Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2020-03-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: The Iranian regime has taken a country rich in natural resources and cultural history to a position of poverty that is brutal to its own people. However, rather than being supportive of the moderate opposition regime in exile, the UK Government have banned Maryam Rajavi instead of welcoming her here to promote the cause of peace that could prevail in Iran. Will the Foreign Secretary take steps to ensure that Maryam Rajavi is welcomed here, so that Iran can get back to becoming the wonderful nation that it really could be?; The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed this month that Iran has nearly tripled its stockpile of enriched uranium since November, in flagrant violation of the 2015 nuclear deal. That puts it well within reach of the amount needed to produce a nuclear weapon. Does the Minister share my concern that further steps must be taken as a matter of urgency to stop Iran’s aggression, including the re-imposition of major sanctions?; In 2016, President Adama Barrow gave hope to Gambians across the world when he was democratically elected, ending the dictatorship of President Jammeh and 22 years of human rights abuses. Now he himself is in danger of following suit. At the last questions session, the Minister told me that he was monitoring the situation. May I have an update, please?; I thank my hon. Friend for the help that he gave my constituents over the weekend. A number of them are on cruise ships, including the Celebrity Eclipse and the Silver Shadow, which are in quarantine off certain areas of Latin America. Might the Foreign Office be able to review the consular engagement that it is providing for British nationals overseas to ensure that there is a joined-up approach?; Given the Government’s recognition of the importance of the Sahel region, will the Minister please tell me what they are doing to improve the security of the area?; I thank my right hon. Friend and his Department for their very quick help with my constituent on Saturday, over an issue in the Philippines. My constituent, Mr Clark, is due to go on holiday on Thursday and wants to follow the Government’s advice on non-essential travel and not to go. Unless the Government detail which destinations are covered by non-essential travel, there will be real ramifications, particularly on insurance. When are the Government going to clarify that?; Covid-19 is obviously no respecter of international borders. Will the Minister set out what steps the FCO is taking to maximise cross-border co-operation with the Republic of Ireland to manage covid-19 effectively on the island of Ireland?
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): Although the immediate focus of our interests in south-east Asia rightly has to be the safety of British citizens and how we can get them back home, which no doubt will emerge shortly in the statement, I know that the Secretary of State shares my huge enthusiasm for the potential in south-east Asia for greater trade, investment and, indeed, much wider partnerships. Will he say today whether the idea of having an Association of Southeast Asian Nations investment forum, which would be as good and possibly even better than the Africa investment forum, is one that he supports?