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1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingMy Lords, as I said, it was an exceptional emergency situation. In normal circumstances, we do not recommend the movement of consignments of animals, particularly large…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingI suspect that, like every MP, and probably every person in this House, I experienced an extraordinarily effective campaign mobilising people to write emails to their…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingI do not accept the premise of the question on any level at all. This was an extraordinarily difficult time, particularly for officials in FCDO. There were people who were working…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingMy Lords, the email that the noble Lord mentioned says nothing of the sort and confirms nothing of the sort. A decision to call forward the Nowzad team was communicated by the…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingMy Lords, people, not animals, were the priority during the Kabul evacuation. As a British national, Mr Pen Farthing was offered evacuation as part of the organised airlift, which…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingMy Lords, I can absolutely provide that reassurance. I add that Pen Farthing was on one of the very last flights to leave Afghanistan; he left on his own charter plane rather than…02 Feb 2022HANSARDKabul: Pen FarthingI can answer half the question. I cannot tell the noble Lord why the confusion arose, other than that it was a particularly complicated time, but I can say that at the time the…02 Feb 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, the UK has always believed that reform will be the guarantor of longer-term stability in the region—that we are more likely to bring about change through engagement,…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, if we were to apply—honestly and rigorously—the same criteria, there would be very few members of the Human Rights Council remaining.31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsAs I said, we have a good, full and frank relationship with our Saudi Arabian allies. There are no issues that are off the table in our discussions with them. Saudi Arabia remains…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsI am very pleased that my answer was helpful. I apologise if it was too general, but I am afraid that is the depth of my knowledge on an issue that does not normally sit within my…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, I may not have heard the beginning of the question correctly; I think it was about whether the countries visited permit the kind of religious freedom that the noble Lord…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsI am afraid I do not know if there were discussions in relation to access to gas in Qatar, but I will ensure that the noble Lord’s question is followed up in the Foreign Office.31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, the full communiqué has been published on the government website but, in relation to the death penalty, in October last year my noble friend Lord Ahmad—in whose…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, I assure the noble Lord that we continue to monitor and raise the case of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace as well as many others with the Bahraini Government and the relevant…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, on 20 December, the Foreign Secretary hosted her Gulf Cooperation Council counterparts. The meeting was primarily focused on foreign policy and trade and investment, and…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, no aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us speaking frankly about human rights. Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO human rights priority country, particularly…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy noble friend is exactly right, and that is very much the view of the British Government. There is no single formula for success or single model of government, particularly in a…31 Jan 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, to my knowledge, this issue was raised in discussions in Saudi Arabia, particularly in relation to ease of access and transport for delivering much-needed provisions in…31 Jan 2022HANSARDPeatMy Lords, an enormous amount of progress was made at COP 26. The story that made the headlines related to forests but the principles that were agreed around the protection of…18 Jan 2022