Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Earl of Sandwich, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Earl of Sandwich has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Earl of Sandwich has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Government communicates its trade strategy in publicly available documents: the Integrated Review Refresh, speeches and committee appearances, and our Export Strategy. Publishing a framework may risk revealing our positions, undermining our ability to negotiate effectively and therefore place UK businesses in an uncompetitive position.
The Government is committed to providing updates to Parliament, which are also then available to the public. This information includes the Government’s strategic approach to free trade agreements, providing written updates after negotiating rounds, engaging with committees throughout negotiations, and in debates during Bill scrutiny. Ministers also provide information when answering written and oral questions.
As part of one of the largest consultation exercises run by the UK Government, the department consulted with individuals, businesses, business associations, non-governmental organisations and public sector bodies on the UK potentially seeking accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and received almost 150,000 responses.
We continue to engage with a range of stakeholders about CPTPP, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We have offered briefings on specific issues to various NGOs and responded in writing where they have expressed an interest in issues related to the agreement, and will continue to do so.
Universities are independent, autonomous organisations and are therefore responsible for their decisions relating to research priorities and which activities to support. We would expect universities to regularly review and develop their strategic research priorities, and that this may result in some internal restructuring to better support these priorities.
The Ayrton Fund is a commitment that the UK Government has made to spend £1bn on Official Development Assistance (ODA)-funded research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in clean energy technology and business models for developing countries over five years from April 2021. The commitment will address development challenges in low-carbon energy (supply), low-carbon societies (demand), and smart and flexible energy delivery and storage to meet a range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as Goals 7 and 13. Tangible examples of areas that the Ayrton commitment will seek to impact include:
The Ayrton Fund will be delivered through a series of expanded and new programmes and platforms, which will be available to all ODA-eligible countries, depending on the specific programme. Since some of these programmes and platforms are still to be developed, and since many will use open competitions to allocate the support, it is not possible to state at this stage exactly how many least developed countries will benefit (although they will all be potentially eligible).
DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s-length from Her Majesty’s Government, so the Department does not direct their curatorial and partnership activities. Museum collections serve a range of purposes, and are not always suitable for public display. Only a proportion of a museum’s collection will be displayed at any given time, with the remainder either unsuitable for general display or undergoing conservation, on loan to other venues, or in storage but accessible in parts to the public and researchers alike.
DCMS does require its sponsored museums to share their collections, skills, and expertise nationwide, for the enjoyment, education, and entertainment of people across the UK. The Department produces an annual Partnerships Report documenting the extent of this national partnership work, which takes a variety of forms, with a broad range of partners. For example, in the year 2019-20, the national museums (including those sponsored by other government departments and the devolved administrations) undertook 1,534 “loans out” of 59,870 objects to institutions across the UK. This includes both long and short-term loans, with objects seen by over 22 million people.
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges in the past few years. The UK is highly self-sufficient in most grains production, with 88% of cereals consumed in the UK in 2020 produced domestically.
Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not Government policy to determine which cereals or other crops farmers should prioritise to include in their rotation. In 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme 'greening measures' on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning when farmers are making crop planting decisions, they are free to react to market signals.
We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real-time intelligence and to identify where mitigations are available.
Globally, the UK is engaging with likeminded partners through multi-lateral forums including the World Trade Organization, United Nations and G7 to build consensus on the importance of keeping markets open to support global food security and facilitate the smooth functioning of global trade.
We welcome the World Bank’s announcement of $30 billion to address food insecurity globally over the next 15 months, which responds to the UK’s calls for the Bank to mobilise funding to tackle the growing crisis. With G7 allies, we support the launch of the Global Alliance on Food Security, to scale up a rapid, needs-based, coordinated response which avoids a fragmented global response. As an initial response the UK has committed another £10 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to build resilience in agriculture and food security in the poorest countries, bringing our total contribution to £186 million.
The Government recognises the crucial role that all agricultural sectors are playing during this time.
