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 to consider child rights in (1) foreign policy, (2) international development policy, and (3) humanitarian policy.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As a ratifier of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK is committed to safeguarding and promoting the rights and wellbeing of children. These principles are embedded across our foreign, development, and humanitarian policies. We work with international partners to deliver better outcomes for children, including through education, health, and nutrition programmes. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, and we continue to support global initiatives that strengthen child protection systems and uphold children's rights in all contexts.
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 the impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance funding for health programmes on children in low-income countries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
A formal Equality impact assessment of Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2025 to 2026 was published on 2 September 2025, and is available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-official-development-assistance-programme-allocations-2025-to-2026-equality-impact-assessment/equality-impact-assessment-of-official-development-assistance-oda-programme-allocations-for-2025-to-2026).
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 the impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance funding for education programmes on children in low-income countries.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
A formal Equality impact assessment of Official Development Assistance programme allocations for 2025 to 2026 was published on 2 September 2025, and is available on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-official-development-assistance-programme-allocations-2025-to-2026-equality-impact-assessment/equality-impact-assessment-of-official-development-assistance-oda-programme-allocations-for-2025-to-2026).
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing to support initiatives such as the Solar Hospital Innovation for Energy Leasing Demonstrator project to provide power for healthcare in Africa.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Solar Hospital Innovation project was funded by DSIT through UKRI’s Energy Catalyst programme, as part of the up to £1 billion Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation. DSIT provided £298,497 in funding for this project, alongside £79,343 in matched funding from local sources. This contributes to the wider Ayrton Challenge on Inclusive Energy and Leave No-One Behind. The installed 228KW solar system provided 158MW of clean energy over six months, displacing around 100 tonnes of CO2. This will save the hospital $75,000 per year which has been reallocated to a cancer drugs fund.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the positive impacts on health and the energy transition of initiatives such as the Solar Hospital Innovation for Energy Leasing Demonstrator project.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Solar Hospital Innovation project was funded by DSIT through UKRI’s Energy Catalyst programme, as part of the up to £1 billion Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation. DSIT provided £298,497 in funding for this project, alongside £79,343 in matched funding from local sources. This contributes to the wider Ayrton Challenge on Inclusive Energy and Leave No-One Behind. The installed 228KW solar system provided 158MW of clean energy over six months, displacing around 100 tonnes of CO2. This will save the hospital $75,000 per year which has been reallocated to a cancer drugs fund.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for the Home Department, after being appointed on 5 September, has had introductory conversations with the interior ministers of (1) France, (2) Germany, (3) Italy, (4) Belgium and (5) the Netherlands, regarding international cooperation on tackling organised immigration crime.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
International co-operation is vital to address organised immigration crime. The Home Secretary continues to engage with counterparts across the EU and further afield on what further can be done to tackle this issue. Most recently the Home Secretary chaired the 11th Western Balkans Summit where the impact of illegal migration was discussed. This was attended by representatives of the European Union and its Member States including the Chancellor of Germany, alongside representatives from France and Italy.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the government of Zimbabwe about the security situation in that country following the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
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 review their relationship with the government of Zimbabwe in the light of the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
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 whether Zimbabwe state agents were involved in the bomb attack on the home of the opposition politician Job Sikhala.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is concerned about the alleged use of explosives to target the home of Zimbabwean opposition politician Job Sikhala on 30 August and is closely monitoring the ongoing police investigation. UK officials have spoken to Mr Sikhala following the incident. The UK is committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with Zimbabwe; UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Zimbabwean authorities on a wide range of issues, including the security situation.
Asked by: Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support a just energy transition for Africa, particularly for vulnerable communities with limited access to electricity.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is strongly committed to promoting access to clean energy in Africa. Investments by British International Investment (BII) currently provide clean energy access to over 26 million people. Our £11.6 billion UK international climate finance also supports clean energy access, along with multilateral initiatives like Mission 300, aiming to connect 300 million people in Africa by 2030. The UK remains a key contributor to the International Development Association (IDA) and the African Development Fund (ADF) concessional windows at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which will fund much of Mission 300.
Flagship bilateral programmes such as the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme also make a contribution. These initiatives received significant funding boosts at COP28 and COP29 to accelerate the adoption of clean energy solutions. We will continue to collaborate with African governments and international partners to deploy innovative technologies and business models, ensuring affordable, clean, and modern energy access in Africa.