Letter to the Parliamentary Relations
and Devolution Team, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from the
Clerk of the Committee
In preparing for the forthcoming Ministerial
oral evidence session on the Foreign and Commonwealth's Human
Rights Annual Report 2005, the Committee has asked me to request
written answers to the series of questions below.
1. The FCO response to the Committee's request
last year for a definition of a "human rights project"
does not make clear the distinction between human rights and governance
or democracy projects, and does not make clear which projects
are so classified. Could the Government outline the distinction
between human rights and other projects?
2. The establishment of the Council on Human
Rights has transformed the UN structures dealing with human rights.
What more needs doing before the Council starts its work? How
is the UK contributing to the Council?
3. The Government does not feel that the
EU High Representative on Human Rights in the area of Common Foreign
and Security Policy should conduct an internal review of the EU's
human rights work. Why not?
4. What is the Government doing to monitor
and ensure that the legislative changes on human rights carried
out by the Turkish Government are fully implemented?
5. Has the impetus towards human rights
improvements in Turkey been maintained now talks on its accession
to the EU have started?
6. Has the Government or any public body
or agency, in any capacity, made use of information acquired by
other governments or agencies through the use of torture? If so,
when?
7. Is the use of information by the British
Government or any other public body or agency acquired by other
governments or agencies through use of torture compatible with
the UK's international obligations on torture and other inhumane
treatment in particular, and with its other human rights obligations
in general?
8. What information does the Government
have about the US "black sites" where terrorism suspects
have been detained extra-judicially? Has the Government raised
the matter with Washington, and if so what was the outcome?
9. What is the Government doing to ensure
that no aircraft containing detainees being taken for interrogation
to states where torture is practised, known as "extraordinary
rendition", are passing through UK airspace?
10. The UK-China human rights dialogue appears
to make glacial progress. What are the main achievements of the
last year, and how does the UK measure them?
11. Would the implementation of a timetable
for the implementation of human rights measures improve the effectiveness
of the UK-China human rights dialogue? If not, why not?
12. What human rights guarantees would the
Government request from its Chinese counterparts in exchange for
lifting the EU arms embargo? Would ratification of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights satisfy the Government?
13. How is the Government placing pressure
on the Burmese government to improve its human rights standards?
Has the UK raised the question with ASEAN, and is it encouraging
its EU partners to do the same?
It would be most helpful if the Committee might
have your response not later than 22 November.
Steve Priestley
Clerk of the Committee
9 November 2005
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