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These initiatives were driven by Lord Hain, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
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I have noted the questions referenced, as well as the Noble Lord’s three further questions submitted to the department in question (HL5696, HL5697, HL5698). I would refer the Noble Lord to the recently issued answers to these from the department.
As Leader of the House I take very seriously the responsibility incumbent on all Ministers to provide full, timely and comprehensive answers to Questions for Written Answers.
Ministers are reminded regularly of the importance of their obligations to the House and under the ministerial code. My office works closely with all departmental Parliamentary teams and Private Offices to help provide advice on what is expected of them in providing such answers.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Rt Hon. the Lord Hain
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
20 October 2023
Dear Lord Hain,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths occurred in each of the last 12 months where the cause of death was listed as COVID-19 (HL10538).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales [1]. Figures for Scotland [2] and Northern Ireland [3] are the responsibility of National Records for Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, respectively.
Causes mentioned on the death certificate are converted to International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) codes, with the underlying cause of death defined as the disease or injury that initiated the events that directly lead to the death. The ICD-10 codes for COVID-19 are U07.1, U07.2, U10.9, U09.9.
Table 1 shows the number of deaths due to COVID-19 registered in England and Wales by month registered between October 2022 and September 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Deaths due to COVID-19 by month and year of registration, England and Wales, registered October 2022 and September 2023 [4,5,6,7,8].
Month of registration | Deaths due to COVID-19 |
October 2022 | 1,648 |
November 2022 | 1,355 |
December 2022 | 1,204 |
January 2023 | 2,321 |
February 2023 | 1,240 |
March 2023 | 1,836 |
April 2023 | 1,351 |
May 2023 | 868 |
June 2023 | 516 |
July 2023 | 222 |
August 2023 | 438 |
September 2023 | 674 |
Source: Office for National Statistics
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/
[2] https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths
[3] https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/births-deaths-and-marriages/deaths
[4] Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each period.
[5] Figures are based on provisional data.
[6] Figures include the deaths of usual residents of England and Wales as well as those of nonresidents.
[7] Figures are based on deaths where COVID-19 (ICD-10 codes U07.1, U07.2, U10.9, U09.9) was the underlying cause of death.
[8] Deaths due to COVID-19 refers to deaths where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death. The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death.
This question relates to two contracts with BAIN and Company (BAIN): CCCC18A29 and CCCC20A01. These contracts formed part of a portfolio of contracts managed by Cabinet Office in order to support Brexit and Transition Period work across government. The former contract was varied to include COVID-19 response work and was part of the cross-government response. Both contracts are now closed.
The below information is publicly available.
CCCC18A29 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £20m and commenced in April 2018; this included a one year £10m extension option, which was exercised. Additionally, the contract was varied for an additional £5m in March 2019. In March 2020, this contract was extended for four additional months and varied to include COVID-19 response work. The contract ended in August 2019, with a total spend of £12.9m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Brexit and Covid-19 response work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
CCCC20A01 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £30m and commenced in September 2020. This included a one year £10m extension option, which was not exercised. The contract was closed in August 2021, with a total spend of £1m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Transition Period work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
This question relates to two contracts with BAIN and Company (BAIN): CCCC18A29 and CCCC20A01. These contracts formed part of a portfolio of contracts managed by Cabinet Office in order to support Brexit and Transition Period work across government. The former contract was varied to include COVID-19 response work and was part of the cross-government response. Both contracts are now closed.
The below information is publicly available.
CCCC18A29 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £20m and commenced in April 2018; this included a one year £10m extension option, which was exercised. Additionally, the contract was varied for an additional £5m in March 2019. In March 2020, this contract was extended for four additional months and varied to include COVID-19 response work. The contract ended in August 2019, with a total spend of £12.9m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Brexit and Covid-19 response work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
CCCC20A01 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £30m and commenced in September 2020. This included a one year £10m extension option, which was not exercised. The contract was closed in August 2021, with a total spend of £1m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Transition Period work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
This question relates to two contracts with BAIN and Company (BAIN): CCCC18A29 and CCCC20A01. These contracts formed part of a portfolio of contracts managed by Cabinet Office in order to support Brexit and Transition Period work across government. The former contract was varied to include COVID-19 response work and was part of the cross-government response. Both contracts are now closed.
