Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to urge Iranian compliance with Security Council Resolution 2216.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK remains concerned by Iran's destabilising behaviour across the region, particularly its proliferation of ballistic missiles and support to non-state groups, including the Houthis in Yemen. We have consistently raised concerns with Iran about its regional behaviour, including at the highest levels, and urged them to end supply of weapons including missiles to the Houthis. Such transfers threaten regional security and prolong the conflict in Yemen. In addition, the EU has in place more than 200 sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities for activities of concern including ballistic missile activity and IRGC links, including against the IRGC in its entirety. The EU arms embargo against Iran remains in place.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in upholding the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Answered by Mark Field
The United Kingdom is one of sixteen Sending States to the United Nations Command (UNC) in the Republic of Korea, which is responsible for maintaining the Korean Armistice Agreement. We have three staff officers permanently based in the UNC, and contribute additional staff to the UNC for annual joint United States-Republic of Korea military exercises. The United Kingdom's Defence Attaché to the Republic of Korea is the UK Member of the Military Armistice Commission, which supervises the implementation of the Agreement and settles any violations of the Armistice through negotiations.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK's financial contribution to the budgets of the (a) United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, (b) European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, (c) NATO Kosovo Force and (d) other international organisations' missions in Kosovo has been in each year since 2008.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been unable to provide all the information requested. Where this is the case, we have provided an explanation.
(a) The UK's share of the budget for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is paid from the UK's Peacekeeping Budget. Our contribution to this is funded from the Government's Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). The UK's share of the UN Peacekeeping Budget is currently 5.8%. Our payments to the UN Peacekeeping Budget for the last seven financial years are as follows:
| Financial Year | Payment |
| 17/18 | £1.4m |
| 16/17 | £1.2m |
| 15/16 | £1.4m |
| 14/15 | £1.6m |
| 13/14 | £1.6m |
| 12/13 | £2.2m |
| 11/12 | £1.8m |
Data prior to FY 2011/12 is not available on the FCO's current system. To search the archives would incur disproportionate costs.
(b) The UK's contribution to the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) comes from our overall contribution to the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) budget, which is calculated on the basis of Member States' GDP. We do not make mission specific contributions. To give an indication of costs, we pay £34m per year to cover all EU CSDP Missions (Peacekeeping and non-Peacekeeping).
(c) The UK contributes to the NATO Kosovo Force through our overall contributions to NATO Operation Balkans, in accordance with the UK's NATO cost share in force at the time that the budget was set. Records accessible in the time available date back to 2009 and set out the UK's contribution to Operation Balkans:
| Year | Payment (Euros) | UK's NATO cost share |
| 2009 | 3.086m | 12.0542% |
| 2010 | 2.910m | 11.5478% |
| 2012 | 2.803m | 11.1677% |
| 2013 | 2.801m | 11.1677% |
| 2014 | 2.588m | 10.4790% |
| 2015 | 2.494m | 10.4790% |
| 2016 | 2.039m | 9.8485% |
| 2017 | 2.245m | 9.8485% |
| 2018 | 2.384m | 10.4581% |
(d) In 2018, the total funds allocated to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Field Operations was €79.5m, of which €17.4m was allocated to its mission in Kosovo. The UK's share of this allocation was 11.09%.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff from his Department or seconded from other Ministerial Departments have been assigned to roles in the (a) British Embassy, Pristina, (b) United Nations Mission in Kosovo, (c) NATO Kosovo Force, (d) European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and (e) other international organisations' missions in Kosovo in each year since 2008.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been unable to provide all the information requested. Where this is the case, I have provided an explanation. In addition, where staff numbers are below five people, I have not specified the exact figure. In addition, as a matter of policy, we do not disclose exact figures where staff numbers are below five people.
(a) As of 31 March each year between 2013 and 2018, the following number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK-based staff have been posted to the British Embassy in Pristina:
| Year | Number of FCO UK-Based Staff |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | Fewer than 5 |
| 2017 | Fewer than 5 |
| 2018 | Fewer than 5 |
These numbers include staff who were on interchange from other Whitehall departments for the duration of their posting on FCO terms and conditions of service.
