Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to the promotion of respect for International Humanitarian Law worldwide. The UK continues to monitor the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara, and remains concerned about the humanitarian situation facing Sahrawi refugees in the camps in Tindouf, which the UK provides humanitarian assistance to via our contributions to UN bodies such as the World Food Programme. The UK has consistently supported Security Council Resolutions which note "with deep concern the continued hardships faced by Sahrawi refugees and their dependency on external humanitarian assistance, and further noting with deep concern insufficient funding for those living in Tindouf refugee camps and the risks associated with the reduction of food assistance".
Oral Evidence May. 14 2024
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: Many countries now have acknowledged and accepted Morocco’s claim to sovereignty of the Western Sahara
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether arms exports licences have been issued for (a) equipment and (b) technology to Morocco for use in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We examine each application on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria - a regime that is among the most rigorous and transparent in the world and which provides a thorough risk assessment framework.
HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. The most recent Official Statistics cover the period 1 April - 30 June 2023.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he is taking steps to (a) promote and (b) defend the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Western Sahara and will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process and monitor progress.
Mentions:
1: Daniel Kawczynski (Con - Shrewsbury and Atcham) Sahara as Moroccan, and some of our other allies, Spain—the former colonial power in Western Sahara—France - Speech Link
2: Jeremy Corbyn (Ind - Islington North) Sahara—for example, the people in the refugee camps in Tindouf and the Western Sahara diaspora, as well - Speech Link
3: Rehman Chishti (Con - Gillingham and Rainham) on Western Sahara last reviewed? - Speech Link
4: David Rutley (Con - Macclesfield) Sahara, whose mandate derives from the Security Council’s commitment to Western Sahara. - Speech Link
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade & Anor. [2022] EWHC 3108 (Admin), when UK Export Finance will provide credit for British businesses operating in Western Sahara.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK government regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined and supports United Nations-led efforts to achieve a lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. UK Export Finance does not currently provide support for exports to, or investment in, Western Sahara.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he last reviewed the legal status of the conflict in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon receives reports on the Western Sahara. Officials regularly meet and consult with international partners to discuss the issue of Western Sahara, including those from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, and the broader international community.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will raise in the UN Security Council reports of restrictions to freedom of (a) expression and (b) association in the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether Morocco is listed by the UN as the Administering Power of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Morocco is not listed as the administering Power of Western Sahara on the United Nations' list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.