As horticulture is part of the agricultural sector, impacts of COVID-19 on the horticulture industry are being overseen by the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group, which meets weekly to monitor UK agricultural markets and to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements. During the coronavirus outbreak, this has allowed Defra and the devolved administrations to share the latest stakeholder information and data to ensure we have an evidence base to assess the effects of COVID-19 on the agricultural industry, in specific markets, or geographical regions.
Officials are having regular meetings with the different agricultural sectors to understand the specific issues affecting each sector. It is clear that the coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on horticulture businesses up and down the country and the Government is acutely aware of the challenges facing parts of the industry at this time. We have been working closely with the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) on reviewing when and how garden centres can reopen safely and as of May 13th 2020, garden centres have been allowed to reopen. This will allow businesses to sell their products directly to the public once again and in doing so bring about the wider benefits to consumers, especially for physical and mental wellbeing, which gardening can bring. There is extensive ongoing engagement being undertaken by the department with representatives from the horticulture supply chain to capture emerging issues and to identify what short-term and long-term support the sector, as a whole, needs.
We will continue to monitor the situation and to work closely with the sector as restrictions are removed and recovery begins.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, DFID has worked with partners like the United Nations World Food Programme to ensure continuity of life-saving services, such as the delivery of food assistance, to the population of Bidibidi, Uganda’s largest refugee settlement. Additionally, we have supported specific programmes in Bidibidi through Mercy Corps, an International Non-Governmental Organisation, including:
• a campaign - through public address systems, bulk text messages, posters, song and radio – to raise awareness about prevention of the virus, focused on community “hot spots” including shops, bill boards, markets, water points, and food distribution points;
• payments in vouchers or via mobile money to more than 1,850 farmers (57% of whom were women) to purchase high quality seeds from local dealers to ensure they did not miss the planting season; and
• support to small businesses to continue, providing access to basic hygiene supplies, agricultural inputs, and mobile money services. The local dealers that were selected to support the seed distribution referred to above received business development training on topics including business plan development, marketing and record keeping, as well as cash grants to strengthen their business.
As the pandemic continues to evolve, we are closely monitoring the situation across Uganda, including in the refugee settlements, and prioritising our support accordingly.
The UK is the leading provider of health services in South Sudan, through the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) (£175m 2018-2023). Through the HPF, UK Aid is improving capacity to identify and manage mental health illnesses in health facilities and hospitals; last year HPF trained 412 health workers on mental health across South Sudan.
UK Aid is also supporting specialised mental health services in areas heavily impacted by violence, through our partnerships with Humanity and Inclusion (£3.7m 2018-2021) and Medair (£16m 2016-2021). We also provide psycho-social support to survivors of gender-based violence as part of a five-year £22 million programme with the International Medical Corps. Finally, UK Aid is working in partnership with the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide mental health and psychosocial services in protection of civilian sites, with services targeted particularly at vulnerable groups including women and girls.
The UK Government recognises that COVID-19 will have significant direct and indirect impacts on health in Africa. Indirect impacts will be the result of disruption to, and a reduction in, health service delivery.
In response, we are flexing our funding and programming. We are building on our long-term investments to mitigate the threat of indirect impacts on various services and goods. These include reproductive health services and commodities as well as essential primary health care services, such as immunisation. We also aim to increase access and reduce prices for essential health commodities.
The UK Government is working with governments to ensure that essential malaria services continue, malaria patients are protected from COVID-19 and malaria programmes make good decisions about redeploying resources to national COVID-19 programmes in a sustainable way. We continue to be the second largest country donor in the global fight against malaria.
The UK remains committed to providing vital humanitarian support to the victims of conflict and terrorism in Northern Syria. To date, the UK has committed £40 million in humanitarian aid to North East Syria and another £40 million to North West Syria for financial year 2019/20. This forms part of an overall UK commitment of £400 million to the regional Syria crisis this financial year. This funding includes £72 million spent by DFID in humanitarian projects inside Syria between January and June 2019, which has provided: 26,676 food rations, each covering the food needs of one individual for one month; 144,745 people with clean drinking water; 1,177,930 vaccines; 352,598 people benefitted from relief packages; 7,993 people benefitted from cash-for-work activities and 27,960 people benefitted from psychosocial support.
