Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 5 March (HL5369), what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the UK’s soft power of cutting the aid budget to 0.3 per cent by 2027.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on the future allocation of resources will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries will be affected by cutting the aid budget to 0.3 per cent by 2027.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments and value for money.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions they have in place to audit adherence to treaty agreements between the UK and countries in the Middle East.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK enjoys a wide range of agreements with the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. We keep all aspects of our relationships, including participation in any bilateral or multilateral agreements, under review.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria will used to decide which funding will be removed to ensure that the cut of the aid budget to 0.3 per cent is reached.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the UK's soft power of cutting the aid budget to 0.3 per cent by 2027.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The decision to reduce the UK's international development budget was not taken lightly and is a reflection of the extraordinary security challenge the world currently finds itself facing, specifically on Ukraine. Establishing a Soft Power Council reflects the continuing UK commitment to work more strategically on soft power. The UK has enormous soft power strengths and at this time of extraordinary challenges it is even more important that we bring our hard and soft power together as a force for good, to reinvigorate alliances and forge new partnerships. As my Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary has noted, harnessing our soft power more effectively can help to build relationships, deepen trust, enhance our security and drive economic growth.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase support for programmes working to end conflict-related sexual violence in (1) Sudan, and (2) the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to responding to the rapidly escalating rates of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In Sudan, we have enhanced monitoring of CRSV and are working with UN and NGO partners to improve humanitarian access and aid delivery. In DRC, we have announced £79 million this financial year, enabling lifesaving assistance including support for CRSV survivors. This includes an additional package of £14.6 million of humanitarian assistance announced by the Foreign Secretary during his visit to DRC on 21 February.
Details on future programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance from 0.5% of Gross National Income today to 0.3% in 2027.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children in Gaza have been identified as "wounded child, no surviving family".
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
While we do not hold this specific information, the International Rescue Committee estimates that at least 17,000 children are estimated to be unaccompanied or separated from their parents in Gaza. The plight of children affected by the war in Gaza is deeply distressing. We continue to urge all parties to ensure that aid can safely and effectively reach those who need it in all parts of Gaza, including medical care and shelter equipment. Since the start of the conflict, we have announced £10 million in funding to UK-Med, enabling them to provide vital care to over 300,000 Gazans, including critical limb and life-saving surgeries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation, in addition to £6m for UNICEF to provide lifesaving aid to vulnerable families in Gaza. We are the second largest donor to the 'Education Cannot Wait' fund which supports 5,000 children affected by the crisis.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the halting of the manufacture of Captagon in Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We assess that Captagon production and supply chains inside Syria have decreased significantly since the fall of the Asad regime. However, illicit smuggling networks continue to operate across the Syria-Jordan border. We are working with international partners to raise awareness of and tackle the threats posed by the Captagon industry in the Middle East region.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 4 February (HL4182), which states were sanctioned for conflict-related sexual violence sanctions in (1) December 2022, (2) March 2023, (3) June 2023, and (4) February 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has designated fourteen perpetrators of Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV) related crimes since 2022. These include perpetrators in Mali, Myanmar, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These designations under the UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime are narrowly targeted at individuals and groups for their involvement in CRSV.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British nationals have died in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The deaths of four British nationals in Gaza since 7 October 2023 have been reported to the FCDO.