Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with Russian LGBTQ+ activists and civil society on changes in Russian law affecting LGBTQ+ people in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We share the concerns of LGBT+ rights organizations and will continue to support them and other civil society groups in the face of bigotry and repression. With our international partners in the Equal Rights Coalition, we’ve made clear to Russia that we stand with LGBT+ Russians following these amendments.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the peace talks in the Tigray region in Ethiopia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The breakdown of the truce and return to conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. It risks tens of thousands of deaths, both directly through fighting and indirectly through a further deepening of the already dire humanitarian situation. 22 months since fighting began, it is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict.
There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. The UK is urging all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access to northern Ethiopia, including by immediately reinstating the cessation of hostilities. We remain confident that progress towards peace can be made if talks begin. We have welcomed the commitment by both parties to ending the conflict through dialogue, and are now urging both parties to deliver on these commitments and to begin African Union-led peace talks.
The 19 September report by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations, such as extrajudicial killings, rape, sexual violence, and the starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare have been committed in Ethiopia since the conflict began. The breakdown of the truce risks further atrocities. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa is engaging with all parties of the conflict and urging them to prioritise the protection of civilians and cease fighting.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) humanitarian, (b) political and (c) human rights situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The breakdown of the truce and return to conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian Government is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia. It risks tens of thousands of deaths, both directly through fighting and indirectly through a further deepening of the already dire humanitarian situation. 22 months since fighting began, it is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict.
There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. The UK is urging all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access to northern Ethiopia, including by immediately reinstating the cessation of hostilities. We remain confident that progress towards peace can be made if talks begin. We have welcomed the commitment by both parties to ending the conflict through dialogue, and are now urging both parties to deliver on these commitments and to begin African Union-led peace talks.
The 19 September report by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that violations, such as extrajudicial killings, rape, sexual violence, and the starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare have been committed in Ethiopia since the conflict began. The breakdown of the truce risks further atrocities. Our Embassy in Addis Ababa is engaging with all parties of the conflict and urging them to prioritise the protection of civilians and cease fighting.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the resumption of violence on delivering humanitarian assistance and supplies to Ethiopia's Tigray region.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The conflict in Ethiopia has contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving 13 million people in Tigray, Amhara and Afar requiring humanitarian assistance. The breakdown of the truce between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian Government, and the renewed involvement of Eritrea, is catastrophic for the people of Ethiopia and makes the work of humanitarian agencies much more difficult. There is currently no humanitarian access to Tigray by land or air. This is having a devastating impact on food security, access to healthcare and other humanitarian needs.
The UK urges all parties to the conflict to guarantee unfettered humanitarian access by immediately ceasing hostilities and allowing aid in.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) medical support his Department plans to provide to vulnerable UK nationals stranded abroad as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides information and advice for those requiring financial assistance abroad, including as a last resort a repatriation loan: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-assistance-abroad/financial-assistance-abroad.
We urge British people who require medical assistance while abroad to check the specific travel advice page.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the titles of the reviews that his Department is undertaking.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The titles of the reviews currently being undertaken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are not held centrally and to compile this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what programmes his Department runs in Sierra Leone.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) runs programmes in Sierra Leone funded by the UK's Global Britain Fund. These cover issues such as access to justice, legal education and empowerment for women and girls in Sierra Leone, and LGBT rights. The FCO also runs the Chevening Scholarship programme in Sierra Leone which aims to achieve FCO objectives by creating lasting positive relationships with future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers. Her Majesty's Government also runs programmes in Sierra Leone to support human and economic development, governance and security sector reform, delivered through the Department for International Development and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. These include 'Saving Lives in Sierra Leone 2016', 'Rehabilitation of Freetown's Water Supply System', 'Leh Wi Learn - Sierra Leone Secondary Education Improvement Programme' and the 'International Security Advisory Team' (ISAT).