The below information is publicly available.
CCCC18A29 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £20m and commenced in April 2018; this included a one year £10m extension option, which was exercised. Additionally, the contract was varied for an additional £5m in March 2019. In March 2020, this contract was extended for four additional months and varied to include COVID-19 response work. The contract ended in August 2019, with a total spend of £12.9m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Brexit and Covid-19 response work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
CCCC20A01 was a call-off contract, awarded following a further competition via a framework agreement. The contract was awarded for a total value of £30m and commenced in September 2020. This included a one year £10m extension option, which was not exercised. The contract was closed in August 2021, with a total spend of £1m.
This contract was used to provide strategic advisory and analytical services to Departments, in regards to the planning and development of policies and programmes. The scope was limited to Transition Period work.
Work was evaluated on a project by project basis at the business unit level to assess quality of outcomes. This fed into the Cabinet Office’s regular supplier performance reviews.
Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of contracts awarded by departments.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Accounting records are required to be kept for six years.
Cabinet Office is considering the report of the South African Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture: Part 1.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
Individual contracts will contain clauses covering the conditions under which a contract may be terminated. It is for the contracting authority to determine what those conditions may be.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own decisions on these matters.
The Government’s engagement with businesses and organisations in the UK and internationally informed the decision to continue CE recognition of goods on the UK market for regulations owned by the Department for Business and Trade.
The government continues to engage with industry, both domestically and internationally. Businesses and trade associations repeatedly expressed significant concerns with the duplicative costs for placing goods on EU and UK markets, and the lack of business-readiness for compliance with mandatory UK Conformity Assessment, which potentially may have resulted in product shortages in GB or increased costs to GB consumers. Extending CE recognition will help in mitigating these challenges.
For most products being placed on the market in Great Britain (GB), products can comply with either GB or EU product regulations. UK Conformity Assessment Bodies can continue to certify goods for the UK market.
The EU does not recognise UK testing facilities for conformity assessment of products. Nevertheless, the UK is committed to exploring available avenues that could facilitate acceptance of EU-UK conformity assessment results and support British businesses.
The sale process continues to be run by Chelsea Football Club and it will be for them to decide the precise terms of a proposed sale. The Government will consider the merits of a licence application on its own terms and we expect any application to set out the proposed approach and specific transactions which need licensing in order to come to a decision.
The Government can only impose conditions on a licence which authorises the sale of the club if they are linked to the sanctions policy.
Participation in international sports events is a matter for the relevant international sports federations, and the national representatives to those federations. These bodies operate independently of government, and enshrine this political freedom in their rules and regulations.
Acquisitions of sporting assets in the UK by foreign investors are a matter for the sports businesses themselves. The Government does not stipulate assessment criteria to sports bodies on acquisitions.
The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) has been developed following extensive engagement with the border industry and businesses across the UK. It incorporates feedback from the Draft BTOM which was published in April 2023. In response to this feedback, the Government has agreed a small delay of 3 months to the introduction of remaining sanitary and phytosanitary controls, which will now be introduced in January 2024. This has the benefit of giving stakeholders additional requested time to prepare for the model.
The Government remains committed to delivering the most effective border, and the BTOM is key to achieving this.
We are tackling COVID-19’s direct and wide-ranging secondary impacts, and to date have committed up to £764 million of UK aid to support the global response to COVID-19. This includes UK support for the implementation of the African Union’s COVID-19 Continental Strategy. UK aid funding of £20 million will help strengthen healthcare systems and save lives in the African Union’s 55 member states by providing training for healthcare workers, supporting the deployment of African experts, and helping to tackle misinformation around COVID-19.
The UK has provided public health experts to support Africa Centres for Disease Control through the Department of Health and Social Care International Health Regulations Strengthening Project and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team. DFID is rapidly adapting its bilateral programmes across Africa to help counter the health, humanitarian, and economic impacts of COVID-19, in support of the poorest people.
We are seeking to ensure that the significant amounts of finance made available by International Financial Institutions targets the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, flexes to meet the short-term needs of governments, and is coordinated with the UN and other parts of the international response.
