Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of the United States, as host of the Global Fund’s seventh replenishment, about the UK’s contribution to that fund; and whether they intend to match the United States by increasing UK funding by one third to reach the replenishment target of $18 billion.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State recently discussed the upcoming 7th replenishment of the Global Fund. The UK has been a committed supporter of the Global Fund, investing over £4.1 billion in the organisation to date. We are the second largest donor to the 6th replenishment, with a pledge of up to £1.4 billion. The UK will continue to make a significant financial and leadership contribution to the Global Fund. We are currently reviewing the Global Fund's 7th replenishment investment case in line with our recently published International Development Strategy and will continue to work with all G7 and G20 members, including the US, to support progress in the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reinstate the overseas aid budget to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains committed to the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 and to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on ODA once the fiscal situation allows. The Government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and, each year over the period, will review and confirm, in accordance with the Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast. The government will determine whether the ODA fiscal tests will be met for 2023-24 at Budget 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations have taken place between the Prime Minister and the First Treasury Counsel in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings have taken place between the First Treasury Counsel and Ministers in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have received from the First Treasury Counsel in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) Heads of State, (2) Prime Ministers, and (3) Presidents, have written to the Foreign Secretary about the Government's proposal to disapply certain parts of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary said in her statement to the House on 17 May, the UK has been in discussions with the EU for 18 months to find a negotiated solution that will deliver on the objectives of the Protocol. In recent months, the Foreign Secretary and FCDO ministers have discussed our shared response to Russia/Ukraine, building closer economic and security relations as well as UK concerns with the NIP with EU Member States' governments. Those exchanges continue.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what technical meetings have taken place with the European Commission on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; how many such meetings have taken place; and when each of these meetings took place.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary, as UK Co-chair of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, and her predecessor Lord Frost met their EU counterpart, Vice President Maroš Šefčovič on 26 occasions since September 2021 to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol. This also includes one meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee on 21 February 2022. These discussions were supported by approximately 300 hours of negotiations over 6 months by UK and EU officials, covering sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS), customs, VAT and excise, goods, subsidy control, medicines, and governance.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when negotiations will resume with the European Commission regarding Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Veterinary Arrangements and the Customs Code as part of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have engaged in negotiations with the European Union in good faith. After almost two years of negotiations, we are asking the Commission to go back to Member States for a new mandate, that would provide the flexibility to fix the current issues facing the people of Northern Ireland.
Our preference is for a negotiated outcome - but we cannot wait to fix the issues facing the people of Northern Ireland. We will take steps to stabilise the situation in Northern Ireland and bring parity to everyone living in the UK, but we remain open to further talks if we can fix the issues with the Protocol through a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, the legislation we will bring forward will fix the domestic impact of the Protocol, stabilise the situation in Northern Ireland and form an executive - protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement - without undermining the integrity of either the EU or the UK's single market.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation on Northern Ireland and trade in the next session.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress with the UK/EU negotiations on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.