Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Accepting foreign awards: UK rules, last updated on 24 November 2021, on how many occasions permission was (a) sought, (b) granted and (c) denied in respect of foreign awards being conferred to members of the Government by (i) Saudi Arabia, (ii) the United Arab Emirates, (iii) Qatar, (iv) Bahrain, (v) Kuwait and (vi) Oman between 2014 and 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honours Secretariat has a record of one request to confer an award on a member of Her Majesty's Government from these six countries. In 2017, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia advised that they wished to confer an award on a member of the Government. Due diligence was carried out before the award was accepted. There are no records of any awards conferred without permission.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help (a) reduce violence and (b) de-escalate the situation in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working with a range of partners, including from Quad (Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), US, UK), African and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN, to advocate for ceasefire, to commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process and to ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian access. Most recently, the UK played a leading role in gaining consensus for a UN Security Council press statement published on 22 December, calling on both warring parties to cease hostilities immediately and condemning ongoing attacks against civilians in Wad Medani. On 30 November, I published a Written Ministerial Statement, highlighting the UK's overall efforts to bring peace to Sudan.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) Saudi Arabia, (b) the United Arab Emirates, (c) Oman and (d) Jordan on the naval protection force in the Red Sea.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working with allies and partners to safeguard maritime security and navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea. The UK takes threats to shipping vessels in the Red Sea extremely seriously.
Britain joined the US and others in Operation Prosperity Guardian - an international naval force to deter mounting Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. This coalition bolsters international efforts to keep open one of the world's most important waterways. Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Diamond, is a part of this coalition and has already been involved in action to protect shipping from Houthi threats on 16 December and 9 January. HMS Diamond was first targeted by a Houthi attack on 9 January.
The Foreign Secretary has discussed developments in the Red Sea with key interlocutors from Saudi Arabia (14 December), UAE (16 December & 12 January), and Oman on the weekend (31 December). The Defence Secretary also recently spoke with Yemeni President Alimi (21 December) and Saudi Minister of Defence Khalid bin Salman (21 December).
We continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the participation of (a) JBS Foods and (b) other large meat processing corporations in COP28 on the global climate change debate.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have not made an assessment of the impact JBS Foods and other larger meat processing corporations' participation at the COP28 conference have had on the global climate change debate. The UK worked closely with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Presidency to ensure COP28 included an unprecedented focus on the need for a transition to sustainable agriculture, which resulted in increased participation by agribusinesses and other stakeholders.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) civilians, (b) women and (c) children that have been killed in Sudan since April 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Humanitarian organisations estimate that over 12,000 people have been killed and over 32,000 people have been injured since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023. This is likely to be an underestimate, due to considerable access constraints for humanitarian organisations, which makes accurate casualty reporting challenging. The UK continues to work with Quad countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK), regional partners, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN to bring the warring parties together and secure an end to hostilities and unfettered humanitarian access.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to scrutinise the record and policies of the United Arab Emirates on women’s rights and LGBT rights in the course of the review of the bid by Redbird IMI for acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), in view of the potential impact of such an acquisition on journalists and employees at TMG.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice on 30 November 2023 in relation to the anticipated acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI on the grounds of the need for accurate presentation of news, and free expression of opinion, in newspapers.
The Notice triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the specified media public interest considerations. Ofcom and the CMA have now both launched invitations for public comment, and will report to the Secretary of State on the issues specified in the Notice by midnight on 26 January 2024.
Ofcom will carry out such investigations as it considers appropriate. Exactly how it undertakes its role to report to the Secretary of State on the public interest is a matter for Ofcom.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote freedom of religion and belief in other countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We continue to ensure that freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is central to our human rights and wider work. Our International Development White Paper published in November includes a commitment to prioritise FoRB in our bilateral and multilateral work.
We work with UN, G7, and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. In June this year, the UN Security Council adopted, unanimously, a UK-United Arab Emirates (UAE) co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, which contained language on FoRB. Bilaterally, Ministers and officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, and do not shy away from challenging those we believe are not meeting their obligations, whether publicly or in private.
This year, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP served a second consecutive year as Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, a network of 42 countries committed to the promotion and protection of FoRB.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the allocated budget under the Gulf Strategy Fund for (1) Saudi Arabia, (2) Bahrain, and (3) the United Arab Emirates, for 2023–2024.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The present country allocation from the Gulf Strategy Fund for Saudi Arabia is £2,345,000, Bahrain £1,475,000 and the United Arab Emirates £1,173,000.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he had discussions with his UAE counterpart during COP 28 on reports that UAE has (a) brought new charges against (i) internationally recognised human rights defenders and (ii) other political prisoners and b) held a mass trial.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government believes that freedom of expression is a universal human right and citizens must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments and make informed decisions in accordance with international human rights law. We encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates' (UAE), to uphold international human rights obligations. We recommended in our response to the UAE Universal Periodic Review that the UAE authorities guarantee the rights of people in the UAE to express their views and assemble peacefully, in line with international human rights law now and in future. We expressed disappointment during the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 that the UAE did not adopt our recommendation. We are aware of the reports referenced, which emerged on 12 December as COP28 was concluding. FCDO Ministers have not met with their counterparts since the reports emerged.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the position of the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states in relation to the recently attempted Sudan peace talks in Djibouti.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports African-led efforts to seek peace and stability within Sudan, including the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). We welcome the IGAD Summit on 9 December where members called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to work with Quad countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK), regional partners, IGAD, the African Union and the UN to bring the warring parties together and secure an end to hostilities, unfettered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians.