John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Implementation of judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26 April 2023.
John Howell: The hon. Gentleman speaks of other states being involved. Is he aware that a big impetus for the tribunal comes from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania? That is partly to support Ukraine, but it is also seen as a defensive measure should Russia invade those countries.
John Howell: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Davies. This is an interesting subject, and an appropriate time to raise it. In just under two weeks’ time, a summit of the Council of Europe takes place in Reykjavík. It is only the fourth summit in the history of the Council. High on the agenda is Ukraine. We have two issues. The first is how we can deal with crimes against humanity....
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on European Convention on Human Rights and national constitutions, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 April 2023.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the presentation by his Icelandic counterpart as chairman of the Committee of Ministers at the Council of Europe on 25 April 2023.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on #RoadToReykjavik, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 April 2023.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the oral contribution of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in response a question on the Lachin Corridor on 24 April 2023 at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Address on the Annual activity report 2022 by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 24 April 2023.
John Howell: For me—like many people in this House, I suspect—human rights are universal and indivisible. That is why I want to start by telling Members a little about the relationship of Israel and Palestine to the Council of Europe, which owns, as it were, the European Court of Human Rights. At the institutional level, the Israeli Knesset has enjoyed observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly...
John Howell: I am aware of that, but that is completely different from how Fatah security forces in Hebron dispersed a peaceful protest against the rising cost of living. That protest was not against political things, but domestic things. Those security forces detained the organisers. What the hon. Gentleman talks about is also completely different from the security forces banning the Palestinian...
John Howell: As the hon. Gentleman knows, I was until relatively recently the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Nigeria. I fully accept what he says about Boko Haram, but there is a difference between the Fulani terrorists and the Christians that they are killing, which is their way of farming. The Fulani tribe are generally herdsmen and the Christians are generally farmers. It was very difficult to tell...
John Howell: Like the hon. Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock), I regard Vladimir Kara-Murza as a friend; we have had him here on a number of occasions to speak to the Council of Europe delegation. This is a travesty of human rights. As Russia is no longer part of the Council of Europe and no longer under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights, how will we ensure that our view of human...
John Howell: I rise to speak to amendment 181, which appears in my name. I ask the Minister to think about my request over the coming days. I am not asking for a commitment now, and I will not seek to divide the Committee on this question. The purpose of amendment 181 is to get an opinion from the European Commission for Democracy through Law, otherwise known as the Venice Commission, which is part of the...
John Howell: The concern of my constituents is precisely that the solar farm described by my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Robert Courts) is just the tip of the iceberg, and that Oxford colleges will look to have a huge network of solar farms that will blight the Oxfordshire countryside for years to come.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) his New Zealand counterpart and (b) relevant stakeholders on the abduction of Phillip Mehrtens in central Papua.
John Howell: May I seek the advice of my right hon. Friend on how I can make the Istanbul convention, which deals with the domestic abuse of women and girls, better known in this House? Is that by statement or by debate?
John Howell: My hon. Friend is absolutely right to ask for a parliamentary debate, which would show that there is a lot of sympathy for officially designating the Holodomor a genocide. She may be aware that the European Parliament voted to do so by 507 votes; only 12 voted against. That sent a powerful signal to Ukraine that the European Parliament was behind it.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of reports that Iran has increased production of high enriched uranium at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled Environmental impact of armed conflict, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2023.
John Howell: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that at the most recent Council of Europe meeting, I initiated a debate on Serbia and Kosovo to ensure that Kosovo was admitted as a full member of the Council? It is already a partial member, and we have promised the Kosovans all our help in completing the documentation that is required to give it full membership.