Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government supports the Republic of China (Taiwan) becoming a full member of World Health Organisation.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Membership of the World Health Organisation is open only to states recognised by the UN. However, the UK supports Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations where statehood is not a prerequisite for their participation.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made on bring forward proposals to introduce Magnitsky-style laws to punish supporters of human rights violations in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
On 6 July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. We will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that British Nationals Overseas in Hong Kong can contact the British Consulate General in Hong Kong in the safest manner with reduced fear of oppression by the Chinese Government.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Our consular work, providing help to British nationals all over the world, has always been a priority. The consular assistance we provide British nationals is set out in our guide, 'Support for British Nationals Abroad'. There is also information available on Gov.uk.
Under a Memorandum to the Joint Declaration, British Nationals (Overseas) (BN(O))s are eligible to consular protection in third countries, but not Hong Kong, Macao or mainland China. The Chinese authorities do not recognise dual nationality and would not grant consular access. Where the UK Government is unable to offer consular assistance and where we have legitimate humanitarian or human rights concerns we will engage the relevant authorities and lobby on that basis. In response to the national security law the UK has already offered a new immigration path for BN(O)s, suspended our extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and extended our arms embargo on mainland China to Hong Kong.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representation he has made to his Chilean counterpart on freedom of religion in that country since the burning-down of a place of worship by protesters in Santiago.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Chile's government strongly and swiftly condemned the burning-down of two churches in Santiago by violent protesters on 18 October. Chile has robust constitutional and legal protections for the freedom of religion and the free exercise of worship, with the law prohibiting religious discrimination. The recent arson attacks against the places of worship are under investigation. We continue to discuss the human rights situation in Chile with the government through open and constructive dialogue.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to remove all streams of Official Development Assistance from his Department to the People's Republic of China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK ended traditional bilateral aid programmes to China in 2011. As the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated, global challenges need global solutions, and we recognise that China has to be part of them as a major driver of global growth with increasing presence on the global stage. We now offer China expertise and skills to help tackle global issues like climate change, where action by China is critical to reaching our global climate goals, as well as using ODA to fund the ODA eligible portion of the costs of UK diplomatic staff in China, Chinese Chevening scholars and the British Council's ODA eligible activity in China.
As the Foreign Secretary stated to Parliament on 20 July, the UK wants a positive and constructive relationship with China. There are wide-ranging opportunities, from increasing trade to cooperation on climate change. However, where we have concerns, we raise them and where we need to take action we will.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on the persecution and murder of Christians and members of other minority religious groups in India.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions maintain a continuous assessment of the human rights situation across India, talking regularly to the Government of India, including about freedom of religion or belief. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India: the Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised these issues on several occasions with the Indian High Commissioner in London and his opposite number in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. We also continue to engage Indian religious leaders of all faiths and to support Indian partners to promote interfaith relations among young people
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government will take against UK-headquartered companies who assist the Chinese authorities in enforcing the National Security Laws in Hong Kong against people with British National (Overseas) status.
Answered by Nigel Adams
HMG does not comment on the commercial decision making of companies. However, we are clear that we have made a historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong to protect their rights and freedoms, and we will hold China to its international obligations.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to assist British merchant sailors who have been marooned at sea as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) on 23 March, reaffirming our international obligations on seafarers' welfare and transit, and calling for clear international guidance for port, flag and coastal states on seafarers' welfare and facilitating seafarer transit. Where vessel operators request assistance to repatriate their employees, the UK Government stands ready to work as quickly as possible to help those who may need rapid consular assistance.
Not all British crew are seeking to return to the UK. Some may wish to stay with the ship (with their employer's consent), while others may be required by their role to do so as part of the minimum safe manning requirements for the vessel. This is a legislative and flag state requirement to ensure the continued seaworthiness of vessels.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on the continued persecution of Christians in the Kaduna region of that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
We condemn all incidents of intercommunal violence in Nigeria, including recently reported attacks in Kaduna State. Officials from the British High Commission in Abuja are in contact with and have visited communities in Kaduna that have experienced violence and conflict. We continue to encourage the Government of Nigeria to take urgent action to protect those at risk of intercommunal violence, to bring perpetrators to justice and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes and meet the needs of all communities.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Wilton Park hosted a conference on 'Fostering Social Cohesion in Nigeria' in February, which brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from Kaduna State. The conference was an opportunity to discuss how government, faith-based and community organisations can build solutions to intercommunal violence in Nigeria. Participants highlighted the importance of countering inaccurate narratives which misrepresent disparate incidents as a homogenous religious conflict. Whilst religion plays a part in many clashes in Nigeria, other underlying causes are also present, including competition over land and resources and livelihoods at risk.
The Prime Minister discussed insecurity in Nigeria with President Buhari at the UK Africa Investment Summit in January. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at the highest levels, the importance of protecting civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, and human rights for all Nigerians.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent an escalation of tensions in Libya and neighbouring countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Libya and the risks to wider regional stability. The UK is actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. We continue to call on all parties to de-escalate, commit to a lasting ceasefire and return to UN-led political talks. We welcome the recent announcement by the UN that the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army have agreed to resume talks on the framework for a ceasefire. It is essential that both sides engage fully with this process.