Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which development programmes funded by his Department are intended to help promote democracy in Commonwealth countries.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We work closely with Commonwealth partners, including through our programme funding, to promote core values that are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, such as democracy. Our project with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association undertakes assessments against a set of recommended benchmarks for democratic legislatures. In addition, FCDO programmes, such as the Magna Carta Fund, John Bunyan Fund and the ROLE UK Programme, currently include projects being delivered in Commonwealth countries to bolster democracy.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on torture prevention initiatives or torture protection work in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22; and how much her Department has budgeted to spend in 2022-23.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Centrally, the FCDO spent £76,000 (2020-21) and £80,000 (2021-22) on torture prevention via the Magna Carta Fund. Overseas posts are responsible for their own programming and we are not able to confirm the amount spent on this area.
This does not include the funding for our ROLE UK programme, which has received £4.6 million from 2019 onwards and £260,000 additional International Programming in 2021/22. This supports work to prevent torture by strengthening judicial reform through improving pre-trial detention, case management, sentencing guidelines and protection of vulnerable witnesses.
Human Rights and Rule of Law funding for 2022-23 has yet to be agreed.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invest in technological innovations and supply chains to mitigate risks to (1) human rights in general and (2) freedom of religion or belief in particular across its funding and development programmes, including the Magna Carta Fund, Newton Science Fund and the Navy X innovation hub.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the killing of a Christian priest and the wounding of another in an attack in Peshawar on 30 January; and what recent discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan about the protection of religious minorities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The shocking murder of a Christian priest, and wounding of another, last weekend in Peshawar was a disturbing indication of the violence faced by minorities in Pakistan. I (Lord Ahmad) and the British High Commissioner in Islamabad have publicly condemned the attack, and British officials in Islamabad have also privately expressed their condolences to Pakistan's Christian community.
The UK regularly raises our concerns about freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and women and girls' rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. During my visit to Pakistan on 23 and 24 June 2021, I [Lord Ahmad] met Prime Minister Khan, as well as other senior government ministers, and discussed our concerns. I met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, including the issue of forced conversion and marriage. Most recently, I discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, on 28 November 2021. In July the UK will host an international Ministerial Conference to advance FoRB. Under the Government's Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has supported projects in Pakistan to promote tolerance and religious freedom. The FCDO also funds programmes in Pakistan that directly address early and forced marriages and gender-based violence.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Pakistani counterpart on ensuring the protection of the rights and freedoms of women and girls in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The shocking murder of a Christian priest, and wounding of another, last weekend in Peshawar was a disturbing indication of the violence faced by minorities in Pakistan. The Minister of State for South Asia, and the British High Commissioner in Islamabad have publicly condemned the attack, and British officials in Islamabad have also privately expressed their condolences to Pakistan's Christian community.
The UK regularly raises our concerns about freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and women and girls' rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. During his visit to Pakistan on 23 and 24 June 2021, Lord Ahmad met Prime Minister Khan, as well as other senior government ministers, and discussed our concerns. He met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, including the issue of forced conversion and marriage. Most recently, he discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, on 28 November 2021. In July the UK will host an international Ministerial Conference to advance FoRB. Under the Government's Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has supported projects in Pakistan to promote tolerance and religious freedom. The FCDO also funds programmes in Pakistan that directly address early and forced marriages and gender-based violence.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on implementing recommendation 9 of the Truro Review in accordance with the Government’s Manifesto commitment to establish a John Bunyan freedom of religion and belief stream within his Department's Magna Carta Fund; and what work on that recommendation remains outstanding.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government has committed to implementing in full the recommendations in the Bishop of Truro's review, and work continues to implement them in a way that will bring real improvement to the lives of those persecuted due to their faith or belief. Of the 22 recommendations we have fully delivered ten, made good progress on a further eight, and are confident that all 22 will be delivered by the time of the independent review in 2022.
