Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help Jimmy Lai's access to legal counsel.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Minister for Indo-Pacific] met representatives of Mr Lai's international legal team on 10 January and 24 April. Officials continue to provide support. Diplomats at our Consulate-General in Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings. We are also using our channels with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities to raise Mr Lai's situation - the Foreign Secretary last did so with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 5 May.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes from the discussions at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum held in Stockholm on 12 May; and what plans they have made to attend such meetings in the future.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Asked by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which minister or ministers represented the UK at the EU Indo–Pacific Forum on 12 May; and which bilateral meetings were held by the UK representative with EU and Indo–Pacific ministers who attended the Forum.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations], represented the UK at the EU Indo-Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May. I had substantive dialogue with many EU and Indo-Pacific Ministers during the meeting, as well as bilaterals with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Rabbani Khar, Bangladesh's Minister of Information, Mahmud and Sweden's Foreign Minister Billström. Discussions at the Forum were useful and demonstrated strong collective commitment to promoting peace and security, stability and shared prosperity across the region. The UK will continue engaging with our EU and Indo-Pacific partners in multiple formats to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the imprisonment of the British citizen Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary set out our views regarding developments in Hong Kong with State Councillor Wang Yi in February. We continue to use our channels with the Chinese Government to make clear to the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law. The deliberate targeting of journalists and businessmen such as Mr Lai is unacceptable. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific met representatives of Mr. Lai's international legal team on 10 January and raised Mr Lai's case with Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, on 18 April. Senior officials have and will continue to raise cases such as Mr Lai's with the Hong Kong authorities. Diplomats at our Consulate-General in Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, whether the House will have a debate on a substantive motion on the UK’s accession to CPTPP.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The CPTPP will act as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific, one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing regions on Earth. When we join, the bloc will account for around 15% of global GDP and could boost the UK economy by £1.8 billion in the long run, with wages set to rise by £800 million compared to 2019 levels as a consequence.
Once signed, the agreement will be laid before Parliament for 21 sitting days of formal scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG). There will be at least three months between publication of the agreement and the commencement of the scrutiny period under CRaG. Any legislation required to implement the agreement will be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual way. The Government commitment to holding debates during the CRaG process is subject to the request being made in a timely manner and parliamentary time being available.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of reported Chinese militarisation of islands in the Bay of Bengal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HMG are aware of reports concerning alleged militarisation of islands in the Bay of Bengal and we continue to monitor the situation closely. The UK fully believes in a free and open Indo Pacific and is working with partners in the region to support freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal in the next 12 months.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Nepal share a long and deep history. Diplomatic relations were established in 1816, and the UK was the first country to formalise diplomatic ties with Nepal. I (Minister Trevelyan) , visited Nepal in March, where I marked 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Friendship. The Foreign Secretary's travel plans over the next year are still being decided, but Nepal remains a uniquely close and valued partner in the Indo Pacific region. The UK will continue to commemorate this, especially in the centenary anniversary year of the Treaty of Friendship.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what benefit joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will have for the economy.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
CPTPP will act as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific, one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions on earth.
The Indo Pacific is expected to account for the majority of global growth by 2050.
CPTPP will grow almost 40% faster than the EU, over the next three decades.
And membership of the bloc will enhance access to a market of over 500m consumers for the UK's goods and services.
Asked by: Bob Seely (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
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 Department's policies on the charging of Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law in Hong Kong of the potential visit in April 2023 of Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Hong Kong Government.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have been clear that the deliberate targeting of journalists and businessmen such as Mr Lai under the National Security Law (NSL) is unacceptable. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific met with Mr Lai's international Legal team on 10 January and diplomats at the Consulate-General in Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings. We have taken a number of measures in response to the situation in Hong Kong, including the bespoke immigration route for BN(O)s, the suspension of the UK-Hong Kong extradition treaty and the extension of the arms embargo applied to China to Hong Kong. We will continue to use our channels with the Hong Kong and Chinese Governments to raise our strong objection to the NSL and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a Royal Navy carrier battlegroup can redeploy from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific within four weeks.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
It is possible to redeploy a Royal Navy Carrier Led Maritime Task Group from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific Region within four weeks.