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 viability of a continuing role for UK judges in the Hong Kong justice system as a result of the introduction of new national security legislation in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's independent judiciary is a cornerstone of its economic success and way of life. The new legislation provides that Hong Kong's Chief Executive, rather than the Chief Justice, will appoint judges to hear national security cases, a move that clearly risks undermining the independence of Hong Kong's judiciary, which is protected by paragraph 3(3) of the Joint Declaration. We will monitor this closely, including its implications for the role of UK judges in the Hong Kong justice system.