Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Tuesday Volume 587 28 October 2014 No. 51 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 28 October 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 153 28 OCTOBER 2014 154 will be replaced at the end of its life in the late-2020s by House of Commons the successor strategic submarine, which will carry the Trident missiles, subject to main-gate investment approval Tuesday 28 October 2014 for the programme in 2016. I know that he will approve of that. The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Angus Robertson (Moray) (SNP): The last conference was attended by more than 140 states and by the United PRAYERS Nations, the Red Crescent and civil society. What message does it send to the rest of the world and to rogue [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] regimes that seek to have nuclear weapons that the UK is prepared to boycott such a conference? The Minister went to school in Vienna. Why does he not take the Oral Answers to Questions opportunity to go back and take part in the conference? Mr Ellwood: As I said, the objectives of the conference FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE are unclear. That is why the P5 nations have not attended in the past. The hon. Gentleman suggests that we are The Secretary of State was asked— doing nothing. We have reduced the number of nuclear warheads that we possess by well over 50% since the peak of the cold war. In 2010, this Government announced Nuclear Weapons (Vienna Conference) further reductions to no more than 120 operationally available warheads and a total stockpile of no more 1. Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab): Whether than 180 warheads by the mid-2020s. That is action, the UK will be officially represented at the conference which is what the Government need to pursue. on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons to be held in Vienna in December 2014. [905688] Religious Minorities (Algeria) The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Tobias Ellwood): The 2. Naomi Long (Belfast East) (Alliance): What recent Government have received an invitation to the conference representations he has made to the Algerian Government on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons to be on ensuring that Christians and other religious minorities held in Vienna in December. We are considering whether are protected from persecution and discrimination. to attend. [905689] Jeremy Corbyn: I urge the Government to attend the The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign conference and to join the family of nations around and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Tobias Ellwood): We the world that supported the previous conferences. One regularly discuss human rights with the Algerian hundred and twenty-eight nations attended the 2013 Government, although we have not raised religious conference in Norway, 145 went to Mexico earlier this freedoms specifically. Human rights will be on the agenda year and the New Zealand Government, on behalf of for the next meeting of the EU-Algeria political dialogue. 155 nations, have urged universal attendance at this conference. They have drawn attention to the first ever Naomi Long: I thank the Minister for his answer, resolution that was passed by the UN General Assembly although I am disappointed that religious persecution in 1946, which drew attention to the devastating effects has not been raised with the Algerian Government. of nuclear weapons and nuclear warfare on humanity What advice is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a whole. Britain should be there and should not giving to colleagues in the immigration service to ensure boycott it, as it will apparently do along with the other that they are fully equipped to offer good advice and five permanent members of the Security Council. support to people from Algeria and north Africa more generally who apply for asylum on the basis of religious Mr Ellwood: The House will be aware of the hon. persecution? Gentleman’s consistent views on this subject. The goals of the conference are unclear and, consequently, none Mr Ellwood: I certainly will raise the matter with my of the P5 nuclear weapon states has attended the conferences Algerian counterparts. The hon. Lady has raised an in the past, as he said. We do not believe that a ban on important issue. She will be aware that regulations nuclear weapons is negotiable, nor that it would even be governing religion in Algeria came into force in May observed by many nuclear powers. Even if it could be 2007. They are designed to be multi-faith and not to achieved in theory, in practice the confidence and focus on one particular religion. I would be delighted to verification measures that would be necessary to make meet her to discuss the matter in more detail. it effective are not in place. Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con): Does my Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire) (Con): The hon. Friend agree that the greatest humanitarian effect atmosphere in which religious discrimination takes place of Britain’s possession of a nuclear deterrent is to is affected by other issues in a country, including economic reduce the chances of nuclear war or nuclear blackmail pressures and the like. Does my hon. Friend think that against this country? the recent successful elections in Tunisia will ease the atmosphere in respect of persecution across the area Mr Ellwood: The House is, as ever, grateful for my more generally? Does he also think that economic hon. Friend’s interest and expertise in this matter. The development in the area, which is necessary for justice Government’s policy is that the Vanguard class submarine to prevail, is getting a boost from our work in Algeria? 155 Oral Answers28 OCTOBER 2014 Oral Answers 156 Mr Ellwood: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for clearly wrong, and substantial compensation was rightly his question, and Tunisia is to be congratulated on the paid. We welcome the US presence in Diego Garcia. It considerable progress it has made. It has just completed is an increasingly important asset for both our Governments, parliamentary elections, and presidential elections will but there have been no formal discussions with the US follow in November, replacing the technocratic Government about the possibility of extending the exchange of notes who have guided the country on its transition towards to date. its new status as a fully fledged democracy. I very much welcome those changes: strong civil society, national Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab): I met dialogue, an apolitical army, and new progress towards 60 members of the Chagos community in my constituency a constitution. on Friday—a faithful people but without the right to return they once again feel that will not adequately Mr Frank Roy (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab): Religious mourn their dead as they approach All Hallows next intolerance and persecution is a problem throughout week. Their elders are passing away without having the world. What will the Government do to raise that recorded their stories of displacement, and their young issue with the Human Rights Council next year, and are finding it increasingly difficult to find salaried what does the Minister think the United Nations can do employment or to visit their friends in Crawley and now to tackle the problem? other places across the country. They also worry about us ceding sovereignty. Does the Minister agree that we Mr Ellwood: The hon. Gentleman makes an important should be doing more for those people, rather than less? point, and the issue is raised at the United Nations General Assembly and in our bilaterals. Britain will Mr Swire: I assure the hon. Gentleman that there are continue to raise the issue on a regular basis at all our no issues of any sort about ceding sovereignty—we meetings, not just those in the middle east but also with should deal with that point straight away. The draft other countries where there are questions to be asked in KPMG report, which we were not obliged to undertake, that area. will be out on 17 November, and thereafter there will be time for all those who have been consulted to make such Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): What points before the final report early next year. That is is the Minister doing for my constituents who have why we have included the Chagossians in the testimony. complained not only about the treatment of Christians in Algeria but also about the increasing pressure on Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con): A Christians in Pakistan? What are we doing to monitor previous Father of the House and great friend of mine, that, and what will we do about it? Sir Bernard Braine, was a passionate advocate of the rights of the inhabitants of Diego Garcia when the Mr Ellwood: As I said, we are having bilaterals on whole idea of turning it into a base was launched. In his that issue. The specific issue in Algeria is to do with new memory, may I say that I very much hope that the regulations that have been introduced. The rules are guarantees that he received from the British Government there but they now need to be implemented, and we will of the time about looking after those people will be continue to have a dialogue on that. I intend to visit fulfilled? Algeria soon, and given the concern that the House has expressed today, I will certainly raise that issue during Mr Swire: My right hon.