Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed freedom of religion and belief in Tibet with the government of China since the death in prison of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China, and remain concerned by all restrictions to freedom of religion or belief, including in Tibet. We have raised the case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche with the Chinese authorities on a number of occasions, including during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also raised this case during Westminster Hall Debates on Tibet in June and last December, and urged the Chinese authorities to consider him for medical parole.
Although we have not raised the issue of freedom of religion or belief with the Chinese authorities since Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death, we support and encouraged the EU statement of 15 July, which said the EU expected the Chinese authorities to investigate and make public the circumstances surrounding Tenzin’s death. We will continue to raise our concerns through the EU, and as part of our wider relationship with China.
Asked by: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he has taken to enhance the role of backbenchers.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
One of the most significant reforms to have taken place in this Parliament has been the establishment of the Backbench Business Committee, which has given backbenchers the ability to bid for debates of their choosing in both the Chamber and Westminster Hall.
I welcome this successful innovation and look forward to the Committee's own appraisal of what has worked well, and what has not, since 2010, to see if there are any further improvements that could be made.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the government of the People's Republic of China on protests and unrest in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Swire
The situation in Hong Kong has been raised multiple times since the protests began, including between the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and President Xi, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Lord Livingston and Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang. I have personally raised this issue with Guo Yezhou, Vice Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party, and Rimsky Yuen, the Hong Kong Secretary of Justice. In addition, our officials have had regular contact on this issue with representatives from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the government of the People's Republic of China.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued statements on the situation in Hong Kong on both 29 September and 2 October. I made a statement to Parliament on 13 October and also responded to debates on Hong Kong in Westminster Hall on 22 October and in the House of Commons on 2 December.
Asked by: David Winnick (Labour - Walsall North)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will incorporate into commemorations of the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta commemoration of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and the Putney debates in 1647 on how the country should be ruled.
Answered by Viscount Thurso
Parliament will be managing a year-long programme to celebrate both the Magna Carta and De Montfort Parliament anniversaries in 2015. The programme will be entitled 'Parliament in the Making' and as such will include stories from throughout the last 800 years. Parliament is being advised on the content by the History of Parliament Trust. Through school resources, exhibitions, cultural projects and special events the significant moments, movements and individuals who have made a difference on the journey to rights and representation will be commemorated.
The programme is still in development but plans do include an exhibition in Westminster Hall. Using large scale banners this will chart the evolution of parliamentary democracy which we hope will refer to the Putney debates and the Peasants' Revolt in the context of the fight for representation and freedoms.
Asked by: Jake Berry (Conservative - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, how many e-Petitions have led to debates being arranged in the House since their introduction.
Answered by Lord Lansley
Since the launch of the Government e-petitions site, 27 petitions have reached the 100 000 signature threshold making them eligible for consideration for debate. The topics of 22 have been the subject of debate in the House of Commons, most as a direct result of the e-petition. Seven of these debates have taken place in Westminster Hall on a Monday afternoon, in the additional time made available specifically for the consideration of e-petitions.
Issues raised in e-petitions which have not reached the 100 000 signature threshold have also been debated regularly in the House.