Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the seriousness of the risk of atrocities in Kas in the South Darfur state of Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns the continuing violence and suffering being wrought by the warring parties on the people of Sudan, including in South Darfur. The UK remains committed to ensuring that those responsible for these serious atrocities in Sudan are held to account. The UK welcomed the publication of the Panel of Experts report in early March. The credible evidence of external military support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) highlighted in the report is concerning. As well as the work of the UN Panel of Experts, we continue to support the essential work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR) and the International Criminal Court in investigating and documenting reports of these serious atrocities. In addition, on 11 October, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission to ensure credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan will be investigated impartially. The HRC joint statement on behalf of 44 counties also reinforces UK support for better humanitarian access and a ceasefire in Sudan.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled The Great Reversal: Prospects, Risks, and Policies in International Development Association Countries, published by the World Bank on 15 April 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We welcome the report recently published by the World Bank. The White Paper on International Development, published in November 2023, recognised the challenges faced by our partners, including International Development Association countries. It sets out how the UK will work with our partners to respond to these challenges, through action on seven priorities. The UK is focusing our efforts where they are most needed and most effective, aiming to spend over 50 per cent of our bilateral Overseas Development Assistance in the Least Developed Countries.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the extent of Djibouti's entry requirements for British citizens.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Israeli Air Force operated planes on non-military operations have (a) landed and (b) taken off from British territory since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, the MOD does not offer comment or information relating to foreign nations’ military aircraft movements or operations.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the meeting between China and North Korea on 13 April 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is clear that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) breaches of UN Security Council Resolutions, including its illegal ballistic missile launches and sanctions evasion, threaten global peace and stability. We are working closely with our partners to urge the DPRK regime to return to talks and take credible steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. Until then, we will continue to enforce sanctions against them. We urge North Korea to come back to the negotiating table, and for China to incentivise that path.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Djibouti on the (a) entry requirements for and (b) reasons for denial of entry of British citizens wishing to enter that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what information his Department holds on the number of UK citizens that have been refused entry to Djibouti in the last year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what information his Department holds on the number of British citizens that were denied entry to Djibouti in the last year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
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: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for monitoring the Register for APPGs and may investigate alleged breaches of the rules.