Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of conflict in (a) Gaza and (b) Lebanon on stability in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Recent developments in Syria demonstrate how unstable the situation is. As I told colleagues in the House on 2 December, events in Syria are moving quickly, and the trajectory is unclear. Syria continues to be a theatre for regional tensions to play out, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian and security situation. Conflict in Lebanon led to the mass displacement of over half a million Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians fleeing into Syria. We continue to monitor this as people are displaced, once again, due to developments in the North West. The UN-led political process remains the only path to a stable, peaceful and prosperous Syria and we continue to call on the Assad regime to engage meaningfully with the process.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with the Syrian opposition.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the UN-facilitated political process and recognises the vital role that the Opposition has in facilitating a lasting peace settlement in Syria. We regularly meet representatives of the Syrian Opposition at official level including most recently on 13 November. Furthermore this year, as part of our ongoing support, the UK provided a direct grant to the Syrian Negotiation Commission to support their efforts.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will initiative a review of UK treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.
ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.
The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of carbon capture technologies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Carbon capture technology has been proven in many countries across the world, and the Climate Change Committee have described it as a “necessity not an option” for reaching Net Zero. As a part of the initial assessment for choosing the first CCUS clusters, projects were assessed against five criteria including deliverability, under which technical viability was considered.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the public purse of carbon capture technologies in each of the next three years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Autumn Budget settlement provides £3.9bn in 2025-26 for the first carbon capture and storage clusters in the UK. The breakdown of costs by financial year is commercially sensitive whilst negotiations progress. The cost of carbon capture after 2025-26 will be disclosed following the conclusion of the second phase of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to reduce exports of plastic waste.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Plastic waste is a commodity which is traded on a legitimate global market. Exports can complement UK based reprocessing to help ensure more materials are recycled rather than landfilled or incinerated. Some of the plastic waste we export is used in the manufacturing of products which UK consumers subsequently purchase, thereby promoting the efficient circular economy we are striving for.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will initiative a review of UK treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is party to 83 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) that contain investment protection and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). In 2022, these BITs covered at least £195 billion of UK investment overseas.
ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without adequate compensation.
The Government has no plans to review UK treaties containing ISDS.