Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the imprisonment of (a) Yasin Malik and (b) other political prisoners under the Public Safety Act in India.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HM Government has made no specific assessments related to the case of Yasmin Malik or others detained in India under the Public Safety Act. It is not for the UK to comment on an independent judicial process in another country. However, we encourage all states to ensure that their domestic laws adhere to international standards for free and fair trials and that the treatment of detainees respects international obligations.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing a list of LGBTQ+ friendly travel destinations in travel guidance to British citizens.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO travel advice provides information to help British nationals, including those who are LGBT+, make informed decisions about their foreign travel.
No travel is completely safe. We try to make objective judgements and we will advise against travel when we judge that the level of risk is unacceptably high.
We recognise, however, that LGBT+ people can face particular risks and challenges due to the stigma, discrimination and even violence that they can experience around the world. This is why the FCDO, in addition to country-specific advice, has worked with LGBT+ people and organisations to develop specific gov.uk guidance for LGBT+ people travelling abroad: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-foreign-travel-advice.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the election results in Georgia on the safety of LGBTQ+ people in that country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not yet assessed the specific impact of the 27 October Georgian parliamentary elections on the safety of LGBT+ people. However, it is clear that the direction of the Georgian Dream party risks undermining freedom of expression and assembly and further discriminating against and stigmatising Georgia's LGBT+ community, including through the introduction of the Law on Family Values. We work closely with our partners to advance equality, including through the Equal Rights Coalition and the European LGBTI Focal Points Network. On 9 October, I raised my concerns over recent legislative changes, including these laws, with Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports that Israeli settlers plan to cross into Gaza and create outposts.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The Government will challenge those who undermine the prospects of a two-state solution or use hateful rhetoric. We will look at all options to take tougher action.
Settlement expansion in the West Bank has reached record levels in the past year and has been accompanied by an increase in settler violence. During the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel and the OPTs on 14-15 July, he met with Palestinians displaced in the West Bank and was horrified to hear of acts of violence carried out by settlers. The Foreign Secretary made the UK's position clear to those communities and to the Israeli government.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Israeli forces (a) starving and (b) killing Palestinian civilians in Northern Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary set out in his statement of 16 October, the humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza is dire. Israel must ensure civilians are protected and ensure routes are open to allow life-saving aid through. The UK is clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and civilians protected. We continue to raise issues of International Humanitarian Law with the Israel at the highest levels.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help uphold international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in the context of the conference entitled Preparing to resettle Gaza, which took place in Israel on Monday 21 October 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This government is committed to upholding international law. The UK's position on all settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. The Government will challenge those who undermine the prospects of a two-state solution or use hateful rhetoric. The UK also condemns inciteful remarks, such as those made by Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, which seek to inflame tensions and harm the viability of a two-state solution.
We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We must give the people of the West Bank and Gaza the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future. And it needs to be irreversible.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the safety of LGBTQI+ people in Georgia following the On Family Values and Protection of Minors legislation being passed.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is our view that, despite the title of the law, these laws undermine fundamental rights of freedom of expression and assembly, and risk discriminating against and stigmatising Georgia's LGBT+ groups. The UK works closely with our international partners to advance equality, including through the Equal Rights Coalition and the European LGBTI Focal Points Network. On 9 October I raised my concerns over recent legislative changes, including these laws, with Georgian Foreign Minister Darchiashvili, and emphasised the importance of protecting minority rights, and wider human rights.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of plans by Israeli settler movement organisations to march to Gaza on 15 May 2024 with the aim of establishing new settlements there.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK policy on settlement expansion is clear: settlements are illegal under international law and only make it harder to progress to achieving peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians. We have called on the Israeli Government to halt seizures of Palestinian lands immediately.
On 3 May, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions on extremist groups and individuals for inciting and perpetrating settler violence in the West Bank. The measures impose financial restrictions on the entities and individuals, and travel restrictions on the individuals. The UK will not hesitate to take further action if needed, including through further sanctions.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk to the safety of aid workers in (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what steps he is taking to help protect (i) international aid agencies and (ii) their employees from (A) threats and (B) other hindrance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary has called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.
The Prime Minister set out the need for more aid to enter Gaza in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 2 April, and that far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Ugandan counterpart on the (a) arrests and (b) treatment of people campaigning against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Through our High Commission in Kampala, we have previously raised concerns around detentions of climate protesters in Uganda; both I and the High Commission regularly engage with the Ugandan Government on human rights, both bilaterally and with likeminded countries.