Medical devices are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and are considered high-risk goods. The Government has put in place legislation to extend the acceptance of CE marked medical devices on the Great Britain market up to 2028 or 2030, depending on the type of CE certificate held.
In addition, the MHRA are currently developing proposals for an international recognition framework. This would reduce, where safe to do so, barriers to medical devices entering the Great Britain market where they have already demonstrated to other trusted regulators that they meet our essential requirements.
The Department will support the National Health Service to address the impacts of the pandemic by supporting and increasing the workforce. The monthly workforce statistics for January 2022 show that there are more than 1.2 million full time equivalent staff working in the NHS. Since January 2021, there are over 20,700 more professionally qualified clinical staff working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups, including over 4,200 additional doctors and 12,100 nurses. We are currently on schedule to deliver 50,000 more nurses and provide a sustainable long-term supply in future. We have established a programme to improve retention and support return to practice, invest in and diversify the training pipeline and ethically recruit internationally.
We have offered non-repayable grants of at least £5,000 per academic year to eligible students studying pre-registration programmes in nursing and midwifery and allied health professions. A further £3,000 is available to students with child dependents and those studying specialist subjects. At the end of the 2021 recruitment cycle, there are over 57,000 applications for nursing and midwifery courses – an increase of 21% compared to 2020. Over 30,000 nurses and midwives accepted places to study nursing and midwifery in 2021 and there are currently more than 72,000 people training to be nurses, approximately 9,000 midwifery trainees and 30,000 trainees for the allied health professions.
We have also funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students and opened five new medical schools. In response to the pandemic, the Government temporarily lifted the cap on medical and dental school places for students who had completed A levels in 2020 and 2021. We are also investing in workforce skills, wellbeing and career development to help address the barriers to people taking up work in adult social care and make adult social care a more attractive offer. We have committed at least £500 million to develop and support the adult social care workforce, including training places and initiatives to improve wellbeing.
We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive. However, the payment rates are as per the Crown Commercial Service Framework rate card with discounts attained depending on value and length of role.
The care home tests are processed via the existing programme lab infrastructure, the lighthouse labs and Randox in Northern Ireland. Test turnaround times are consistent with the rest of the programme with over 97% of tests being returned within 48 hours. We continue to make progress on being able to return all results within 24 hours.
I [Lord Ahmad] do not have plans to meet with Judge Wolf during his visit due to prior commitments. As far as we are aware, there are no plans for Ministers from elsewhere in Government to meet with Judge Wolf either. The government outlined its position on this subject matter on 6 July 2023 in the House of Lords [https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2023-07-06/debates/DB0613A7-1D77-482D-A180-20745447DD92/InternationalAnti-CorruptionCourt#contribution-A203485E-C9F6-4E51-BFF6-25D39DBA3826].
On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities, such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military. Amnesty International's thorough report on the aviation fuel supply chain in Myanmar indicates that no British companies are involved in supplying aviation fuel to the armed forces. The UK has been clear that we oppose the provision of jet fuel, arms, military equipment, and dual use items to Myanmar which are used to facilitate human rights violations. We cannot speculate on future sanctions designations but we are looking at a range of further targets and other measures.
On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma/overseas-business-risk-myanmar-burma to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities, such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military. Amnesty International's thorough report on the aviation fuel supply chain in Myanmar indicates that no British companies are involved in supplying aviation fuel to the armed forces. The UK has been clear that we oppose the provision of jet fuel, arms, military equipment, and dual use items to Myanmar which are used to facilitate human rights violations. We cannot speculate on future sanctions designations but we are looking at a range of further targets and other measures.
The UK has had a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar since 2013, which prohibits the supply of dual-use items, including technology and manufacturing equipment, to the Myanmar military. We take a rigorous approach to due diligence in relation to our arms embargo, including enhanced military end-use controls for items destined for the military and security forces. We have also established the Myanmar Witness programme, which monitors weapons exports to Myanmar using open-source intelligence. We have found no evidence of British companies selling weapons or dual use goods to Myanmar. We will continue to take coordinated action to halt the military's access to arms and lobby countries who sell weapons to the military.
