Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring political institutional reform in Ukraine as a condition of providing reconstruction aid to that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The new UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation sets out our reform expectations for the Government of Ukraine, aligning with priority reforms set by NATO, the EU, the International Monetary Fund and our G7 Partners. Ukraine has continued to reiterate its commitment to making progress on reforms as part of the EU accession process and its reconstruction efforts. Institutional reform is a key part of Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts to build back better, ensuring greater transparency and oversight. The UK has been providing technical assistance to key political institutional reforms, including anti-corruption and electoral reform in Ukraine.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on taking steps to help tackle public sector corruption in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Ukraine has made significant progress on anti-corruption reform since 2014. As the Ukrainian Government recognises, there remains more to do. The UK-funded Good Governance Fund Ukraine, a £38 million three-year technical assistance programme, has been supporting key anti-corruption and governance reforms in Ukraine, including the relaunch of the High Council of Justice and High Qualification Commission of Judges, institutions critical to a judiciary free from unlawful interference. The UK also supports defence reform, providing senior UK advisory support to the Ministry of Defence and Defence Reform Advisory Board.
Asked by: Adam Holloway (Conservative - Gravesham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on the suspension of special permits for hydrocarbons in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
While we are in regular contact with the Ukrainian Government, the issue of special permits for hydrocarbon projects by the Ukrainian authorities has not been discussed. The UK government is engaged with the Ministry of Energy and Ukrainian companies on short-term energy security needs and has introduced a time-limited exemption to its international fossil fuel support policy for Ukraine. Longer-term solutions in the region and globally must focus on clean energy, to prevent long-term dependence on fossil fuels.