Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department has provided to Alawite civilians living in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In all our engagement with the Syrian Government we consistently emphasise the need to protect the rights of all Syrians. I discussed these points in my meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 17 March and the UK Special Representative for Syria spoke directly to members of the Alawite community following the violence in coastal areas in early March. We will continue to monitor the treatment of all civilians in Syria, and this issue will continue to be an important aspect of our engagement with the Syrian Government.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the risk of conflict minerals from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (a) being traded on the London Bullion Market and (b) appearing in UK (i) supply chains and (ii) products.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
We are deeply concerned by reports from the UN Group of Experts that M23 and Rwanda are illegally extracting critical minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and are clear that such activity must stop immediately.
We are committed to addressing risks around conflict minerals and protecting human rights. The UK works through several international mechanisms to deliver on this, including encouraging compliance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD's) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains which enables businesses to operate responsibly from conflict-affected areas and the European Partnerships for Responsible Minerals which aims to increase the proportion of responsibly sourced minerals in supply chains.
The Government recognises the importance of high regulatory standards in financial markets. For Over-The-Counter wholesale markets for precious metals like the London Bullion Markets, the Financial Conduct Authority recognises the Global Precious Metals Code.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of (a) trends in the level of (i) gold, (ii) coltan and (iii) other conflict minerals being exported from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and (b) the role of external actors in the export of those minerals.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
We are deeply concerned by reports from the UN Group of Experts that M23 and Rwanda are illegally extracting critical minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and are clear that such activity must stop immediately.
We are committed to addressing risks around conflict minerals and protecting human rights. The UK works through several international mechanisms to deliver on this, including encouraging compliance with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains which enables businesses to operate responsibly from conflict-affected areas and the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals which aims to increase the proportion of responsibly sourced minerals in supply chains.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to support the work of the Council for At-Risk Academics.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK is committed to supporting and promoting academic freedom and is aware of the excellent work that the Council of At-Risk Academics does in helping academics in dangerous situations all over the world. The UK also recognises the essential role that civil society and human rights defenders, which can include academics, play in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Our Embassies and Missions support those at risk in a number of ways, including monitoring cases, observing trials and raising issues with host governments.