Since the coup in Myanmar, the UK has led global efforts to reduce the flow of weapons to Myanmar through coordinating multilateral statements. The UK has kept the Myanmar issue on the G7 agenda, securing strong public commitments from G7 member states to tackle the flow of arms and equipment to Myanmar. We have also spearheaded efforts to impose sanctions on arms dealers and the military's own domestic production, in close coordination with the US, EU and Canada. We will continue to engage with our partners on how we can target the military's access to arms and to take coordinated action where appropriate.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
There have not been, nor are there any planned discussions between former President Khama and representatives of the UK Government on these issues. We are aware of the correspondence between the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Government of Botswana regarding former President Khama. These communications form part of the range of direct interactions between the United Nations and a sovereign State, and other States do not tend to intervene in this process. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on the Government of Botswana's choice of legal representation, or its bilateral relationship with the South African institutions referred to. Former President Khama has not sought the assistance of the UK Government.
Officials have subsequently responded to the emails from the Noble Lord dated 1 and 3 December.
We are aware of the report on 'Cartel Power Dynamics in Zimbabwe', published on 9 February by South Africa's Maverick Citizen. The UK is deeply worried about the state of the Zimbabwean economy, which continues to face unprecedented challenges largely due to corruption, and poor fiscal policies and economic mismanagement by the Government. The UK remains committed to reducing poverty and helping the people of Zimbabwe secure their constitutional freedoms.
On 1 February, we announced sanctions against four Zimbabwean security sector chiefs responsible for serious human rights violations under President Mnangagwa. These measures will be maintained as long as the situation on the ground justifies them. We will continue to look at how all the tools available to the UK, including the full range of sanctions regimes, can be used to encourage accountability and reform in Zimbabwe. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
The UK is seriously concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. The Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed his [Minister Duddridge] deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of three female opposition activists, including a Member of Parliament. He [Minister Duddridge] urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations.
It is vital that the Zimbabwean authorities adhere to their international human rights obligations and respect their Constitution, which prohibits enforced disappearances and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This was reiterated in a joint local statement issued on 20 May by the UK alongside other partners, including the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America. The UK will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.
The decision regarding Zimbabwe's readmission would be for all Commonwealth members. However, the UK will only support readmission when Zimbabwe meets the admission requirements, complying with the values and principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter. These principles include respect for human rights and the rule of law. Disproportionate use of force by Zimbabwe's security forces, as seen in January 2019 and August 2019, and recent reports regarding the abduction and torture of three opposition activists, are clearly inconsistent with the Commonwealth Charter. The Minister for Africa made this clear when he spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June.
The UK is seriously concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. The Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed his [Minister Duddridge] deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of three female opposition activists, including a Member of Parliament. He [Minister Duddridge] urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations.
It is vital that the Zimbabwean authorities adhere to their international human rights obligations and respect their Constitution, which prohibits enforced disappearances and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This was reiterated in a joint local statement issued on 20 May by the UK alongside other partners, including the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America. The UK will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.
The UK is seriously concerned about the challenging human rights situation in Zimbabwe. It remains one of the UK's 30 Human Rights Priority Countries globally. The Minister for Africa spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed his [Minister Duddridge] deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of three female opposition activists, including a Member of Parliament. He [Minister Duddridge] urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations.
It is vital that the Zimbabwean authorities adhere to their international human rights obligations and respect their Constitution, which prohibits enforced disappearances and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This was reiterated in a joint local statement issued on 20 May by the UK alongside other partners, including the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America. The UK will continue to monitor developments closely and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.
The UK recognises the significant threat posed by COVID-19 in Syria. We are therefore speaking regularly to other countries and donors engaged in Syria as well as to the UN regarding the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Syria. In bilateral discussions we have also expressed our support for an immediate, nationwide ceasefire to enable complete focus on countering COVID-19. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa discussed this with Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, on 1 April; President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, Nasr al Hariri, on 14 April; the US Envoy for Syria, Ambassador Jeffrey, on 17 April; and the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister on 27 April. We have also raised the risks posed by COVID-19 in Syria at the UN Security Council on 30 March and 29 April.
British travellers with urgent medical needs should get in touch with their insurer as soon as possible and call the relevant Embassy, High Commission or Consulate before they run out of medication if they have not been able to replace it using our published advice.
