Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in using the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club for the benefit of the people of Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer to Question HL2826 given on 13 March 2024, which can be found on the Q&A web pages (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-28/hl2826). The Government is working hard to reach an arrangement that delivers this money for humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make representations to the government of Rwanda about the denial of entry into that country of a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, who is a British citizen, at Kigali airport on 13 May.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO recognises the importance of organisations like Human Rights Watch and the work that they do. Our High Commissioner in Rwanda has spoken with the individual concerned and, along with other international partners, discussed the incident with the Rwandan government. The Monitoring Committee, agreed as part of the UK-Rwanda Treaty, will have the power to set its own priority areas for monitoring and have unfettered access for the purposes of completing assessments and reports.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the government of Rwanda’s apparent refusal to allow staff of Human Rights Watch into the country for (1) UK-Rwanda relations, and (2) the UK-Rwanda asylum partnership.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO recognises the importance of organisations like Human Rights Watch and the work that they do. Our High Commissioner in Rwanda has spoken with the individual concerned and, along with other international partners, discussed the incident with the Rwandan government. The Monitoring Committee, agreed as part of the UK-Rwanda Treaty, will have the power to set its own priority areas for monitoring and have unfettered access for the purposes of completing assessments and reports.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the UK address to the UN Security Council on 19 April, what is their assessment of progress being made in reaching people at risk of starvation in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 19th April, the UK called an open briefing on the situation in Sudan at the UN Security Council, where we reiterated our calls for the warring parties to facilitate unimpeded cross-border and crossline humanitarian access. However, the continued lack of humanitarian access across Sudan makes it extremely difficult for humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary levels of assistance. Nearly five million people in Sudan are currently at risk of famine. We are working with the UN, other donors and humanitarian agencies to improve and increase the delivery of aid into and across Sudan. We will continue to urge the warring parties to achieve a ceasefire, protect civilians and increase much-needed humanitarian assistance and access.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Pakistan concerning the desecration of mosques and graves by police in Pakistan; and what response they have received, if any.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of credible reports of police overseeing and taking part in the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK Government condemns all instances of hate and discrimination directed towards minority religious communities, including Ahmadi Muslims. I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia] raised my concerns about the persecution of religious minorities and the protection of minority faith communities with Pakistan's Human Rights and Law Minister, Azam Tarar, on 15 April. The Foreign Secretary highlighted the need for the UK and Pakistan to work together to pursue freedom of religion and belief in his introductory letter to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in March. On 7 March, the UK formally registered UK concerns about the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and violence against Ahmadi individuals. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to use proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to help fund the creation of an international tribunal for crimes against international humanitarian law in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proceeds are not held by the UK Government. They are currently frozen in a UK bank account. In a statement announcing the sale, Roman Abramovich stated the proceeds would be donated to a new charitable foundation. A licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation will be needed to move the funds to the foundation, once established. We will only issue a licence which ensures the proceeds are used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Separately, we continue to engage in the Core Group established to explore options for a special tribunal on the crime of aggression.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of recent efforts to secure guarantees from Sudan’s warring parties to ensure critical humanitarian supply routes are (1) open and (2) free from bureaucratic impediments or taxation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to press the warring parties to facilitate unhindered, crossline and cross-border humanitarian access. On 27 February, the UK called for the UN Security Council to convene for a closed consultation in response to the Sudanese Armed Forces' (SAF) decision to withdraw permission for the movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies into Sudan from Chad via the Adré crossing. On 20 March, we made a UK intervention at the Security Council highlighting the OCHA White Note's clear warning that obstruction of humanitarian access by the SAF and Rapid Support Forces is resulting in people in Sudan starving. On 8 March, the UK led the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire for Ramadan and for urgent humanitarian access.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why a replacement FCDO special envoy to Sudan has not yet been appointed and when they expect to appoint one.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea spends a significant amount of time on efforts to secure peace in Sudan, working closely with other envoys covering Sudan. Our Ambassador to Khartoum - now based in Addis Ababa - also continues to engage with key international partners to press for peace, as do other British Ambassadors in the region.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the UK Address to the UN Security Council on 19 April, what is their assessment of the international community's efforts to end the war in Sudan and bring to justice those responsible for atrocity crimes.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to work with a wide range of countries and bodies, including Gulf and African partners, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN, to achieve a ceasefire, and a sustained and meaningful peace process that leads to the resumption of civilian rule in Sudan. The UK uses its position as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to increase pressure on the warring parties. The UK remains committed to ensuring that those responsible for atrocities in Sudan are held to accounts. In October, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to ensure the credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all sides, including the horrific atrocities being committed in Darfur, will be investigated impartially. We continue to support the essential work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting reports of atrocities.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the status and privileges granted to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 1996.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 1996 provides the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office with certain privileges and immunities in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations for the purposes of furthering economic and trade interests. We currently have no plans to replace this legislation.