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 HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the plan to allocate additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) for (1) 2024–25, and (2) 2025–26, to compensate for the share of ODA being spent on refugees in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7 per cent of GNI when fiscal circumstances allow. The Government is currently undertaking a Spending Review and will set out its approach to the House in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to revise the fiscal tests used for determining when the Official Development Assistance Budget has returned to its required level of 0.7 per cent of gross national income.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7 per cent of GNI when fiscal circumstances allow. The Government is currently undertaking a Spending Review and will set out its approach to the House in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to apply a cap to the share of Official Development Assistance reported as "in-donor refugee costs".
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7 per cent of GNI when fiscal circumstances allow. The Government is currently undertaking a Spending Review and will set out its approach to the House in due course.
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 Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received about (1) the delay in introducing eVisas, and (2) the requirement that, notwithstanding this delay, those with biometric residence cards must apply for a replacement eVisa by 31 December.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office continues to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including ILPA and the 3million, as we roll out eVisas and are grateful for their feedback.
eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which will be ‘digital by default’ by 2025, a change that will enhance the customer experience, deliver excellent value, and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.
We have been inviting people to come forward at scale since March to register for an account so that they can access their eVisa. We will continue to deliver an extensive communications campaign to explain how people can register for a UKVI account and access their eVisa.
The transition to eVisas does not impact a customer’s underlying immigration status. For many, the end 2024 deadline will have no impact; most people don’t need to prove their immigration status on a day-to-day basis, and many of the checks performed will be unaffected by the expiry of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs).
BRP holders will also still be able to use the online right to work and rent services to prove their rights once their BRP expires – provided they still have valid status – although we will encourage them to register for an account and to use that to access those services.
Customers will be able to create an account quickly and easily post-2024, using their expired BRP if needed, at www.gov.uk/evisa. There are also services in place, via our contact centre, to support vulnerable users and enable status to be verified in alternative ways on an emergency basis if a customer is not able to create their account immediately.
Notwithstanding these safeguards, we are keen to ensure that all customers take action to create an account and access their eVisa before the end of the year, to ensure they have the smoothest possible experience.