Since 23 March we have advised British travellers to return home. Where commercial options are not available, we have organised charter flights, prioritising the most vulnerable. For any British travellers still abroad, our consular teams are available to assist those with medication needs.
Our Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates continue to support individual consular cases as they arise, prioritizing the most vulnerable.
COVID-19, and it's economic consequences, will disproportionately adversely affect countries with existing humanitarian crises and high risk of instability, including countries in conflict and those at risk of seasonal climatic shocks. Supporting countries in Africa to mitigate the impacts of COVID 19 on peace and security is important and in the UK interest. The UK is considering this in our political engagement and international response.
Disrupted markets and trade, as well as the effects of lockdown measures will affect countries and regions with existing high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, increasing the need for support, while global supply chains to deliver humanitarian support continue to be significantly disrupted. Humanitarian access is also more difficult, including for essential international medical personnel.
Increased pressure on state institutions and stringent lockdown conditions may exacerbate existing tensions on access to resources and, with security forces more stretched than usual, could have implications for stability.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) remains committed to the British Council, who are a key driver of our soft power overseas and a precious part of the FCO family. In order to help stabilise their immediate financial position following the impact of Covid-19 on their ability to operate, we agreed to provide the British Council with £26m of additional funding for the 2019-20 financial year. We have also provided some of their 2020-21 Grant-in-Aid funding upfront this month to further alleviate pressures.
The FCO have also supported the British Council in accessing wider government relief available through the COVID-19 Job Retention Scheme and similar schemes in other countries. This will help them support many of their workforce, and those employed through its partners, funded through the commercial side of their business. We will continue to work closely with the British Council in the coming days and weeks to seek to address the impact of COVID-19 on their ability to operate.
The UK is playing a major role in the global response to Coronavirus. Ministers and senior officials across government have carried out regular and extensive bilateral and multilateral engagement, as well as work with international companies to tackle the crisis.
Since the beginning of March, the Foreign Secretary has carried out over 66 conversations and virtual meetings, including G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on 25 March, NATO Foreign Ministers on 2 April and the G7 Leaders on 16 April. This intensive engagement will continue as we galvanise international support for our Four-Point Plan.
We are concerned by reports that some governments are using the current crisis to fail to comply with their human rights obligations. On 9 April, the UK participated in the UN Human Rights Council's first ever virtual conversation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Discussion focused on the human rights implications of the COVID-19 crisis; both the immediate impact of the response on human rights around the world, and the social and economic consequences, including the prospect of greater inequality. In his statement to the Council, our Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stressed the importance of ensuring that parliaments, media and civil society all play their role to scrutinise the actions of governments and international agencies, and that we make use of the international human rights frameworks. The British Government remains committed to standing up for human rights and the rule of law in all circumstances.
The UK Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to help bring back British travellers to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary on 30 March - with up to £75 million available for special charter flights from priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers. We have now brought home nearly 31,000 people on 144 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 27 countries and territories
To get as many people back as quickly as possible, we have encouraged and facilitated the use of commercial transport options where these exist. Since the outbreak in Wuhan, we estimate that over 1.3 million people have returned to the UK via commercial routes - the majority supported by our work with airlines and foreign governments to keep vital routes open. Our effort is now focused on supporting the return as quickly and safely as possible of the tens of thousands British nationals remaining overseas and wishing to return.
We are relieved that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was temporarily released on March 17. While her further extension is a welcome step, we continue to urge the Iranian Government to immediately release her - and all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran - to enable them to return to their families in the UK. The Foreign Secretary raised this with Foreign Minister Zarif on 16 March and Minister of State for the Middle East with the Iranian Ambassador on 26 March. Our Ambassador in Tehran consistently raises all of our dual national detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We made clear our deep concerns about reports that the new Israeli Government coalition has reached an agreement which may pave the way for annexation of parts of the West Bank at the UN Security Council remote meeting on the Middle East Peace Process on 23 April. The UK position is clear: any unilateral moves towards annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel would be damaging to efforts to restart peace negotiations and contrary to international law. The Prime Minister reiterated our opposition to the unilateral annexation of territory during a call with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on 6 February.