Tuesday Volume 687 19 January 2021 No. 162 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 19 January 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 753 19 JANUARY 2021 754 Chris Law (Dundee West) (SNP) [V]: Global poverty House of Commons has risen for the first time in more than 20 years, and by the end of this year, it is estimated that there will be Tuesday 19 January 2021 more than 150 million people in extreme poverty.Against that backdrop, the UK Government recklessly abolished the Department for International Development, they The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock are reneging on their 0.7% of GNI commitment, and they do not even mention eradicating poverty in the seven global challenges that UK aid is to be focused on. PRAYERS Can the Minister explicitly commit to eradicating poverty within the new official development assistance framework, rather than pursuing inhumane and devastating cuts as [MR SPEAKER ] in the Chair part of the Prime Minister’s little Britain vanity project? Virtual participation in proceedings continued (Order, 4 June and 30 December 2020). James Duddridge: The hon. Gentleman knows that [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] we share a passion for international development. These specific targets do aim to alleviate and eradicate poverty, but the causes of poverty and the solutions to it are complex. That is why the merger of the Departments Oral Answers to Questions works, dealing with development and diplomacy alongside one another to overcome the scourge of poverty, which, sadly, has increased not decreased as a result of covid. The joined-up Department will help in the objectives FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND that he and I care so passionately about. DEVELOPMENT OFFICE UN Human Rights Council: Sri Lanka The Secretary of State was asked— Wes Streeting (Ilford North) (Lab): What steps he Poverty-focused Aid plans to take at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2021 in response to (a) Sri Lanka’srecent withdrawal Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD): What steps he is from its human rights obligations under resolution 30/1 taking to ensure his Department prioritises poverty-focused and (b) forced cremations of people who die from aid. [910974] covid-19 in Sri Lanka. [910975] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, The Minister for Asia (Nigel Adams): Weare disappointed Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Duddridge): at Sri Lanka’s withdrawal of support for resolution Happy new year,Mr Speaker.The Foreign, Commonwealth 30/1; we made that clear in statements at the United and Development Office has a new strategic framework Nations Human Rights Council in February, June and for official development assistance that focuses on poverty September 2020. We are working with international and delivery of sustainable development goals. Specifically, partners and have had discussions with the Sri Lankan our priorities will be climate, biodiversity, covid, global Government on how to take this forward at the UNHRC health, girls’education, science and research, open societies, in March. We are committed to the principles of the conflict, humanitarian assistance directly and trade. resolution, and our approach to Sri Lanka will be a priority for the UK at the HRC over the next few months. Munira Wilson [V]: I am grateful to the Minister for his response. With international development spending Wes Streeting [V]: The UK’s leadership on the issue already falling in line with the country’s drop in gross of human rights in Sri Lanka, in terms of both historical national income, and given the Chancellor’s deplorable and ongoing human rights abuses, has been critical. We plan to slash the UK’s commitment to the world’s saw,whether through David Miliband as Foreign Secretary poorest still further, it is more important than ever that or David Cameron as Prime Minister, the importance UK ODA spending directly reaches developing countries of leadership at the very highest level. What specifically and the communities and individuals in those countries will the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister do as who need it most. Could the Minister explain what leaders of the core group ahead of that crucial UN criteria are being used to ensure that poverty alleviation Human Rights Council in Geneva in March to ensure is prioritised in decisions on spending? How are the that the perpetrators of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka Government planning to consult civil society on this? do not go unpunished, and that we can look forward to a future based on truth, justice and reconciliation for all James Duddridge: I can reassure the hon. Lady that the peoples of Sri Lanka? the UK Government remain one of the most generous donors in relation to ODA, with more than £10 billion Nigel Adams: As I pointed out in my response, we are focused on poverty reduction. Clearly, we will consult absolutely committed to the principles of the resolution. with civil society and non-governmental organisations; My ministerial colleague, Lord Ahmad, discussed human Lord Ahmad has recently done that, and we will all rights and accountability with the Sri Lankan Foreign continue to do that. In addition, £1.3 billion has Minister and the high commissioner in November and been focused specifically on covid, and more than December respectively. We have spoken with Sri Lankan 300 programmes have been repurposed to deal with officials and with Geneva over the last week on these covid issues. very issues. 755 Oral Answers 19 JANUARY 2021 Oral Answers 756 Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab): Weon the Opposition and legitimising him and his racist, climate change-denying Benches believe that the Government’s foreign policy rhetoric, or will they remain eclipsed by any populist should be rooted in our country’s commitment to human leader who comes along? rights and the rule of law. Therefore, we deeply regret that in February 2020 the Sri Lankan Government Dominic Raab: I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman’s withdrew from their Human Rights Council obligations assertion and caricature are very far from the truth. We to promote reconciliation and accountability following made it clear that the scenes by a small but ugly minority the country’s devastating civil war. More recently, the in Washington were disgraceful. We also made it clear Sri Lankan Government have introduced forced cremation we had full confidence in the system of checks and for covid-19 victims, a policy that has absolutely no balances in the US to provide a definitive result and a basis in science, rides roughshod over the traditional smooth transition. We look forward to working with practices of Sri Lankan religious minorities and has the new Administration. rightly caused hurt and outrage among Muslim and Christian communities across the UK. So I ask the Damian Collins [V]: There were 342 assaults on journalists Minister: what steps has he taken to persuade the in America last year and there have been 13 further this Sri Lankan Government to end forced cremations, what year. Will my right hon. Friend work with the new work is he doing with international partners ahead of Administration in America to protect the rights of the next Human Rights Council session in March to journalists around the world, and also call on social ensure that the Sri Lankan Government re-engages media companies to do more—[Interruption]—not just with the peace, reconciliation and accountability process, to tackle harmful disinformation, but to make sure that and what discussions has he had about human rights in social media platforms are not used to incite attacks the context of UK-Sri Lankan trade deal negotiations? against journalists? Nigel Adams: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his Dominic Raab: I thank my hon. Friend. I do not question and he is right to raise it. We have shared know whether that bell came from his end or our end, guidance and scientific background with the Government but in any event it certainly added a bit of flourish to his of Sri Lanka on how the UK has ensured that burials question. can continue to operate in a safe format within the World Health Organisation guidelines. We also discussed, Mr Speaker: It’s Amazon. via my colleague Lord Ahmad, the importance of minority rights with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in November. Dominic Raab: It’s Amazon, is it? Okay. Thank you, Our high commissioner to Sri Lanka has raised forced Mr Speaker, as ever. cremation several times with the Sri Lankans—most My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The press must be recently, just over a week ago. We continue to speak allowed to cover events without fear or denial of access. with Sri Lanka, and have done so within the last week, We have discussed our concerns about the violent events and with Geneva regarding its commitment to upholding that we saw at official level, but also at ministerial level. this resolution. We are certainly committed to it, and we I have done that myself. I can assure him no British will continue that dialogue. journalists were detained. Of course, working with Canada and others, we have a media freedom coalition, and we Events at US Capitol certainly look forward to co-operating with the US and many others to pioneer that work through our global David Linden (Glasgow East) (SNP): What assessment leadership year in 2021. he has made of the effect of events at the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021 on the state of democracy Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) (Lab): worldwide.