Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan for the release of prisoners in Nagorno–Karabakh.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK urges the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that those detained during September 2023's military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, are afforded a fair trial and provided safe conditions, in accordance with Azerbaijan's international obligations and commitments. Our Embassy in Baku pays close attention to the cases and have sought regular updates to stay informed about progress. We have also been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war. The Minister of State Stephen Doughty raised these issues with Azerbaijan's Presidential Advisor, Elchin Amirbayov, during his visit to the UK in October. In a meeting with Azerbaijan's Principal Presidential Advisor, Hikmet Hajiyev, on 10 March, the Minister of State also urged Azerbaijan to seize the opportunity to sign an historic peace deal with Armenia. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have also conveyed these messages.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Israel regarding the Protection of Israeli Public Officials from the Action of the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the State of Israel Bill 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have not raised the Protection of Israeli Public Officials from the Action of the International Criminal Court in The Hague against the State of Israel Bill 2024 with the Government of Israel. We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. The UK is a State Party to the Rome Statute. This brings with it obligations that put us in a different position to Israel, which is not a State Party.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the peace and reconstruction plan for Gaza that was endorsed by the Arab League summit on 4 March.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government welcomes the Arab initiative of a recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza. The plan proposes a realistic pathway to the reconstruction of Gaza and, if implemented, will alleviate the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza. Reconstruction must be based upon a solid political and security framework acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians. The Government is clear that Hamas must not govern Gaza, and there should be a central role for the Palestinian Authority. On 8 March, the Foreign Secretary issued a joint statement with European partners commending the serious efforts of the Arab states in developing this plan.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the Associations Bill (Amendment—Donation from Foreign State Entity) 2024, currently before the Knesset, on the United Kingdom’s overseas development assistance to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is deeply concerned about the potential impact of this Bill on civil society and human rights organisations working in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have raised our concerns with the Government of Israel. The UK supports civil society organisations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a range of issues, including those who do invaluable work promoting and defending human rights.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects of a negotiated peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The prospect of an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closer now than it has been throughout the 30-year conflict. We welcome the progress on the delimitation of their borders and encourage both sides to maintain momentum to agree a lasting settlement. The Minister for Europe called both Foreign Ministers in October and met with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to the UK on 16 December 2024 and 13 January 2025 respectively, where he reiterated the UK's support to secure a long-lasting peace deal. The Foreign Secretary also spoke with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 22 January 2025 where he conveyed this message.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of Official Development Assistance was spent outside the United Kingdom in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, (5) 2023, and (6) 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The official source of data on UK Official Development Assistance is Statistics on International Development (SID). Table 1 shows the volume and percentage of UK ODA that is estimated to have been spent outside the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2023. Data for 2024 will be available via Statistics on International Development: Final UK ODA Spend 2024 in Autumn 2025.
Table 1: Volume and Percentage of UK ODA estimated to have been spent outside the UK (1), 2019 - 2023
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
ODA spend outside UK (£millions) | 13,791 | 12,959 | 9,527 | 8,320 | 10,238 |
Total ODA (£millions) | 15,176 | 14,477 | 11,423 | 12,786 | 15,344 |
% of ODA spend outside UK | 90.9% | 89.5% | 83.4% | 65.1% | 66.7% |
Source: Statistics on International Development
1. Spend outside the UK has excluded these categories of in-donor spend: Refugees/asylum seekers in donor country; administrative costs not included elsewhere; private sector instrument intra-governmental transfers; scholarships/training in donor country; donor country personnel; development awareness.
2. There may be a portion of spend in the other types of aid which has been spent in the UK, for the benefit of developing countries, which can't be separately identified.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Azerbaijan regarding the release of prisoners of war and civilians detained by Azerbaijan when taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been consistent in calling for the release of all remaining prisoners of war, and the return of the remains of the deceased, from the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We were encouraged by the release of 34 prisoners of war in December 2023. The Foreign Secretary met both Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers at the European Political Community summit in Blenheim on 18 July and urged them to seize the opportunity to secure an historic peace treaty.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following the publication of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality on 22 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations. We recognise the pivotal role the UNRWA play in support of Palestinians in Gaza and neighbouring countries.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the protection of Armenian heritage in Nagorno–Karabakh following the recent destruction of the St John the Baptist Church and the Ghazanchetsots cemetery in Shusha, and the nearby village of Karin Tak/Dashalti.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. British Embassy in Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction and the need to protect such sites with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the occupation by Israeli settlers of Cows Garden in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem on 3 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have not held discussions with Israeli counterparts on the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. The UK is monitoring the situation and is clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. British Consulate General staff in Jerusalem met members of the community on 19 January, discussed the current situation and visited the Cow's Garden site. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of culturally important areas to be respected.