Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her foreign counterparts to prevent the abuse of the human rights of Christians living overseas.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
In line with the Government's commitment, work continues to implement the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro's review into what more the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) could do to address the persecution of Christians in a way that will bring real improvements in the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief.
We also work with the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. Lord Ahmad hosted a successful Arria meeting in the margins of the Security Council in March 2021, raising awareness on persecution of religious minorities in conflict.
The UK will host an international Ministerial conference on FoRB in 2022 to energise collective efforts on this agenda, demonstrating our enduring commitment to promoting FoRB for all.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the context of the evacuation of people to the UK from Afghanistan following the Taliban offensive in summer 2021, what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness of the Government's ability to respond to casework from hon. Members during an emergency situation.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Responding to MPs' cases and correspondence remains a top priority for the Government and the FCDO has been working tirelessly to undertake the task. Staff from across the global FCDO network have been pulled into the crisis surge team along with colleagues from MOD and HMRC. We have received over 200,000 emails and had multiple shifts of over 100 people working throughout the day and night, 7 days a week to deliver and will continue to prioritise incoming correspondence. As we always do following a major crisis, we will be conducting an internal review to learn lessons to inform our response to future crises.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on protecting the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are committed to prioritising women and girls in the UK’s response to the situation in Afghanistan. Minister for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, addressed the UN Human Rights Council on 24 August. He underscored the UK’s commitment to protecting the human rights of all Afghan people, including women and girls, and holding the Taliban to account. As the Prime Minister said earlier this week, we will also include in resettlement schemes Afghans who have contributed to civil society or who face a particular risk from the Taliban, for example because of their role in standing up for democracy and human rights or because of their gender, sexuality or religion. All who come to our country through this safe and legal route will receive not a five-year visa, but indefinite leave to remain.Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish an evaluation of his Department's repatriation programme of UK nationals following the 2021 Taliban offensive in Afghanistan.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Our immediate focus is on ensuring safe passage for anyone remaining in Afghanistan who needs to leave, supporting the thousands of new arrivals in the UK, and continuing to provide assistance to the Afghan people. The Foreign Secretary told the FAC that he understands the importance of learning the lessons from this response.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 in Afghanistan are able to return home safely; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have already evacuated the overwhelming majority of those to whom we have a direct obligation in an unprecedented effort from our military and Civil Servants. Over 15,000 people , including more than 8,000 British Nationals and their dependants, left Afghanistan between 15 August and 29 August thanks to UK support.
The UK Government is working hard to contact all the British nationals we are aware of who remain in Afghanistan, to help them leave the country.
The Foreign Secretary and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon visited countries in the region between 1-3 September for discussions on securing safe passage for those fleeing Afghanistan and advancing the government's international priorities.
In addition, FCDO Rapid Deployment Teams have been sent to Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to reinforce our Embassy staff to process arrivals from Afghanistan.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on diplomatic steps to help ensure that (a) charity, (b) NGO and (c) humanitarian work can continue in Afghanistan following the Taliban offensive in August 2021.
Answered by Nigel Adams
One of the UK's immediate priorities is to work with international partners to ensure that life-saving humanitarian aid can reach those who need it most. The UN is seeking commitments from the Taliban to enable humanitarian work to continue. These must include respect for humanitarian principles, humanitarian access, international humanitarian law and guarantees for female aid workers.
The UK led work on the recent UN Security Council resolution, demonstrating our commitment to holding the Taliban to account on human rights, humanitarian access, safe passage and preventing terror.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the (a) Indian Government, (b) Pakistani Government, and (c) the Government of Jammu and Kashmir on the potential merits of holding a referendum on self-determination for the people of Kashmir.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK government continues to discuss the situation in Kashmir with both the Governments of India and Pakistan, and with our contacts in Kashmir, through our diplomatic networks in both countries. The UK's longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to identify a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the protection of religious minorities in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Human rights form a regular part of our dialogue with India. Most recently, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State for South Asia, discussed the situation for Christians in India with India's Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kishan Reddy, on 15 March. Our Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi also discussed UK Parliamentary interest in minorities in India with officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs on 5 January. A senior FCDO official discussed the situation for India's religious minorities with the Indian High Commissioner on 29 December 2020.
The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly meets religious representatives and has run projects promoting minority rights. This year, they supported an interfaith leadership programme for a cohort of emerging Indian faith leaders, including Christians and Muslims, creating an opportunity to exchange expertise on leading modern, inclusive faith communities, and promoting values of tolerance and multi-culturalism.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Myanmar Government on reports of the closure of HIV treatment clinics and the stopping of anti retro-viral treatment in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We were extremely concerned by reports the military regime has closed internationally-run clinics in the Tanintharyi region of Myanmar. It is vital that HIV treatment programmes are not interrupted - for the wellbeing of patients and for wider public health. HIV services must be allowed to resume. We have called on the regime to ensure health workers can go about their lifesaving work freely.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 recent incident at the al-Aqsa mosque, Jerusalem.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The ongoing violence across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is deeply concerning and must stop. We call on all sides to reduce tensions, restore calm and avoid provocation. Violence against peaceful worshippers of any faith is unacceptable. Respect for the historic status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem is important at all times, especially during religious festivals such as Ramadan. Our priority now is to secure an immediate de-escalation on all sides.