The FCO does not hold centrally a breakdown of how many FCO UK-based staff were overseas between 2008 to 2012. We are only able to provide information on the total FCO UK-based headcount data. The FCO outlined these figures in a previous Parliamentary Question (142785):
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm130226/text/130226w0002.htm
(b) The Government provided secondees to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) between 1999 and 2008. However in the timeframe available, we cannot ascertain whether any such secondees remained in post after 2008. The FCO does not currently second staff to UNMIK.
(c) The FCO does not second staff to the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR). Each year from 2009 to 2016, there were UK-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian staff deployed to Kosovo as Deputy Director or Director to the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (and its predecessor organisations). The FCO currently seconds external staff to the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team. The number each year is under five.
(d) The FCO supplied the following numbers of secondees to the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) since 2011. Data on secondees prior to 2011 is not held centrally.
| Year | Number of UK secondments to EULEX |
| 2018 | 8 (including secondees to the Specialist Chambers/Special Prosecutor's Office in the Hague) |
| 2017 | 9 (including secondees to the Specialist Chambers/Special Prosecutor's Office in the Hague) |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2014 | 43 |
| 2013 | 37 |
| 2012 | 61 |
| 2011 | 30 |
(e) Staff have been seconded by the FCO to the EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Kosovo. The number each year was under five. Staff have previously been seconded by the UK to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Kosovo. However, from 2008 onwards, these secondees were not paid by the Government; they received living allowances from the OSCE. From 2009 to 2012, seven staff were seconded to the International Civilian Office.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the average time taken was to fill vacancies for (a) Administrative Assistant/Administrative Officer, (b) Executive Officer, (c) Senior Executive Officer/Higher Executive Officer, (d) Grades six and seven civil servants and (e) Senior Civil Service grade positions in his Department in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The average recruitment time to fill vacancies has been calculated as the time from when the campaign was launched to contract start time. This includes the time it takes to get security clearance. For permanent Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff security clearance is at the highest level, Developed Vetting (DV). We only have detailed records back to 2014/2015. The following table shows the average times to fill vacancies, by grade, for the past four financial years:
Grade | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
Administrative Officer | N/A | 6 months | 6 months | 6 months |
Executive officer | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3 months |
Higher / Senior Executive Officer | 8 months | 6 months | 6 months | 5 months |
Grades 6 / 7 Officers | 8 months | 6 months | 6 months | 4 months |
Senior Civil Service | 8 months | 5 months | 6 months | N/A |
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has provided to interested parties in respect of establishing a second commercial air link to the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We worked closely with The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and our Argentine counterparts to agree on an additional flight to the islands. UK and Argentine representatives delivered a joint letter to regional governments notifying them of this. The subsequent commercial process is being managed by the FIG and it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing commercial process.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
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 implications for his Department's policies of claims by the President of Lithuania that Russia has the nuclear-capable Iskander missile system permanently deployed in its exclave of Kaliningrad.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are aware of the claims made by the President of Lithuania regarding Russian deployments to Kaliningrad. We are unable to confirm these claims but we remain concerned at Russia's ongoing military modernisation in Kaliningrad which risks raising tensions.
NATO's posture will remain proportionate and defensive in nature. We will continue to encourage Russia to engage constructively on military issues of concern through NATO-Russia dialogue. It is in our mutual interest to reduce the risk of misunderstanding, miscalculation, and unintended escalation.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department can provide to Members of Parliament who do not receive responses to letters sent to foreign embassies in the UK.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no authority over other countries' embassies in London in respect of their correspondence with UK MPs. Occasionally the FCO is asked to assist by forwarding a MP's letter to the embassy concerned.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has received from the Government of Germany on planned UK-Turkey defence cooperation following that country's decision to freeze defence exports to Turkey.
Answered by Alan Duncan
None.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to his Russian counterpart Russia’s veto of the UN Security Council draft resolution on extending the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism investigating use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign Secretary has strongly condemned repeated Security Council vetoes by Russia - on 24 October, 16 and 17 November - which have blocked the renewal of the mandate for the UN Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (UN-OPCW) Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). In a written statement to Parliament on 30 November, the Foreign Secretary condemned Russia's "overriding determination to protect their allies in the Syrian regime, whatever the crimes committed." The UK remains determined to continue to seek accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria and continues to raise the issue with Russia bilaterally.