Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to release funds currently held by Roman Abramovich’s company Fordstam to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as soon as possible. We are doing everything we can to bring that about quickly. This is a complex legal issue, but the UK is working with international partners, has engaged with Abramovich's team, and is exploring all options to ensure the proceeds reach vulnerable people in Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all property seized from Russian nationals with assets of more than £1 million in the United Kingdom which has been sold, and the total amount raised; and whether the proceeds have been donated to Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds had been reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This is a cumulative total of assets reported as OFSI do not disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons or entities. OFSI intends to publish its 2023-2024 Annual Frozen Asset Review this spring 2025.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury.
It would not be appropriate to comment on future designations or the reasons why an individual is not currently designated. The UK does not hold a consolidated list of Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets.
To date, the UK has sanctioned over 2200 individual and entities under the Russia regulations, over 2000 of which were sanctioned following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets in the United Kingdom who are currently not subject to sanctions; and in each case, why any such person is not subject to sanctions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds had been reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This is a cumulative total of assets reported as OFSI do not disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons or entities. OFSI intends to publish its 2023-2024 Annual Frozen Asset Review this spring 2025.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury.
It would not be appropriate to comment on future designations or the reasons why an individual is not currently designated. The UK does not hold a consolidated list of Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets.
To date, the UK has sanctioned over 2200 individual and entities under the Russia regulations, over 2000 of which were sanctioned following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all property frozen or seized from any Russian national with assets of more than £1 million in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds had been reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This is a cumulative total of assets reported as OFSI do not disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons or entities. OFSI intends to publish its 2023-2024 Annual Frozen Asset Review this spring 2025.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury.
It would not be appropriate to comment on future designations or the reasons why an individual is not currently designated. The UK does not hold a consolidated list of Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets.
To date, the UK has sanctioned over 2200 individual and entities under the Russia regulations, over 2000 of which were sanctioned following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets in the United Kingdom who are currently subject to sanctions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds had been reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This is a cumulative total of assets reported as OFSI do not disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons or entities. OFSI intends to publish its 2023-2024 Annual Frozen Asset Review this spring 2025.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury.
It would not be appropriate to comment on future designations or the reasons why an individual is not currently designated. The UK does not hold a consolidated list of Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets.
To date, the UK has sanctioned over 2200 individual and entities under the Russia regulations, over 2000 of which were sanctioned following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list all Russian nationals with assets of more than £1 million in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds had been reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This is a cumulative total of assets reported as OFSI do not disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons or entities. OFSI intends to publish its 2023-2024 Annual Frozen Asset Review this spring 2025.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury.
It would not be appropriate to comment on future designations or the reasons why an individual is not currently designated. The UK does not hold a consolidated list of Russian nationals with more than £1 million in assets.
To date, the UK has sanctioned over 2200 individual and entities under the Russia regulations, over 2000 of which were sanctioned following Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the new administration in the USA about recognising the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a nuclear power.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the international non-proliferation regime and strongly encourages all UN Member States including our G7 partners to employ strict vigilance over potential proliferation efforts conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We continue to encourage the DPRK to return to full compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to honour its international obligations in accordance with existing United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). We regularly discuss a range of issues related to international peace and security with our close ally the United States of America.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) evacuation work in Ukraine, and what support they provide to MOAS.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Humanitarian assistance in Ukraine is essential to protecting the lives of innocent civilians. The FCDO is providing at least £120 million in humanitarian aid through to the end of FY 24/25 bringing the total contribution to £477 million to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion, making us one of the largest bilateral humanitarian donors to Ukraine. Although some of our humanitarian partners support frontline medical evacuations like those undertaken by the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), we do not directly fund such services.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Ambassador of North Korea about the deployment and loss of life of their soldiers in Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The North Korean Chargé d'Affaires was summoned to FCDO on 29 October 2024 where FCDO officials raised reports of North Korean troops arriving in Russia. We outlined the UK's position of unequivocally supporting Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, condemned Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and warned that DPRK would likely suffer heavy casualties. We called for DPRK to immediately cease its support of Putin's war, either through the deployment of DPRK troops, or the provision of munitions. We continue to engage with the DPRK embassy on a regular basis.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the reports that northern Gaza has been compulsorily cleared.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are deeply concerned about the situation in northern Gaza. That is why we, alongside France and Algeria, co-convened an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 October, where we underlined that northern Gaza must not be cut off from the south and there must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), nor any reduction in the territory of Gaza. Israel must comply fully with IHL and ensure sufficient aid reaches all parts of Gaza. As the Prime Minister said in Berlin on 18 October, the world will not tolerate any more excuses from Israel on humanitarian assistance. The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary continue to press Israeli leaders to take all steps to avoid civilian casualties and we continue to work with our international partners including at the UN to put pressure on Israel to show the world it is complying with IHL.