Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to promote better working conditions and employment rights in the fashion industry abroad.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses, including the fashion industry, to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more, to publish an annual modern slavery statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The "Work in Freedom" programme has supported 433,650 women and girls in the garment sector in South Asia, Lebanon and Jordan with training and access to services since 2018.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
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 Brazilian counterpart on democracy and freedom of expression in that country.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK and Brazil have a close dialogue on a number of bilateral and global issues of mutual interest, including freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brazil's Foreign Minister on 10 October and expressed his hope that the second round of Brazil's elections, on 30 October, is carried out in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Both Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court and the official observer mission of the Organisation of American States have concluded that Brazil's first round of voting, on 2 October, was carried out peacefully and fairly.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2022 to Question 24637 on British Nationals Abroad: Torture, what proportion of the 131 open torture cases reviewed at the most recent annual review predated (a) 2021 and (b) 2020.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In 2021, the FCDO conducted a review of 131 cases of torture and mistreatment which were open at that time. Of the 131 open cases, 82 were cases opened prior to 2021, of which 49 were cases opened prior to 2020.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2022 to Question 24637 on British Nationals Abroad: Torture, how and by what criteria is a case of alleged torture designated as resolved by her Department; and whether the victim or their family is (a) notified of that change in designation and (b) asked to formally consent to it.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The FCDO takes all allegations of torture and mistreatment very seriously. The FCDO records all information about allegations of torture mistreatment reported to us by British nationals, and the action taken in response to those allegations, within individual case files. The decision to close a case is taken based on the individual circumstances of the case. British nationals are kept updated on the actions that the FCDO takes in relation to allegations and actions are taken in consultation with the British national.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2022 to Question 24637 on British Nationals Abroad: Torture, how old was the oldest case reviewed in the most recent annual review.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In 2021, the FCDO conducted a review of 131 cases of torture and mistreatment which were open at that time. During the most recent annual review, the oldest case reviewed was opened in 2016.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on torture prevention initiatives or torture protection work in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22; and how much her Department has budgeted to spend in 2022-23.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Centrally, the FCDO spent £76,000 (2020-21) and £80,000 (2021-22) on torture prevention via the Magna Carta Fund. Overseas posts are responsible for their own programming and we are not able to confirm the amount spent on this area.
This does not include the funding for our ROLE UK programme, which has received £4.6 million from 2019 onwards and £260,000 additional International Programming in 2021/22. This supports work to prevent torture by strengthening judicial reform through improving pre-trial detention, case management, sentencing guidelines and protection of vulnerable witnesses.
Human Rights and Rule of Law funding for 2022-23 has yet to be agreed.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department plans to publish its 2021 Human Rights and Democracy Report.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We intend to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's 2021 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report before Parliament rises for the summer recess.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2022 to Question 157468 on British Nationals Abroad: Torture, if her Department will publish aggregate information on the outcomes of torture cases in its 2021 Human Rights and Democracy Report.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The FCDO records all information about allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (mistreatment) reported to us by British nationals, and the action taken in response to those allegations, within individual case files. The FCDO does not hold aggregate or centralised statistics on the outcome of torture and mistreatment cases.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2022 to Question 157467 on British Nationals Abroad: Torture, what the findings were of her Department's most recent annual review of open torture cases reported to it by British citizens; and if he will publish a summary of that review's findings and trends in aggregate in the 2021 Human Rights and Democracy Report.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
At the most recent annual review, there were a total of 131 open cases where allegations of torture or mistreatment had been reported to consular staff. These cases include those reported in 2021 and those reported in previous years where these remain unresolved. The majority of allegations in these cases (75 of 131) involved reported torture or mistreatment that occurred during arrest or in police custody, although there is some regional variation.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued for people who wish to ascertain whether their services or products breach economic sanctions on Russia.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Government updated guidance on sanctions relating to Russia on 24 June, which can be found on gov.uk. The guidance details all changes made since the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 came fully into force on 31 December 2020.
The situation in Ukraine and Russia will continue to change. This may involve further sanctions which could affect UK business. Businesses should continue to check the guidance on our gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-sanctions-on-russia to ensure their business activities are compliant with the current sanctions against Russia. We recommend businesses consider taking legal advice after reviewing the legislation & guidance.