Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Pakistani counterpart; and what was discussed at that meeting.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We have regular contact with the Government of Pakistan at all levels. The most recent high level contact was on 23 September, when the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Imran Khan in the margins of the UN General Assembly. They discussed the strong bilateral relations between the UK and Pakistan, Kashmir, the upcoming visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and regional issues, including tensions with Iran and peace efforts in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
I refer the honourable member to PQ 293428.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
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 counterparts in (a) India and (b) Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are following the situation in Kashmir closely and are in regular contact with the Governments of India and Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary has raised his concerns about the situation with the Indian Minister for External Affairs Dr Jaishankar. In addition to this the Prime Minister has spoken to both Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan about the situation, underlining the importance of maintaining dialogue. Most recently he discussed the issue with Prime Minister Khan in New York on 23 September. The Minister of State responsible for South Asia has also had regular engagement with the Indian and Pakistani High Commissioners and raised the situation in Kashmir with Minister Naqvi during their meeting in New Delhi on 3 October. Events in Kashmir can have regional and international implications and we continue to urge calm and caution from all.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We recognise that there are human rights concerns in both India-administered-Kashmir and Pakistan-administered-Kashmir. We encourage all states to ensure domestic laws are in line with international standards. Any allegation of human rights abuse is deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. The continued use of detentions and the continued restrictions on communications are worrying. It is important that individual rights are fully respected and that there is constructive dialogue with affected communities. We have raised our concerns with the Governments of India and Pakistan.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Indian counterpart; and what was discussed at that meeting.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We have regular contact with the Government of India at all levels. The Foreign Secretary met the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr Jaishankar on 1 August at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bangkok. The Foreign Ministers discussed a range of issues including UK-India bilateral relations, regional issues and opportunities for the future. They have spoken on the telephone subsequently.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department gave to the Secretary of State for International Development during his visit to Israel in August 2017.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not provide any assistance to my right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel), former Secretary of State for International Development, during her private visit to Israel in August 2017.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he or Ministers of his Department became aware of the visit of the Secretary of State for International Development to Israel in August 2017.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Mike Gapes (The Independent Group for Change - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Venezuela.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The British Government is concerned by the latest developments in Venezuela, in particular the political, economic and security challenges, which are having a serious impact on the human rights of ordinary Venezuelans. I discussed those concerns with Venezuelan Minister for Europe, Samuel Moncada, on 26 October and urged the Venezuela Government to respect the human rights of its citizens.
The United Kingdom co-signed a Joint Statement at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 29 September, expressing international community concern over developments in Venezuela. This Joint Statement was supported by 28 other countries. We have played an active role in preparations for Venezuela's upcoming Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, submitting a statement of recommendations and posing questions to the Venezuelan Government regarding their human rights record.
Venezuela has been designated a Foreign and Commonwealth Office 'Human Rights Priority Country' for 2016/17. Designation allows us expand our work on human rights and democracy in Venezuela, through bilateral projects supporting political dialogue, women's rights and good governance.