Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on (a) the arbitrary detainment of prisoners and (b) alleged human rights abuses in prisons in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government raises human rights issues in Egypt with Egyptian counterparts in London and Cairo, privately and publicly. We want to see more political progress and better protection of human rights in Egypt, including implementation of the rights guaranteed by Egypt's constitution, which are essential for Egypt's long-term stability. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon most recently discussed both arbitrary detention of prisoners and alleged human rights abuses in prisons with the Egyptian Ambassador on 20 February. In March and September 2023, we raised human rights in Egypt through our Item 4 statements at the Human Rights Council. The FCDO has also raised concerns regarding inadequate prison conditions in our Annual Human Rights and Democracy Reports 2022 and 2023.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Gambian President Adama Barrow on democratic governance in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British High Commission in Banjul regularly raises good governance and democracy with the Government of The Gambia. We welcome President Barrow's commitment to passing a new constitution during his tenure. The UK-funded International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance has facilitated peaceful and constructive dialogue between Gambian political, civil society, and religious groups to help progress the constitutional reform process. In association with the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, the UK also provides legislative support and judiciary training for parliamentarians to build capacity within the judiciary system.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that all Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils are taught about the culture, politics and geography of each of the UK nations as part of the national curriculum.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
All schools in England must offer a curriculum that is balanced and broad, which prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
The National Curriculum is a framework setting out the content of what the Department expects schools to cover in each subject. The National Curriculum does not set out how curriculum subjects, or topics within the subjects, should be taught. There is plenty of scope to teach pupils about the culture, politics and geography of each of the UK nations within the National Curriculum across a range of subjects, including citizenship, geography and where else teachers and schools feel it is appropriate.
Within citizenship, pupils in secondary maintained schools in England will learn about the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding. Pupils should also be taught about parliamentary democracy and the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom.
Within geography, pupils should be taught to name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features and land-use patterns, and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time.
The Department has published Political Impartiality in Schools guidance to support teachers in tackling sensitive issues in the classroom in a politically impartial way. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/political-impartiality-in-schools.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 political situation in The Gambia; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government judges that the 2021 Presidential elections in The Gambia were free, fair and transparent, and an important milestone for The Gambia's democracy. We welcome President Barrow's commitment to passing a new constitution during his tenure. We are aware of the recent charges of treason against eight soldiers from The Gambia Armed Forces. The UK strongly condemns any attempts to overthrow democratically elected governments. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
The British High Commission in Banjul regularly raises good governance and democracy with the Government of The Gambia. The UK-funded International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance has facilitated peaceful and constructive dialogue between political, civil society, and religious groups to help progress the constitutional reform process. In association with the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, the UK also provides legislative support and judiciary training for parliamentarians to build capacity within the judiciary system.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to support an inclusive process for any constitutional reform in Gambia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The British High Commission in Banjul regularly raises good governance and democracy with the Government of The Gambia. The UK-funded International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance has facilitated peaceful and constructive dialogue between political, civil society and religious groups to help progress a stalled constitutional reform process in The Gambia and welcome President Barrow's commitment to passing a new constitution during his tenure. In association with the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association, the UK also provides legislative support and judiciary training for parliamentarians to build capacity within the judiciary system.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help support the transition to democracy in Chad.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK seeks to promote Chad's transition back to civilian and constitutional rule in line with the African Union Peace and Security Council communiqué of 14 May 2021. The UK is a member of the African Union's International Support Group for the Transition, alongside other partners. The UK has contributed to the United Nations Development Programme fund for the transition, in order to support the inclusion of women and youth in the National Dialogue, which opened on 20 August 2022. It is essential that the National Dialogue is as representative and inclusive as possible and that it leads to the development of a new constitution and free and fair elections according to the terms agreed by the African Union. I, [Minister Ford] have written to the Chadian Minister for Foreign Affairs congratulating him on the recent Doha Agreement on the participation of politico-military movements in the National Dialogue and setting out the UK position on the transition.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of freedom of expression in Botswana.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Botswana is a stable multi-party democracy and freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected by its Constitution. In their 2022 'Freedom in the World' report, Freedom House assessed Botswana to be a 'free' country.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) President Saied of Tunisia's roadmap for reform, and (2) whether that roadmap provides an adequate route for restoring full democracy in the country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK closely monitors the political situation in Tunisia and will continue to do so as the new constitution is published on 30 June and the referendum takes place, scheduled for 25 July. The UK stands ready to play a constructive role as Tunisia addresses significant political and economic challenges. We also regularly emphasise the importance of accountability and inclusive political participation in the democratic process, most recently during my visit, in June.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure political impartiality among magistrates and judges in judicial proceedings.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
An independent and impartial judiciary is one of the cornerstones of the United Kingdom’s constitution and vital to the proper functioning of our democracy based on the rule of law.
There is a statutory prohibition on salaried judges undertaking any kind of political activity or having ties with a political party. This prohibition includes holding political office. The Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals set out guidance for judicial conduct in the Guide to Judicial Conduct which applies to judges, coroners and magistrates. The basic principles guiding judicial conduct are judicial independence, impartiality and integrity and the Guide to Judicial Conduct explains that judges should avoid any appearance of political ties.
As the judiciary is independent of government, it is not appropriate for the government to comment on the actions of a judge during a case. Complaints of judicial conduct may be referred to the independent Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO). What does and does not constitute a question of misconduct is for the JCIO to determine.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Nicaraguan counterpart regarding the imprisonment of President Ortega's political opponents in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Nicaraguan elections of 7 November 2021 were neither free nor fair. The authorities used their powers to detain and threaten Presidential candidates and therefore prevented the Nicaraguan people from making a democratic choice. The arrests of political leaders violated the guarantees in the Nicaraguan Constitution; the UK continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Nicaragua and for the full restoration of their civil and political rights. We have made the views of the UK government clear when meeting representatives of the Nicaraguan authorities in London, in Managua, and at multilateral fora. We have published a series of statements highlighting the UK's deep concern about the deterioration of political and human rights in Nicaragua and the subversion of democratic processes, including at the UN Human Rights Council earlier this month. We are working closely with partners to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Nicaragua.