Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in Bangladesh on the floods from the river Brahmaputra in June 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Lord Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, discussed the impacts of the floods with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister on 27 June. The flood response was also raised in a recent meeting with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister and COP26 President-Designate. We regularly engage at an official level on climate adaptation and resilience. Our £120m Bangladesh Climate and Environment Programme, announced at COP26, has a focus on resilience in climate vulnerable areas. The programme will support the scaling up of locally-led adaptation and help households to cope with climate impacts.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support people in (a) Bangladesh and (b) India following the recent flooding of the Brahmaputra river.
Answered by Vicky Ford
I am deeply saddened by the impacts of the recent flooding in India and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the UK provided £195,000 to support the response during the first wave of flooding in May. We contributed a further £442,500 after the second wave of flooding in June. This funding continues to support the provision of cash assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, search and rescue operations, shelter management and provisional education materials. Since 2004, the Government of India has stated publicly it neither seeks nor accepts official international assistance from foreign governments for disaster relief.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with her Israeli counterpart on that Government's obligations under international law to stop forced (a) evictions and (b) demolitions in the Occupied Territories.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. I met with Palestinian families affected by the ongoing demolition and eviction orders at Masafer Yatta during my recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and raised our concerns with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll on 22 June.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will condemn (a) forced evictions of Palestinians and (b) demolitions of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. I met with Palestinian families affected by the ongoing demolition and eviction orders at Masafer Yatta during my recent visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and raised our concerns with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll on 22 June.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the review commissioned by the British High Commission in Colombo into the impact of UK support to the Sri Lankan police will include the training delivered to its special task force by British security firm, KMS Limited, in the 1980s.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The British High Commission in Colombo commissioned a review to look at the impact of UK Government support to the Sri Lankan police from 2016 until 2021, identify lessons learned and make recommendations with regards to future programmes. The current iteration of the UK police training programme began in 2018 and focused on strengthening the police's capacity to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, promoting gender equality, and community policing. This project contract and Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme cycle concluded on 31 March 2022. The British High Commission is considering its approach to any future CSSF programme and its review will be taken into account alongside a number of factors.
The UK Government was not party to the agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) in the 1980s. The Government of Sri Lanka approached KMS without the involvement of the UK, and the UK Government had no ability to intervene in what was a commercial contract between the two parties. This is therefore out of scope of the review.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including a clause in the UK Sanctions List on preventing sanctioned arms manufacturers from showcasing their munitions in the UK.
Answered by Vicky Ford
No UK company or person is allowed to deal with the economic resources held or controlled by a sanctioned arms company, or make funds or economic resources available for its benefit. Furthermore, the import to the UK of arms and related material consigned or originating from Russia is prohibited.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in Pakistan on the so-called blasphemy laws and reported vigilante acts committed on British soil.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We raise this issue privately at the highest levels. We press for speedy and fair trials for those accused and urge the Pakistan authorities to ensure the safety of those released. On 23 and 24 June during a visit to Pakistan, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia met Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as other senior government ministers including Foreign Minister Qureshi and Human Rights Minister Mazari. During these meetings, he highlighted the need to address persecution, promote respect for all religions and increase tolerance for religious minorities. In March the High Commissioner also met senior representatives of the Christian faith and discussed blasphemy, as well as other issues around freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the application of the Government's Magnitsky sanctions regime to Bangladeshi Government officials associated with the Rapid Action Battalion of its police force.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Departmental officials have had with their counterparts in Bangladesh over alleged human rights abuses conducted by the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK police officers provide training for the Bangladeshi Police's Rapid Action Battalion.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.
We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.