On Recommendation 9, The John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief was launched in August 2019, funding 15 research projects FY 2019-20. These projects have all concluded, and work is in hand to implement some of the key recommendations. Subsequently we have used the Fund to deepen understanding of the intersecting vulnerabilities experienced by religious minorities living in poverty in the shadows of Covid-19, providing training to local data gatherers in two affected countries and producing reports on the scale of the problem.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total value of goods and services (1) exported by the UK to, (2) imported to the UK from, (a) Armenia, and (b) Azerbaijan in each year since 2015; and how much Official Development Assistance they provided to those countries in each of those years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The table below illustrates the total value of goods and services (1) exported by the UK to, (2) imported to the UK from, (a) Armenia, and (b) Azerbaijan in each year since 2015 (non-seasonally adjusted ONS data):
UK Trade, goods and services, nominal basis. |
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| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
UK Exports to |
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Armenia | 24 | 31 | 104 | 27 | 28 |
Azerbaijan | 1,102 | 727 | 543 | 679 | 780 |
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UK Imports from |
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Armenia | 1 | 7 | 13 | 4 | 6 |
Azerbaijan | 149 | 207 | 168 | 363 | 309 |
Since 2015 the UK's main contribution of ODA to Armenia and Azerbaijan has been through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), delivering projects in support of stability objectives, including economic and governance reform. In Armenia this totals approximately £11.5 million and in Azerbaijan £700k. In addition, the UK has delivered a range of other projects through funds such as the FCDO's International Programme, the Magna Carta Fund and the Open Futures Fund.
This table illustrates CSSF direct spend in country per year; figures are rounded and approximate due to, for example, changes in exchange rates and do not reflect regional projects which also benefit both countries. In addition, Conflict Pool programmes (CSSF's predecessor) that operated in the region prior to FY2015/16 are not reported here.
Financial Year | Armenia | Azerbaijan |
2015/16 | £0.05m | £0.12m |
2016/17 | £0.65m | £0.26m |
2017/18 | £0.61m | £0.12m |
2018/19 | £2.43m | £0.07m |
2019/20 | £3.71m | £0.09m |
2020/21 (to date) | £4.07m | £0.03m |
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Pew Research Center’s 11th annual study of restrictions on religion published on 10 November 2020, that Government restrictions on religion rose to a record high in 2018; and what steps he is taking to tackle restrictions on religion in the (a) Middle East, (b) North Africa and (c) Asia.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We have seen the Pew Research Centre's 11th annual study of restrictions on religion and are concerned by its findings. The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. We remain deeply concerned about violations and abuses of FoRB in many parts of the world, including the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with governments, including at Ministerial level. The Minister responsible for Human Rights, Lord Ahmad (Tariq) of Wimbledon, underlined the UK's commitment to FoRB for all in a number of international meetings earlier this month, speaking at the Ministerial to Advance Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Ministers' Forum of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.
The Magna Carta Fund for human rights has been used to fund a series of projects around the world, including projects to combat intolerance. The FCDO has also supported research projects in a diverse range of geographic regions, including Asia and the Middle East. These projects have provided the Government with specific recommendations on how we might tackle the problem of persecution as it affects particular countries or groups
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the John Bunyan fund for Freedom of Religion and Belief remains unallocated.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Over the past two financial years (2018 - 19 and 2019 - 20), we allocated £1m to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects via the Magna Carta Fund. FoRB policy programming is now done through the John Bunyan Fund. This financial year, we have allocated less than before across human rights programmes because of delays as a result of COVID-19. This reduced amount also reflects the shorter delivery period for the remainder of this financial year. £100,000 has been allocated this financial year through the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. None of this funding remains unallocated. Last financial year, the 15 research projects received around £140,000 in total.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the £1 million Magna Carta fund for freedom of religion and belief projects remains unallocated.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Over the past two financial years (2018 - 19 and 2019 - 20), we allocated £1m to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) projects via the Magna Carta Fund. FoRB policy programming is now done through the John Bunyan Fund. This financial year, we have allocated less than before across human rights programmes because of delays as a result of COVID-19. This reduced amount also reflects the shorter delivery period for the remainder of this financial year. £100,000 has been allocated this financial year through the John Bunyan Fund for Freedom of Religion or Belief. None of this funding remains unallocated. Last financial year, the 15 research projects received around £140,000 in total.