UK support to Northern Syria is provided on the basis of humanitarian need and delivered through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations. It focusses on providing life-saving supplies such as food, water, shelter, mental health services and healthcare, as well as helping communities recover from life under Daesh rule, for example by supporting farmers and local businesses. In consultation with partners, my Department keeps under constant review what additional support might be needed to support those affected by recent fighting.
DFID has conducted a series of research studies on pastoralism, including on the effects of climate change and environmental stresses. Papers and reports from this research are published here: https://www.gov.uk/dfid-research-outputs?keywords=pastoralism+and+climate+change.
DFID has recently announced a new programme the “Supporting Pastoralism & Agriculture in Recurrent & Protracted Crises (SPARC)” programme (2020 - 2026) which aims to assist poor and vulnerable people to better cope with and build their resilience to climate change and recurring shocks, delivering evidence which will improve DFID programmes and policies supporting pastoral communities. The programme builds on a number of previous programmes which have focused on improving the resilience of pastoralist communities, including the Karamoja Resilience programme in Northern Uganda, and the Building Resilience and Adapting to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) programme in the Sahel.
In our outline approaches to free trade agreements (FTAs) with the US, New Zealand, and Australia, we have committed to securing provisions that will help trade in low carbon goods and services, supporting innovation in sectors such as offshore wind, smart energy systems, low-carbon advisory services, and energy from waste. Our FTAs will also underpin international cooperation in research and development, and reaffirm the United Kingdom’s sovereign right to regulate in pursuit of net zero by 2050.
The recently concluded United Kingdom-EU trade agreement confirms both Parties’ commitments to key international climate agreements and includes other important commitments, such as promoting trade-related aspects of climate change policies in international fora. Our continuity FTAs have sought to replicate the effects of the EU’s agreements too, including provisions on climate change.
Chapter 4 of the Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Technical Report assesses the climate-related risks and opportunities to infrastructure in the UK. Part 4.8 of that document considers the risks to subterranean and surface infrastructure from subsidence.
National Highways is responsible for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the Strategic Road Network, funded by the Government in 5-year roads periods with objectives set out in Road Investment Strategies. The second Road Investment Strategy (2020-2025) includes action to enhance all-weather resilience of the strategic road network, to minimise the risk of incidents and their impact for road users. National Highways also reports under the adaptation reporting power of the Climate Change Act 2008 on what it is doing to check climate resilience against the latest Met Office Climate Projections and undertake actions to improve resilience across its network. The next round of adaptation reporting closes at the end of 2024.
In respect of local roads, the Department is providing over £5.5 billion of highways maintenance funding between 2020/21 – 2024/25 for eligible highway authorities outside London and those receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS). This funding is not ring-fenced, and authorities may choose to use it to maintain their network, including repairs to the highway following subsidence and actions to make networks more resilient to changing weather patterns. The Government has also announced that it will provide an additional £8.3 billion of reallocated HS2 funds over this year and the next decade to help authorities to transform their highway networks.
The Department for Transport does not provide grants to private landowners for repairing subsidence damage.
We want air travel to be safe, comfortable, and practical for all passengers.
There is no numerical figure set as a requirement for leg room, meaning it may vary between aircraft and airlines. A given seat configuration can be certified from an airworthiness point of view if there is enough space between seats to allow passengers safe egress, such as during an emergency evacuation.
There are currently no plans to implement height-dependent requirements for leg room on aircraft.
We would recommend passengers contact their airlines for information about seating options on their flight.
