Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Overseas Territories are permitted to negotiate their own free trade agreements with third countries.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In international law the Overseas Territories (OTs) are not sovereign states in their own right and have no separate international legal personality. As such, they cannot enter into international agreements directly (including Free Trade Agreements), unless expressly authorised to do so by the UK Government under an entrustment. Agreements entered into by the UK may provide for their application to the OTs, or be extended to the OTs at a later date.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any adverse implications of the current global freight shipping (1) disruptions, and (2) costs; and what assessment they have made of the risk that China will benefit from any preferential access to the Northern Arctic Sea route from Asia to Europe.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While there may be some delays as supply chains adjust to current disruptions, shipping operators are working to mitigate any impact on consumers. The Government is working to equip UK businesses with the tools they need to deal with global supply chain issues and recently published the UK's first Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy. Although declining Arctic sea-ice could in future open new global shipping routes, the Arctic remains a harsh and challenging environment and current use of the Northern Sea Route remains limited and largely restricted to the summer months.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote British interests at Expo 2025 to be held in Osaka, Japan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
His Majesty's Government is committed to delivering a high-quality UK presence at Osaka Expo 2025. The UK Pavilion will promote the UK as a global science, tech and innovation superpower. It will also celebrate our deepening and highly productive strategic partnership with Japan, articulated in the historic Hiroshima Accord signed by Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan in May 2023.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support efforts to remove foreign mercenary groups from Libya.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with its international partners and United Nations to reinvigorate the political process in Libya. We support Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government. As UN Security Council penholder, the UK engages internationally to support SRSG Bathily's efforts, particularly with the region. The UK regularly calls for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and works closely with Libyan interlocutors through the Security Working Group on disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of Libya's security actors.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Morocco regarding the withdrawal of its support for militia in the west of Libya.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with its international partners and United Nations to reinvigorate the political process in Libya. We support Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government. As UN Security Council penholder, the UK engages internationally to support SRSG Bathily's efforts, particularly with the region. The UK regularly calls for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and works closely with Libyan interlocutors through the Security Working Group on disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of Libya's security actors.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Egypt regarding the withdrawal of its support for the militia in the east of Libya.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with its international partners and United Nations to reinvigorate the political process in Libya. We support Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government. As UN Security Council penholder, the UK engages internationally to support SRSG Bathily's efforts, particularly with the region. The UK regularly calls for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and works closely with Libyan interlocutors through the Security Working Group on disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of Libya's security actors.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring about a unified government in Libya.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working closely with its international partners and United Nations to reinvigorate the political process in Libya. We support Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Bathily's efforts to outline a way forward to a unified Government. As UN Security Council penholder, the UK engages internationally to support SRSG Bathily's efforts, particularly with the region. The UK regularly calls for the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries and works closely with Libyan interlocutors through the Security Working Group on disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of Libya's security actors.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to conduct a review of the UK's relationship with the overseas territories.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the November UK-OT Joint Ministerial Council, the UK Government agreed a Declaration with the elected Governments of the Overseas Territories (OTs), providing a new framework for our relationship with the OTs that is based on our shared values, and is fit for the 21st Century.
This refresh and modernisation of the relationships between UK and OTs will continue with the ongoing development, announced by the former Foreign Secretary in the Spring, of a new UK Strategy for the Overseas Territories, building on the 2012 White Paper.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which directorate produced the list of invitees for the recent Ukraine Recovery Conference; and what were the criteria for selection for the invitees.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As co-hosts for the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), the programme and attendance was agreed between the Governments of Ukraine and the UK. In addition to the countries and organisations which participated in previous URCs, we invited representatives from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, recognising the global economic consequences of the war. Over 500 international businesses participated - selected in coordination with the Department of Business and Trade - to promote the potential of the private sector to support Ukraine's recovery. Representatives from Ukrainian and international civil society were selected from a diverse range of sectors at national, regional and local levels.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidelines they offer to parliamentarians wishing to (1) communicate with, or (2) be communicated to, by officials from foreign embassies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is no formal guidance held by the FCDO for parliamentarians relating to their engagement with foreign diplomatic missions in the UK. Parliamentarians continue to be welcome to contact the relevant geographical desk within the FCDO for country specific advice.