Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the withholding of mandatory provident funds in Hong Kong from British National (Overseas) passport holders.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF). The root of the problem is the Chinese Government's decision not to recognise the BN(O) passport. We continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. I raised this issue with the Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 18 April 2023 and pressed for a pragmatic solution. The Investment Minister, Lord Johnson, raised the matter with Hong Kong's Commercial Secretary, during his visit to Hong Kong in May 2023.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made recent representations to his Chinese counterpart on (a) the naming of the former Consul General to Hong Kong, Andy Heyn, during the trial of Jimmy Lai and (b) the labelling of Bill Browder and Luke de Pulford as co-conspirators in the same proceedings.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. The Foreign Secretary has called for his release and has urged the authorities to end their prosecution and repeal the National Security Law. We continue to engage with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on his case and have raised the inclusion of British nationals by the prosecution. UK diplomats carry out their duties overseas in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 implications for UK diplomatic representation in (a) China and (b) Hong Kong of the naming of a British Consul General in Hong Kong by the prosecution in the trial of Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. The Foreign Secretary has called for his release and has urged the authorities to end their prosecution and repeal the National Security Law. We continue to engage with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on his case and have raised the inclusion of British nationals by the prosecution. UK diplomats carry out their duties overseas in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what review his Department is undertaking of asylum applications by people from Hong Kong who have been involved in pro-democracy campaigns; and what his planned timescale is for that review.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it with half a million individuals on humanitarian routes since 2015. All asylum claims admitted to the UK asylum system receive careful consideration. We will not remove anyone to their own, or any other country, where they would face persecution or serious harm.
Asylum decision makers carefully consider each claimant’s protection needs by assessing all the evidence provided by the claimant in light of published country information guidance. They receive extensive training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance. This includes any claims received from people from Hong Kong.
Those from Hong Kong may also be eligible for the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route which was launched following China’s imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. To be eligible for the route, applicants must have BN(O) status, or be the eligible family member of someone with BN(O) status.
The Home Office is currently not undertaking a specific review into asylum applications by people from Hong Kong who have been involved in pro-democracy campaigns.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the prosecution, imprisonment and trial of media owner Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong for global press freedom.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution of Jimmy Lai and release him. We will continue to stand up for those who are targeted simply for exercising their human rights. The UK will always defend media freedom and freedom of expression globally. On 29 December, we and our Media Freedom Coalition partners signed a statement outlining our deep concern at the continued attacks on freedom of the press in Hong Kong, including the prolonged prosecution of Jimmy Lai. The UK has also been clear on its strong opposition to China's National Security Law in Hong Kong which has curtailed press freedom and we have urged the authorities to repeal it.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of China concerning UK citizens being further implicated in the prosecution and trial of Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is gravely concerned that anyone is facing prosecution under the National Security Law, and particularly concerned at the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Hong Kong authorities to end his prosecution and to release him. We continue to raise his case with the Chinese authorities; the Foreign Secretary last did so with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 5 December. Diplomats from our Consulate-General are attending his court proceedings.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, following the meeting between the Foreign Secretary and Sebastien Lai, they intend to call for the unconditional and immediate release of Mr Jimmy Lai from prison in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution of Jimmy Lai and release him. He additionally urged the Chinese authorities to repeal the National Security Law and end the prosecution of all individuals charged under it. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the opportunity to meet Mr Lai's son, Sebastien on 12 December to listen to his concerns for his father as the trial approached.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how Rwanda compares in population density with (1) China, (2) Russia, (3) the USA, (4) Australia, (5) Libya, (6) France, (7) Spain, (8) Germany, (9) the UK, and (10) Greece; and how relevant they regard that measure in their policy for transporting migrants from the UK to Rwanda.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The table below shows the estimated population density (the number of people per square kilometre) of the countries listed based on UN statistics published in October 20231. The countries are ordered as in the question plus Rwanda at 11:
| Country | Population density |
1 | China2 | 148.5 |
2 | Russia | 8.8 |
3 | United States of America | 37.0 |
4 | Australia | 3.4 |
5 | Libya | 4.1 |
6 | France | 117.2 |
7 | Spain | 94.7 |
8 | Germany | 239.2 |
9 | United Kingdom | 278.1 |
10 | Greece | 79.4 |
11 | Rwanda | 569.1 |
1 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘Statistical Yearbook 2023, Sixty-sixth issue’ (pages 15 to 35), October 2023
2 For statistical purposes, the UN data for China do not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan
Population was one of a range of factors that was considered when entering into the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of asylum seekers from Hong Kong who have switched to British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa routes, and the way in which such applications have been handled, since they decided to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders to apply independently of their parent.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.
In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.
Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.
This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the position of British National (Overseas) visa applicants who remain in Hong Kong while their application is considered.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.
In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.
Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.
This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.