Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Tanzania on the integrity of its electoral process since the decision of that country’s main opposition party to suspend participation in future elections.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
On 11 October, I met the Tanzanian Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs during the London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference. Discussions covered democracy in Tanzania. The High Commission in Dar es Salaam in its regular contact with all political parties actively encourages them to engage constructively in political dialogue.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling of 20 March 2018 on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of 1989 on (a) levels of caste-based discrimination and violence in India and (b) the ability of any victims of such discriminatory or violent acts to seek legal redress in that country’s courts.
Answered by Boris Johnson
India’s Government has filed a petition to review the 20 March Supreme Court ruling. This is currently being considered. I believe it is right to let India’s executive and judiciary settle this issue within the country’s constitutional and judicial framework.
In order to support Dalit women who are victims of violence in gaining access to justice, the British Government runs programmes with local partners, including training and engaging state Criminal Justice officials across five States.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the Gambia's transition to democracy.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government continues to support The Gambia's transition to democracy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is funding a special advisor in the Minister of Justice's office to drive forward constitutional, institutional and legal reforms, as well as providing human rights training to the State Intelligence Service as part of the wider agenda on security sector reform. We are considering how we can build on the recent activities undertaken by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and Westminster Foundation for Democracy in strengthening good governance and transparency in Parliament.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of the Baha'i community in Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The treatment of the Baha'i community in Iran is of particular concern. During the recent Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran at the UN, the UK raised the treatment of religious minorities, including the Baha'i. The British Government supports the UN Special Rapporteur's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'i community in Iran is aggravated by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. I recently met with representatives of the Baha'i community to discuss this.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with the Special Rapporteur on Iran, Ms Asma Jahangir, or with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion, Dr Ahmed Shaheed on the treatment of the Bahá'ís in Iran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
At the Human Rights Council in March 2017, the UK strongly supported the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. We look forward to engaging with the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran during the interactive dialogue in the UNGA Third Committee. The British Government supports the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'i community is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any issues holding back the acceptance of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a candidate country to join the EU, including relating to constitutional and legal reform; and what assistance they are giving as a result.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government remains committed to driving reform, embedding stability and addressing shared challenges, such as security and migration, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). At the 20 September 2016 General Affairs Council, the EU agreed that the Commission should issue a questionnaire to BiH authorities to assess the country's readiness to be granted candidate country status. That process is continuing. We will continue to support the reforms required through our bilateral engagement (including approximately £6.63 million in programme assistance in financial year 2016-17), in order to ensure BiH becomes a more stable, secure and prosperous country.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the conduct of the referendum held in Nagorno-Karabakh on 20 February 2017.
Answered by Boris Johnson
The UK remains concerned about the high tension in the security situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, which has manifested itself in several recent violations of the cease-fire regime between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, most recently in late February 2017. We have repeatedly called on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint, ensure full observance of the agreed ceasefire regime, and engage constructively and intensively in the search for a negotiated peaceful settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Process. We shall continue to convey this message via our diplomatic contacts with both Baku and Yerevan.
Along with our EU partners, the UK has made clear that we do not recognise the legal and constitutional framework within which the so-called referendum that took place in Nagorno- Karabakh on 20 February 2017 was held. We share our EU partners’ view that this referendum cannot be allowed to impact on the process of negotiating a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict via the OSCE Minsk Process.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Boris Johnson
The UK remains concerned about the high tension in the security situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, which has manifested itself in several recent violations of the cease-fire regime between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, most recently in late February 2017. We have repeatedly called on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint, ensure full observance of the agreed ceasefire regime, and engage constructively and intensively in the search for a negotiated peaceful settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Process. We shall continue to convey this message via our diplomatic contacts with both Baku and Yerevan.
Along with our EU partners, the UK has made clear that we do not recognise the legal and constitutional framework within which the so-called referendum that took place in Nagorno- Karabakh on 20 February 2017 was held. We share our EU partners’ view that this referendum cannot be allowed to impact on the process of negotiating a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict via the OSCE Minsk Process.
Asked by: Rob Marris (Labour - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by what date the UK Embassy in Bogota plans to comply with the Colombia Constitutional Court's judgment in the case of Action for protection of fundamental rights initiated by Darwin Ayrton Moreno-Hurtado, against the embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland before the Republic of Colombia, dated 22 July 2015.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK has complied with its international legal obligations, and the British Embassy responded to the Colombia Constitutional Court's judgment on 23 September 2015. No further response is necessary.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on whether article 50 of the Treaty on the functioning of the EU enables the EU to negotiate separately with the Scottish Government towards a different agreement to that which applies to the rest of the UK.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The legal and constitutional responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the EU lies at Westminster. The Government will fully involve the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments to ensure we get the best deal for the UK as a whole.