Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure all parties comply with resolution 2728 (2024) adopted by the UN Security Council on 25 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2728 reflected international consensus behind the UK's position that we need an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid into Gaza, to secure the release of hostages and make progress towards a permanent, sustainable ceasefire. The Prime Minister made this point during his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 30 April. The Foreign Secretary raised this with counterparts and partners during his visit to Israel and the OPTs in April.
We continue to use public and private diplomatic channels as well as multilateral fora to underline this.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with their Egyptian counterparts on Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government. They have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access.
The Foreign Secretary raised this case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry on 29 April 2024 and previously on 22 February 2024. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon raised this case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 28 March 2024 and with the Egyptian Ambassador on 20 February 2024. The Prime Minister also spoke to President Sisi about Mr El-Fattah on 1 December 2023.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the criteria under which they would cease preparations for a military operation in Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are clear that we would not support a major operation in Rafah unless there is a very clear plan for how to protect people and save lives. We have not seen that plan so, in these circumstances, we would not support a major operation in Rafah.
The fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting in Gaza. We must then work with our international partners to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he supports the Israeli government exercising military operations in Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are clear that we would not support a major operation in Rafah unless there is a very clear plan for how to protect people and save lives. We have not seen that plan so, in these circumstances, we would not support a major operation in Rafah.
The fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting in Gaza. We must then work with our international partners to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of food shortage and (b) the likelihood of famine in Sudan; and what steps his Department plans to take to support Sudan with famine relief.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Almost 17.7 million people in Sudan (37 percent of the population) are thought to be experiencing acute food insecurity. This is likely to worsen in the coming months. On 15 March, UN OCHA released a White Note formally warning of the risk of conflict-induced famine. The number of people in emergency (IPC 4) levels of hunger is now expected to increase across Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, and in some areas of eastern Sudan; and some households are expected to face famine (IPC 5) in parts of West Darfur, Khartoum, and among displaced populations in Greater Darfur. In 2024/2025, UK ODA to Sudan will nearly double to £89 million, including funding to UNICEF, which will provide emergency and life-saving food assistance to support people particularly in hard-to reach areas in Sudan, including nutrition, water and hygiene services for 500,000 children under 5. The UK will also be working with the World Food Programme to assist in the provision of assorted food commodities to people in Sudan. The UK continues to push for improved humanitarian access into and within Sudan to assist people who are hungry.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions his Department has had with non-governmental organisations on famine relief in Sudan; and with which non-governmental organisations his Department works in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We frequently engage with a range of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on the humanitarian and food insecurity crisis response in Sudan including international non-governmental organisations (INGO) Country Directors and representatives, and with the Sudan INGO and national non-governmental organisations (NNGO) Forum leads, to ensure that our programming and policy is well informed by INGO and NNGO perspectives. The UK last year provided £23.5 million to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) to provide flexible, multi-sector support and which predominantly provides funding to NGOs; we will continue our support to the SHF this year too. We will provide £89 million to support Sudan over the year ahead, most of which will go towards humanitarian assistance. Exact budgets are in the process of being allocated. UK support will continue to be delivered through the UN and other trusted partners including some NGOs such as the Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports that (a) the Cameroon Armed Forces and (b) separatist groups are committing violence against civilians in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK government has been tracking developments in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in 2016. We are aware that violence is being committed against civilians by both sides of the conflict, and I raised our human rights concerns with senior government officials during my visit to the country in April 2023. I also set out the UK's commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution through inclusive dialogue, as well as advocating for humanitarian access, development outcomes for those impacted by the conflict, and the investigation of reports of human rights abuses. Our High Commission in Cameroon is carrying these policies forward.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department plans to take to investigate the recent MoD security breach.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The recent MoD security breach with the compromise of MoD payroll information is the work of malign cyber actors who compromised a contractor-run network entirely separate from the MoD core system. A specialist security review of the contractor and its operations is under way by the MoD. We cannot rule out a state or criminal actor at this stage. Investigations are ongoing and appropriate steps will be taken.
We consider every case on its merits and will not always name who was responsible for a specific incident. Should the UK Government choose to respond publicly, it will do so at a time of our choosing when we judge it is in the best interests of the UK to do so.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his (a) international partners and (b) non-governmental organisations on potential food shortages in East Africa; and if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of these potential food shortages.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I regularly discuss food security in East Africa with the UK's international partners. Tens of millions of people face 'crisis' levels of food insecurity with needs in Ethiopia and Sudan particularly grave. The UK is leading efforts to address this issue. On 16 April I co-hosted a humanitarian pledging event for Ethiopia and announced a UK package lifesaving assistance budgeted at £100 million. The UK will also deliver £89 million of aid to Sudan in 2024/25, up from nearly £50 million in 2023/24. Throughout East Africa UK aid is saving lives and making a difference.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to support the Kenyan government in managing evacuations near dams and reservoirs due to ongoing flood risks.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Following recent periods of intense rainfall a nationwide assessment of all dams has been conducted with nearly 200 identified as high risk. Government-led search and rescue operations are ongoing with the police, public health officers and others assisting across all emergency locations. In response to the flooding the UK has provided £850,000 to UNICEF to support the provision of cash transfers to nearly 7,000 households in the worst affected counties. UK funding will also deliver urgently needed health, nutrition and sanitation services. We remain in close contact with our Kenyan and international partners on the continuing response.