Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure the Federal Government of Iraq uphold the constitutional rights of the Kurdish population.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports a thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements, we continue to encourage cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve outstanding issues, including around Kurdish representation in Iraqi politics.
Elections are essential for the people of the KRI to express their voice and for the future of the region. We are monitoring the situation with long-overdue KRI elections closely and we are seeking a solution that allows free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with (a) his Togolese counterpart, (b) the Economic Community of West African States and (c) the African Union on the impact on democratic accountability in Togo of recent constitutional reforms; and what steps he is taking to support monitoring of the forthcoming elections in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government engages with the Government of Togo through our High Commission in Accra. We encourage a peaceful and inclusive dialogue in Togo, to work through constitutional reforms; and we urge the Government to set a new date for legislative and regional elections without delay. The UK will continue to engage partners, including ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), and monitor for further developments.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the recent election postponements in Senegal on the (a) democratic stability and (b) international reputation of that country; and whether he is taking steps with his Senegalese counterpart to help improve the (i) democratic stability and (ii) international reputation of that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The recent presidential elections and peaceful transition of power have demonstrated the strength of Senegal's democracy and institutions, reinforcing its democratic tradition. The Senegalese electoral commission, civil society, and international observers judged the elections to have been democratic and transparent, with few incidents. We will continue to work with the Senegalese government, international partners and civil society to support Senegal's stability, prosperity and sustainable development.
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 steps his Department is taking to support free, fair and peaceful elections in Senegal.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Peaceful, free and credible elections are essential to Senegal's stability. Our Ambassador and Embassy in Dakar regularly engage with the Senegalese Government and civil society groups, together with international partners to reinforce these messages. The Embassy coordinated closely with international partners to observe the Senegalese Presidential elections, including by sending diplomatic staff as observers to polling stations across the country. British Embassy Dakar have also supported civil society groups through ODA programme funding to strengthen democratic practices, specifically media freedom during the elections period.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on taking steps to help ensure that (a) election candidates’ freepost items and (b) postal vote (i) applications and (ii) ballot papers will be delivered on time.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 13601 on 22 February 2024.
I can confirm that – as set out in that answer - I met with the Chief Executive of Royal Mail last month.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the notification provided to his Department and the Electoral Commission from the Returning Officer for Brighton and Hove City Council of the late delivery of 1,423 postal votes in May 2023; if he will place a copy of his response to the Returning Officer in the House of Commons Library; and what steps he has taken to establish the cause of the late delivery of the voting packs.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Returning Officer for Brighton and Hove City Council is responsible for the conduct of elections to the local council, including the arrangements for the issue and receipt of postal votes. The Government recognises the important role that effective mail deliveries have in the overall running of electoral events, and we work with Royal Mail nationally to ensure they have appropriate arrangements in place, though it would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to take the place of the role of the Returning Officer in relation to a specific, local incident.
This issue was raised on a 'for information' basis in an email to DLUHC, the Electoral Commission and the Association of Electoral Administrators at official level as part of ongoing dialogue on delivery of elections. Royal Mail subsequently investigated the matter, and we understand they responded directly to the Returning Officer in June 2023 with their findings.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an automatic voter registration system for elections.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Individual Electoral Registration (IER), introduced in 2014, brought registering to vote into the 21st century by making it possible to register to vote online in as little as three minutes. It also ensured that every individual had control and ownership over the process.
The UK Government has no plans to reassess its policy with regards to automatic voter registration, as to do so would risk undermining the principle of individuals taking ownership of registering to vote.
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, whether he has made representations to his counterpart in Indonesia on the use of excessive force by security personnel during protests.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly monitor ongoing tensions in the event of large-scale protests in Indonesia. Protests following the election on 14 February in Jakarta have been significantly smaller and more peaceful than those seen following previous elections. We have worked throughout the electoral process to support civil society in strengthening Indonesia's democracy.
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 had discussions with his Indian counterpart on Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party's receipt of donations through the electoral bond scheme in the context of the Indian Supreme Court's ruling on that matter in February 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February 2024, the relevant Supreme Court of India judgment included an order to publish electoral bond data. Since then, the data, provided by the State Bank of India (SBI), has been published by the Election Commission.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 March (HL2717), whether they will specifically raise with the government of Pakistan why Ahmadi Muslims were not included on the single electoral list with all other voters in the recent elections in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the inclusivity of the elections and the rights of religious minorities. We will continue to raise human rights issues affecting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in engagements with the new government and reaffirm the importance of Pakistan respecting the voting rights of all religious communities.