NHS England has no plans to reconsider the closure of the Clover Health Centre in Greenwich, NHS England is assured there is capacity in local general practitioner (GP) surgeries to support patients registered at Clover Health Centre. NHS England is carefully managing the dispersal of the patient list to other local GP surgeries to ensure that patients receive continuity of care. NHS England is supporting all patients to register with an alternative GP surgery and is providing additional support, including translation and interpretation services, for those who need it. NHS England is also working with community representatives to ensure patients from minority groups receive the support they need.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline 'Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: safe prescribing and withdrawal management for adults' includes information for both health professionals and patients on the safe withdrawal from medicines. As part of the evidence review for this guideline, tapering strips were considered for their potential use in decreasing patient doses and withdrawing from antidepressants but no evidence was identified.
A recommendation was made in the final guideline for further research on the effectiveness of equipment, technologies, practical aids and medicine formulations in supporting people to manage dose reductions, compared with usual practice. NICE keeps its guidance under review to ensure that it reflects any developments in the evidence base. A copy of this guidance is attached.
This helpline recommendation formed part of a wider set of actions to improve the support available from the healthcare system to people who are dependent on prescription drugs. NHS England has been the facilitator of system partners in their work to deliver the review recommendations. In March 2023, NHS England published ‘Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for ICBs and primary care’. A copy is attached. This document includes five actions, resources and case studies that will help systems to develop plans that can support people who are taking medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
Building a drug and alcohol treatment and recovery system is the key aim of the Government’s long-term drug strategy. On 16 February 2023, the Government announced that 151 local authorities across England are receiving £421 million funding through to 2025 to combat drug and alcohol misuse, with areas with the highest need prioritised.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and commissioning services to meet these needs. Local authorities therefore determine the level of funding that they may choose to allocate to support patients dependent on, or withdrawing from, prescribed drug dependencies.
The information requested is provided by the NHS Business Services Authority in the following tables.
| Number of items | |||
Month and Year | Antidepressants | Anxiolytics | Barbiturates and Hypnotics | Antipsychotics |
April 2019 | 6,035,028 | 518,035 | 679,445 | 1,010,050 |
May 2019 | 6,450,150 | 553,508 | 716,259 | 1,073,853 |
June 2019 | 6,017,455 | 511,088 | 661,151 | 1,002,933 |
| Number of items | |||
Month and Year | Antidepressants | Anxiolytics | Barbiturates and Hypnotics | Antipsychotics |
April 2020 | 6,481,166 | 521,162 | 692,160 | 1,119,597 |
May 2020 | 6,244,952 | 490,061 | 659,233 | 1,051,130 |
June 2020 | Not yet available | Not yet available | Not yet available | Not yet available |
Notes:
The time periods covered are April 2020 – May 2020 and April 2019 – June 2019 inclusive for comparison.
The term ‘items’ refers to the number of times a product appears on a prescription form, and not the quantity prescribed. The NHS Business Services Authority does not have enough information to determine if a prescription is ‘new’ for a particular patient.
Any secondary indications or unlicensed uses of any of these medicines will not be apparent from the data.
The data provided is for prescriptions prescribed and dispensed in England only.
The data provided is based on English dispensed prescription that were processed by the NHS Business Services Authority; excluding items ‘not dispensed’, ‘disallowed’ and ‘items referred back to the contractor for further clarification’. Items prescribed but not presented for dispensing or not submitted to NHS Business Services Authority by the dispenser are also excluded.
The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) data requested are shown in the following table:
| IAPT Referrals | IAPT Appointments |
October 2019 – March 2020 | 834,978 | 3,543,965 |
October 2018 – March 2019 | 841,006 | 3,377,787 |
Source: Psychological Therapies: reports on the use of IAPT services, NHS Digital
Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 do not respect borders and we are working closely with the European Union, European countries and global partners to tackle this global pandemic.
The United Kingdom continues to access all EU health security alerting systems, databases and networks during the transition period, including the EU’s Early Warning and Response System (EWRS). We continue to use the EWRS system as part of our response to the pandemic, to share information with the EU and Member States relating to COVID-19.
