Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has raised with the Colombian government the further threats to the life of Irreal Aguilar Solano; and what steps the Colombian government has informed the Government it is taking.
Answered by Lord Swire
Our Ambassador in Bogota raised the case of Irrael Aguilar Solano on 3 February 2015 during a meeting with the Presidential High Adviser for Human Rights, Guillermo Rivera. Mr Rivera informed the Ambassador that they will engage with the Colombian Authorities to ensure that full protection measures are afforded.
More than 1300 Human Rights Defenders have received protection measures from the Colombian Government, 300 of them at the highest level. The Presidential High Adviser for Human Rights also informed our Ambassador that as a result of the improvement in protection measures, deaths of Human Rights Defenders are decreasing.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the government of the Republic of Cyprus on that country joining the Sovereign Base Area Administration in adopting the new Strategic Action Plan against illegal bird trapping.
Answered by David Lidington
I discussed concerns around illegal bird trapping with the Foreign Minister of Cyprus when we met on 12 March.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance on OECD guidelines the UK Government gives to UK companies operating abroad.
Answered by Lord Swire
The UK has a National Contact Point (NCP) on the OECD guidelines, provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills with support from the Department for International Development. It raises awareness of the guidelines by undertaking promotional activities, and handling enquiries. Its guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/uk-national-contact-point-for-the-organisation-for-economic-co-operation-and-development-oecd-guidelines-for-multinational-enterprises. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also provides an extensive and detailed set of information for companies on the policy and implementation of OECD guidelines.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what records his Department keeps of UK companies' compliance with OECD guidelines for multinational companies; and what steps his her Department takes when a company is known to be acting contrary to those guidelines.
Answered by Lord Swire
We encourage all UK-registered multinationals fully to respect the OECD Guidelines. They are voluntary principles and standards of corporate behaviour for multinational businesses, and Her Majesty’s Government does not keep a formal record of UK companies’ compliance with them other than the assessments and statements on complaints of the UK National Contact Point (NCP) published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-national-contact-point-statements
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel about potential breaches of international law by that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed Israel’s cooperation with the UN Commission of Inquiry and meeting international standards of accountability as a whole with the Director of International Law at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 September. Officials have also lobbied Israeli Cabinet Ministers, the National Security Council and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Members of the Knesset and Knesset officials, for Israel to address the international community’s concerns over the deaths of over 2000 Gazans.
We are pressing Israel to demonstrate accountability for its actions during the recent Gaza conflict. The Israel Defence Forces have launched a number of internal processes to investigate specific cases of engagement, and the Israeli State Comptroller has launched an investigation into the Government’s conduct. We will watch these closely. But there will also be international procedures which must examine the actions of both Hamas and Israel. Both sides should cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council, which must itself be independent and balanced in its approach.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Israeli government following the announcement of further settlement building on Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I raised the issue of settlements with the Israeli Justice Minister on 6 October during my visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories from 6-8 October. The UK robustly and repeatedly raises its concerns over settlement building with the Israeli authorities, at all levels. Since the announcement of the expropriation of 988 acres of land on 31 August, the UK has made a number of representations to the Israeli authorities, making our views on the move clear, including to the Israeli Cabinet Secretary, the National Security Advisor, and the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UK also raised its serious concern about the Givat Hamatos announcement with Israel’s Cabinet Secretary on 2 October.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with EU counterparts following the Israeli government's announcement of further settlement building on Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) statement of 1 September made clear, the UK deplores Israel’s decision to expropriate 988 acres of land around the settlement of Etzion. Along with a number of EU counterparts, and the European External Action Service, the Foreign Secretary urged the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision. The UK closely coordinates on the issue of settlements with EU partners on which the UK, and EU’s, position is clear: they are illegal under international law, and an obstacle to the two state solution.