independent - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Colombia on the recent ceasefire with the ELN.
Answered by David Rutley
As penholder at the UN Security Council, the UK helped coordinate international support to expand the mandate of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia to verify the implementation of the ceasefire between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The ceasefire agreed between the Colombian Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) and its extension following recent talks in Havana is a welcome step. During my visit to Colombia earlier this month, I [Minister Rutley] was able to convey our hope that the ceasefire will contribute to improving security and alleviate the suffering of conflict-affected communities.