Our responses will continue to benefit from this international cooperation, and we are committed to continuing to work with countries and partners from all across the world, as we move into future stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The benefits of being outside are noted in the Government’s Guidance for the public on mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (COVID-19) which is available in an online only format on GOV.UK. On 18 April, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rt. Hon. Robert Jenrick MP) said in his statement on COVID-19 that parks must remain open and people should be able to safely enjoy fresh air and green space.
On 13 May, we confirmed that garden centres could reopen. Our decision to reopen garden centres and nurseries in a safe way, will allow businesses to sell their products directly to the public and in doing so bringing about wider benefits to consumers, especially for physical and mental wellbeing, which gardening can bring.
In September 2019, Public Health England published an evidence review on the problems of dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines. The review recommended the Department considers supporting the development of a time-limited national helpline and associated website. NHS England and NHS Improvement are considering the recommendations from the review, including the recommendation for a helpline, and other evidence to develop a set of actions to reduce and treat prescription medicine dependency.
A shocking number of Palestinian civilians have been killed or injured. We want Israel to stop harming civilians and destroying homes.
The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister have underlined the need for Israel to ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, and to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of medical personnel and facilities.
We need the fighting to stop immediately to allow humanitarian actors and Gazans to operate and move safely, and enable hostages to be released.
We need Israel to ensure effective systems to guarantee the safety of aid convoys, humanitarian operations and IDP returns, and facilitate access.
The UK provided £35 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.
Our decision to pause future funding has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities. On 13 March, the Government announced a further £10 million in aid funding to bring UK support to more than £100 million this financial year. UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to deliver vital supplies.
The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA. Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has had no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands and we are supporting partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
The UK welcomes Tom Perriello's appointment. We look forward to working with him, Troika partners and the wider international community to press the warring parties to end the violence, secure urgently needed humanitarian access, ensure the protection of civilians and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.
The UK continues to use its position as penholder to speak out against egregious human rights abuses being committed by both warring parties, and call for a permanent ceasefire, a transfer of power to a civilian administration, as well as unfettered humanitarian access. We worked closely with Security Council members and the UN Secretariat to agree an orderly transition and liquidation last December; this was the best available outcome in the circumstances. We welcome the Secretary-General's appointment of Ramtane Lamamra as a personal envoy, whom we are keen to support.
The UN estimates almost 9 million people are currently internally displaced in Sudan. This is now the largest displacement crisis in the world. We are working with regional and international partners to help bring an end to the hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians, and secure safe humanitarian access to and for the most at-need communities. The UK continues to provide assistance to the many people in need in Sudan through our humanitarian aid package of £38 million for 2023-2024. In the next financial year 2024/2025 the UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Sudan will double, to £89 million.
The UK supports African-led efforts to seek peace and stability within Sudan, including the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). We welcome the IGAD Summit on 9 December where members called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to work with Quad countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK), regional partners, IGAD, the African Union and the UN to bring the warring parties together and secure an end to hostilities, unfettered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians.
The UK supports African-led efforts to seek peace and stability within Sudan, including the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). We welcome the IGAD Summit on 9 December where members called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to work with Quad countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK), regional partners, IGAD, the African Union and the UN to bring the warring parties together and secure an end to hostilities, unfettered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians.
The UK is committed to supporting the UN-facilitated, Libyan-led and owned political process to secure peace, stability and prosperity in Libya. This offers the surest route to tackling challenges such as human rights violations and illegal migration. HMG has been prioritising efforts in Libya on disrupting the human trafficking business model and pursuing trafficking targets. As a result, we have successfully disrupted several human trafficking operations and arrested smugglers responsible for exploiting irregular migrants and managing broader criminal networks in Libya.
