Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of the EU decision to extend Operation Sophia for three more months until the end of March 2019.
Answered by Alan Duncan
This mandate extension allows the Operation to continue for a further three months and authorises the continuation of the Crime Information Cell, which allows better coordination between the Operation and law enforcement agencies, for the duration of the mandate. As EU Member States have yet to agree long-term arrangements for disembarking migrants rescued by vessels attached to the Operation, a technical extension to the mandate was necessary to allow time for Member States to find a solution.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to reports of a warrant for the re-arrest of the journalist Eren Erdem, what assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) freedom of speech and (b) press freedom in Turkey.
Answered by Alan Duncan
We are aware of the re-arrest of Eren Erdem and are following his case closely, including attendance at his most recent hearing. We have long encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, particularly in the area of freedom of expression and of the media. We will continue to engage the Turkish Government on these issues and to urge respect for media freedom, which is essential to the long-term health of Turkish democracy.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of Official Development Assistance spending on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK helped secure the landmark Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we meet the United Nations' 0.7% gross national income target for Official Development Assistance (ODA). The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as a leading ODA-spending department, is helping to advance the SDGs globally by contributing to the objectives of the UK Aid Strategy, particularly in the areas of peace and security, governance and economic development, which underpin poverty reduction.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 improve the transparency of Official Development Assistance spent by his Department.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to meeting the target for Official Development Assistance (ODA) transparency laid down in the UK Aid Strategy and we routinely publish data on gov.uk. The FCO has brought in changes to the way we publish data, including upgrading computer systems, streamlining the data entry process and reviewing the level of detail we include in our data publications. Many of these changes are strategic and long term in nature, and are intended to facilitate much better data publishing by 2020. The FCO will continue to discuss the detailed findings with Publish What You Fund to identify further areas for improvement. We are confident that we will meet HMG’s transparency commitment by 2020 and are making sure that UK taxpayers’ money is spent well in ways that advance the UK Aid Strategy’s objectives.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on compensation for Thalidomide victims from the German Government.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I have followed this issue closely and appreciate its importance. I have met representatives of the Thalidomide Trust on several occasions, most recently in November 2017. I subsequently raised Thalidomide with the then German Ambassador in January 2018.
The British Government has not been involved directly in talks with the German Government on compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide but wishes to assist where it can. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has helped the Trust make its own representations to the German Government and the Trust held meetings with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs in September and December 2017. FCO officials remain in close contact with the Thalidomide Trust and will continue to pursue discussions with the German Government in an effort to make progress on securing successful compensation for those eligible.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 South African counterpart on attacks against South African farmers.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Foreign Secretary has not directly raised this issue with his South African counterpart, Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. However, we remain concerned about the high level of violent crime in South Africa, including in rural and isolated areas such as farms. Our High Commission in South Africa monitors the situation closely and is in contact with the South African law enforcement agencies. The South African Government assures us that tackling crime in all its forms is a high priority.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent assessment his Department has made of the prospects for peace in Libya.
Answered by Alistair Burt
An inclusive political deal negotiated within the Libyan Political Agreement framework is the best way of stabilising Libya. The UK fully supports the roadmap set out by by UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé. I am concerned that continued violence undermines progress and urge Libyans to compromise and engage with the UN-led process.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information the Government has provided to British citizens living abroad who are eligible to vote in the EU referendum on that referendum.
Answered by David Lidington
Before the purdah period began, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supported the Electoral Commission's global campaign to encourage eligible British citizens living abroad to register to vote, using its network of posts to reach British nationals around the world.
The Government has made its position on the UK’s membership of the EU clear. It has published a number of papers analysing the choice facing the British people. These were made available on Gov.UK.