Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consular visits have been made to Andargachew Tsege in prison in Ethiopia; and what reports he has received on the state of Mr Tsege's health.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK Ambassador to Ethiopia has visited Mr Tsege on two occasions since his detention. The first was on 11 August, and the second on 19 December. Our Ambassador did not report any concerns about Mr Tsege’s health on either of these visits. As a detained British national, Mr Tsege’s welfare remains of the utmost importance to the FCO and we continue to press the Ethiopian authorities for regular consular access as enshrined in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
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 potential to hold the perpetrators of recent human rights violations in West Papua to account in international law; and if his Department will develop plans to increase support for the protection of Papuan civilians.
Answered by Lord Swire
We are concerned by reports of a number of deaths in Paniai, Papua province, on 8 December, apparently following attempts to disperse a group of protesters. We support calls by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the authorities to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the incident. Such an investigation should be in line with international legal standards.
We regularly discuss the situation in Papua with the Indonesian authorities, including during visits by our Embassy to the province. It is for the Indonesian authorities to provide adequate protection to all its citizens and we continue to press them to do so.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to give practical personnel support to the UN Multidiversional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently has no plans to supply personnel to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission to the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), our support for the mission is substantial. The UK pays for 6.6% of the UN’s peacekeeping budget, and therefore an equivalent share of UN civilian personnel in MINUSCA, the UK’s support has also included £23m humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic. We will continue to work with the international community through MINUSCA and the European Union Force, to protect civilians from violence.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings he has held with his counterpart in Ethiopia to discuss the continued detention of Andargachew Tsege.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed Mr Tsege’s detention with his Ethiopian counterpart on 23 September and again on 19 November this year. My team and Foreign and Commonwealth officials in London and Ethiopia also frequently raise Mr Tsege’s case in their interactions with the Ethiopian authorities.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
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 potential reputational or political risk to the Government of the decision to enter an agreement with Bahrain to establish a naval base in the Gulf.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The UK has had a naval presence in Bahrain for many years but our facilities there have been temporary and of a low standard. The purpose of the defence arrangement, signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in Bahrain on 6 December, is to improve and bolster the existing facilities to provide the Royal Navy with a forward operating base and accommodation for Royal Navy personnel. The UK greatly values its partnership with Bahrain on regional security issues, which forms an important part of our wider bilateral relationship with the Government of Bahrain.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost to date has been of the Draft Feasibility Study for the Resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory Report; and what the expected final cost of that study is.
Answered by James Duddridge
The BIOT Administration are paying for the independent feasibility study on resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The total costs charged to them to date stands at just under £71,000 (including VAT). This figure not only includes costs of the independent consultants, but also associated expenses such as translations for Chagossians, for a research visit to BIOT, and to speak to the communities in person here in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles. The full final cost is expected to be approximately £650,000.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what process is used to monitor the eventual destination of strategic equipment and arms sold to Saudi Arabia; and what recent discussions he has had with the government of Saudi Arabia on such sales.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Government examines every export licence application on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated (EU and National) Export Licensing Criteria (available at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140325/wmstext/140325m0001.htm#14032566000018). We are satisfied that the currently extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with this criteria.
Officials in our Embassy in Riyadh have regular contact with their Saudi counterparts about the sale of military and security equipment to the Kingdom.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with which states he has discussed the future of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe since the Chicago NATO Summit.
Answered by David Lidington
At the recent Summit in Wales, all NATO Allies reiterated that the greatest responsibility of the Alliance is to protect and defend our territory and our populations against attack and that deterrence, based on an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and missile defence capabilities, remains a core element of our overall strategy. Collectively, NATO as an Alliance discusses, on a regular basis, its nuclear policy, doctrine and capability including forward deployed nuclear forces. The stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of a particular NATO member is governed by a bilateral agreement between the US and the host nation.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what date the renewal of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement was agreed.
Answered by David Lidington
Certain provisions of the Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) are subject to renewal every 10 years to ensure that they remain relevant and valid. The next renewal is due by the end of 2014. To this end, the British and US Governments are taking forward the process of renewing these provisions in line with our respective domestic processes and requirements. Before any amendment to the MDA can take effect, in accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the proposed amendments will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny later in the year. A similar review process is underway in the US. Once these periods of scrutiny have been completed, the amendments will enter into force and be valid until the end of 2024.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the implementation of Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty has had in any negotiation on the renewal of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK takes all of its international obligations seriously. The Mutual Defence Agreement is fully compliant and compatible with our obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.