The UK condemns attacks against UN and international personnel in Mali and calls on all parties to help facilitate MINUSMA's (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) safe withdrawal. The final UN convoy departing Kidal suffered six IED (Improvised explosive device) incidents, injuring 37 peacekeepers. Due to deteriorating security and logistical constraints, the UN was forced to undertake accelerated withdrawals from some bases, resulting in the loss of equipment. Security in Mali has deteriorated over the past months and it is clear that the presence of Wagner Group is not in the interests of stability. The UK is working closely with partners in Mali to monitor security and adapt operations.
The UK continues to provide aid through reputable non-governmental organisations in Niger, Burkina Faso, and in Mali, despite the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping forces there. These organisations include the Danish Refugee Council, which is working with an NGO consortia to provide humanitarian aid in all three countries; Marie Stopes International, which provides women's sexual health services in Mali and Niger, and Mercy Corps which supports local land conflict prevention in Mali and Niger. The UK also funds the International Committee of the Red Cross who deliver humanitarian and protection work across the region.
On 20 November, the UK released a statement with our Troika (US and Norway) partners to urge all those in a position to influence the communities involved to take all appropriate steps to prevent further escalation and push for an end to the violence. The UK have also echoed the UN Secretary-General's encouragement for the African Union to intensify its mediation efforts to help reach a political solution for Abyei. We continue to urge both the Governments of South Sudan and the de facto authorities in Sudan to regularise meetings of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and agree joint security mechanisms to improve stability in Abyei until its final status can be agreed. We are in regular contact with partners operating in Abyei, and are engaging with the UN system, including supporting the mandate renewal of the United Nations Interim Security Forces in Abyei (UNSIFA) in early November. We have expressed alarm in the UN Security Council about the ongoing positioning of the South Sudanese People's Defence Forces in southern Abyei and have called upon the Government of South Sudan to immediately withdraw its troops in line with its commitments under the 2011 Status of Forces Agreement.
The UK is working with the UN, other donors and humanitarian agencies to coordinate the effective delivery of aid to Sudan, including to support the many people who have been displaced by the conflict. At the Sudan Pledging Event on 19 June, a total of $1.52 billion was pledged to fund life-saving relief efforts in Sudan and the region. In November, the UK announced £14.3 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing our total support to £36 million for 2023-2024. We continue to work with international partners, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to press the parties to allow unfettered humanitarian access, and for the provision of continued support for the Sudanese people.
The UK's top humanitarian priority in Sudan is to secure humanitarian access and operational security guarantees for humanitarian agencies. In November, we announced £14.3 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing our total support to £36 million for 2023-2024. This year, the UK has also committed £28.1 million of humanitarian aid to South Sudan, including £2.25 million to help meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees there, who have fled the violence in Sudan. UK support is being delivered through the UN and other trusted partners and includes crucial food security and nutrition assistance, safe drinking water, medical care, shelter, and protection services including for those affected by Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Since 15 April, over 1.4 million people are estimated to have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since fighting broke out, 338,374 people have fled to Egypt; 550,407 to Chad; 413,516 to South Sudan; 93,310 to Ethiopia; 25,428 to The Central African Republic (CAR). According to the International Organisation for Migration, there are 2.2 million internally displaced persons in South Sudan, and more than 2.3 million South Sudanese are refugees in neighbouring countries in the East African region. The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan and South Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts of the conflict on Sudan's neighbouring countries.
We recognise the difficulty for organisations like the UN to accurately verify numbers. We are aware that there have been significant casualties, including humanitarian workers. The UK position is clear: all sides must abide by their international obligations; all sides must respect International Humanitarian Law and all side must respect civilians. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have, in their discussions with their Israeli counterparts, emphasised the importance of taking all possible measures to protect civilians.
The conflict in Sudan has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, including in the Abeyi Administrative Area. On 24 May 2023, FCDO's Minister for Development and Africa announced £19 million in humanitarian aid for South Sudan this financial year. This is supporting those already in need in South Sudan, and refugees and returnees fleeing from the violence in Sudan. On 20 September, FCDO's Minister for Development and Africa met South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to discuss progress on implementation of South Sudan's Peace Agreement. They also discussed efforts to secure peace in Sudan and our response to the growing humanitarian crisis.
