Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking towards the implementation of G7-Africa partnerships for agrivoltaics investments agreed at the G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting in October 2024, particularly with regard to (1) partnering with governments in Africa, (2) assisting with climate adaptation, and (3) promoting market solutions to address food, energy and water security needs in developing countries.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has built long-term partnerships with African governments to promote market-based solutions to address food, energy and water security needs whilst adapting to climate change. In January, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office partnered with the Africa Union (AU) on the Kampala Summit, where African Member States endorsed the third ten-year Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP). The Kampala Declaration outcomes are mutually aligned with G7-Africa commitments, and most importantly are African-led. Through the Africa Food Trade and Resilience programme and our participation in the Development Partners Coordination Group we will continue to provide expertise to support the new Kampala Declaration.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they plan to take with other nations participating in the London conference on Sudan on 15 April to end the conflict in that country, to protect civilians and to ensure aid reaches those who most need it.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Alongside those states that attended the Sudan London Conference, the UK is taking coordinated action to strengthen the protection of civilians and to improve aid delivery. We continue to advocate for the implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including UNSCR 2736 (2024) on El Fasher, Darfur. Additionally, the UK and its partners are advocating for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase flexible funding to support the most food-insecure people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Last financial year, the UK provided over £245 million to Sudan and its neighbouring countries, supporting over 1 million people affected by the conflict. On 15 April, the Foreign Secretary announced an additional £120 million of life-saving aid for the current financial year. This includes 650,000 people to be reached with food assistance for 3 months, 205,000 people to benefit from financial assistance and 600,000 people who will receive nutrition, water and sanitation support.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to securing the full independence of the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can assure the noble Lord that the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent is completely operationally independent. Only the Prime Minister can authorise the firing of our nuclear weapons, even if they are to be employed as part of a NATO response.
The UK has a longstanding, close relationship with the US on all defence nuclear issues, which has endured through many changes of Government in our two nations. Our extant long-term arrangements under the 1958 Mutual Defense Agreement and the 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement (as amended in 1982 for Trident) provide for co-operation and collaboration which has been, and continues to be, of considerable mutual benefit to both nations.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide future funding to local authorities to allow them to dispense discretionary crisis support.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In England, the Government is providing £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. The HSF is a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water.
We recognise that certainty helps Local Authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare assistance. Committing to funding the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 will allow them to plan their approach with greater confidence.
No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other Government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to review the Household Support Fund guidance to ensure the fund prevents people from facing serious financial hardship.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions conducted an evaluation of the fourth iteration of the Household Support Fund, that ran from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, to understand the benefits of the awards made across England during this period. This has been published and can be found here: Evaluation of the Household Support Fund 4 - GOV.UK.
The evaluation followed a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach to assess the effectiveness of the HSF4 delivery by Local Authorities and its benefits for recipients, to inform the design of potential future funding schemes. When setting the Household Support Fund guidance, the Department considers evaluation activities alongside feedback from stakeholder engagement sessions.
The Household Support Fund scheme guidance and individual Local Authority funding allocations for the forthcoming extension will be announced as soon as possible ahead of the scheme beginning on 1 April 2025.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of press freedom and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe following the detention of the journalist Blessed Mhlanga.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is monitoring the arrest and detention of Zimbabwean journalist Blessed Mhlanga.
An official from our Embassy in Harare attended Mhlanga's bail application hearing on 28 February. We continue to call for freedom of expression, as well as the rule of law and due process, to be respected in line with Zimbabwe's constitution.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase multi-year funding to support food insecure people in Sudan, and food insecure Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Ministers will consider Official Development Assistance allocations for 2025/26 over the coming months, and we will publish them in the Annual Report & Accounts in summer 2025. The next phase of the Spending Review will set departmental budgets from 2026/27 to 2029/30.
In November 2024, the UK announced a further £113 million of aid. With this announcement, the UK has doubled our aid to £226.5 million.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to encourage a ceasefire and an end to the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is actively working towards ending the conflict in Sudan. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with regional partners to explore how the UK can assist international mediation efforts. Richard Crowder, UK Special Representative to Sudan, visited Port Sudan in December 2024 - the UK's first official visit to the county since outbreak of conflict in April 2023. He pressed for a resolution to the conflict, and for all parties to engage constructively in mediation talks, including by complying with the Jeddah Declaration of Commitments to Protect Civilians. We also continue to lead efforts in the UN Security Council to support peace and to keep international spotlight on this crisis.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to secure guarantees from warring parties in Sudan for the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK continues to raise the critical issue of humanitarian access. We did this recently at the UN Security Council on 19 December 2024 and 6 January 2025, where we called for the warring parties to lift bureaucratic impediments and let aid get to those who need it. The Minister for Development has also engaged directly with the new Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, on the UN response. The UK Special Representative, Richard Crowder, met the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Burhan, during his first visit to Sudan and lobbied against current impediments such as visas. On 25 November 2024, the Foreign Secretary chaired a Sudan meeting with G7 and Arab Quint Foreign Ministers to discuss joint steps to improve humanitarian access and increase aid. In November 2024, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution at the UN Security Council with Sierra Leone, which also called for parties to the conflict to agree humanitarian pauses, and ensure the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid. This received unanimous Council support, apart from Russia who chose to veto it.