Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered at on 8 December 2016.
Stephen Gethins
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Europe)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on whether ethnic cleansing is taking place against the Rohingya in Burma.
Alok Sharma
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
We are aware of allegations about the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Burma. Though the lack of access makes facts hard to verify, we are deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in Rakhine State. I have lobbied the Burmese Government for an investigation into allegations of human rights abuses, as has the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, when she visited from 9-12 November. The Government of Burma has committed to an independent investigation and we urge them to make rapid progress with this. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Yes4 people think so
No2 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