The UK Government commends the efforts of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to help maintain peace and security in Abyei under challenging circumstances. In March 2023, the UK Government sent a joint political delegation from British Embassy Juba and British Embassy Khartoum to Abyei to engage UNISFA's leadership following the transition to a multinational force and commend its efforts to tackle the security situation. We are aware of the increased presence in southern Abyei of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces and National Police, in violation of the 2011 peace agreement. The presence of forces is exacerbating tensions and hindering peace. We call upon the government of South Sudan to withdraw its forces without delay.
The influx of refugees and returnees from Sudan is putting additional pressure on already scarce food resources in South Sudan. The UK Government have provided £2.25 million to meet the urgent needs of refugees and returnees in South Sudan who have fled the violence in Sudan - £1.5 million of this has been allocated to the World Food Programme for food provision in border areas. On 20 September, Minister Mitchell met South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to discuss efforts to secure peace in Sudan, implementation of South Sudan's Peace Agreement and the need for greater humanitarian assistance.
The UK supports free and fair elections as a critical component of South Sudan's 2018 Peace Agreement. We regularly engage with the Government of South Sudan on the importance of political and civic space, as well as media freedom, to ensure that the voices of the South Sudanese people are consistently heard, including those who hold opposing views. Previously, the UK has supported local civil society organisation Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) to monitor ceasefire violations at the local level, as well as the Association for Media and Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) and Female Journalists Network (FJN) to strengthen media freedom, counter misinformation and promote the inclusion of women in the provision of accurate and reliable journalism.
We are working alongside Troika and other international partners to end the violence in Sudan, allow unfettered humanitarian access and commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process. The UK issued a joint statement with its Troika partners on 29 May, reaffirming our support for the African Union's roadmap for the resolution of the Sudan conflict. On 4 August, the UK and its Troika partners released a further statement, condemning recent reports of killing based on ethnicity and widespread sexual violence in Darfur by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias. We continue to engage in other formats and at the United Nations General Assembly in September, UK Ministers and senior officials participated in four meetings with different groupings of partners to tackle the situation in Sudan.
The UK endorses the messages of the Pope, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Moderator of the Church of Scotland during their historic visit to Juba in February 2023. The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) must stop violence, end corruption, and deliver justice and services for their people. The Minister of State for Development and Africa [Andrew Mitchell] met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in April 2023 to discuss the Church's role in promoting peace and tackling poverty in South Sudan. On Friday 22 September, I met with the Archbishop of Canterbury, alongside the Troika and guarantors of South Sudan's Peace Agreement. Despite a lack of political will from the GoSS, international and regional efforts for peace must be sustained - corruption needs to be tackled and civil society must be empowered.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funds two international scholarship schemes - Chevening and Commonwealth. Chevening offers scholarships to applicants from over 160 Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries and territories to study for Masters degrees in any subject at any British University. Commonwealth scholarships are offered for post-graduate studies in development focussed subjects. Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships both promote UK expertise by allowing scholars to undertake post-graduate studies in conflict prevention and reconciliation related areas. Through these two schemes, the FCDO currently funds scholarships for 15 Chevening and 14 Commonwealth scholars from African countries studying for post-graduate degrees in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and reconciliation related courses in the UK, with an additional 37 African Commonwealth scholars studying long distance in their home countries through UK universities.
Currently we do not provide support to universities in any of the specified countries. Through our recent Strategic Partnership for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme we have provided support to universities in Somaliland, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and provided conflict support to universities in Jordan and Lebanon supporting Syrian refugees. This programme ran from 2016-2022 and focussed on transforming the quality, relevance, scale, access and affordability of higher education systems through mutually beneficial partnerships. A successor programme is currently being developed which will be accepting/encouraging bids from Ethiopia and South Sudan.