Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure regional access to investment under the UK-UAE Investment Partnership.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of the UK-UAE Sovereign Investment Partnership, the Office for Investment has worked with Emirati investors to explore investment opportunities across the UK and UAE investment can be found across the UK, driving growth and prosperity across key sectors to the mutual benefit of both countries.
These investments include offshore wind in Scotland and advanced material research in North-West England. An expanded Office for Investment is working to make the UK the first choice for investment and the best place in the world to do business, turning regional growth plans into clear and commercially credible pipelines of investment opportunities.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a youth mobility scheme with the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, consistent with our commitment to reduce net migration significantly over the course of parliament.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 potential implications for his policies of the case brought by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice which began on 10 April 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are fully committed to international justice and respect the independence of the International Court of Justice. We continue to call upon the warring parties to take concrete and immediate action to respect international humanitarian law and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he expects the Trade Remedies Authority to report the results of its investigation into imports of lubricant and engine oil from Lithuania and the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) initiated an investigation into the alleged dumping of engine oils and hydraulic fluids from the UAE and Lithuania on 17 June 2024.
Whilst this investigation remains an ongoing process I cannot comment further as doing so may prejudice the investigation. The TRA will publish its provisional affirmative determination on the public file according to the timeline published on the cases public file.
All importers of oil products into the UK must be able to provide evidence to demonstrate that goods are not of Russian origin. In line with WTO rules of origin, Russian oil which has been substantially processed in a third country is no longer considered to be of Russian origin. However, activities such as processing oil products solely to mask their Russian origin are prohibited under UK law.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact for his policies of the dumping of imported products from the UAE in the (a) lubricant and (b) engine oil market.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) initiated an investigation into the alleged dumping of engine oils and hydraulic fluids from the UAE and Lithuania on 17 June 2024.
Whilst this investigation remains an ongoing process I cannot comment further as doing so may prejudice the investigation. The TRA will publish its provisional affirmative determination on the public file according to the timeline published on the cases public file.
All importers of oil products into the UK must be able to provide evidence to demonstrate that goods are not of Russian origin. In line with WTO rules of origin, Russian oil which has been substantially processed in a third country is no longer considered to be of Russian origin. However, activities such as processing oil products solely to mask their Russian origin are prohibited under UK law.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to impose targeted sanctions against the individuals responsible for the arbitrary detention of British citizen Ryan Cornelius in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Sanctions can be used to achieve a range of foreign and security policy objectives. We use sanctions when they complement other tools as part of a wider strategy. We consider designations under our sanctions regimes, including the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations, guided by the evidence and the objectives of the sanctions regime. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of fair trial rights in the United Arab Emirates, in the light of the cases of British citizens detained there, and considering the recent UAE84 mass trial highlighted by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. We continue to encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to uphold international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Shaws (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Ryan Cornelius’ health and treatment while in detention in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) prioritises Mr Cornelius' welfare. Since he was first detained in 2008, FCDO consular staff in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been in regular contact with him. If Mr Cornelius has any health or welfare concerns, with his consent, we can raise these with the UAE authorities.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the decision by the United Arab Emirates to impose sanctions on (a) Cambridge Education and Training Center Ltd, (b) IMA6INE Ltd, (c) Wembley Tree Ltd, (d) Waslaforall, (e) Future Graduates Ltd, (f) Yas for Investment and Real Estate, (g) Holdco UK Properties Limited and (h) Nafel Capital.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 23462 on the 16th January 2025.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its 93rd session, 30 March-8 April 2022 : Opinion No. 19/2022 concerning Ryan Cornelius (United Arab Emirates), whether his Department has made an assessment of whether Ryan Cornelius has been arbitrarily detained.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is not an investigatory body and does not have the specific expertise or the jurisdiction to conduct local investigations into any allegations of human rights violations. However, the FCDO takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinions seriously. While the group's recommendations are not legally binding, we will continue to highlight concerns raised in the case of Mr Cornelius in discussions with UAE authorities.