Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received guarantees from the Government of Mauritius on (a) the territorial extent, (b) the level of protection and (c) the means of management of its proposed marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to conclude a separate agreement with the Government of Mauritius on the support and assistance provided by the UK in the establishment and management of a new marine protected area, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Mauritius on recognising the UK-established marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago in advance of the transfer of sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance the UK will provide as part of the separate agreement to be made with Mauritius on the new marine protected area, under Article 5 of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Treaty states, the support that the UK will provide Mauritius in establishing and managing the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area will be agreed between the Parties by a separate written instrument, as part of implementation of the Agreement.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
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 effectiveness of the marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago since its establishment in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration has responsibility for the management and monitoring of its Marine Protected Area, which includes measures to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the monitoring of marine biodiversity.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any UK Government-funded humanitarian aid projects in Ukraine are scheduled to conclude in 2024; and what assessment has been made of the impact of discontinuation on the Ukrainian population.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are proud of our fast, flexible, and responsive support to Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion. The UK has provided £477 million in humanitarian support to Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Prime Minister has recently said in Parliament that we will continue to support Ukraine's humanitarian needs. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing, which will prioritise support for those most in need. We continue to work with Ukrainian government systems, local organisations, international partners, and non-governmental organisations to respond to those needs.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
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 ensure continuity of humanitarian aid funding to Ukraine beyond the 2025-26 financial year; and whether there are any forthcoming funding cliff-edges.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister has said in Parliament, we will continue to support Ukraine's humanitarian needs. Funding allocation decisions for the current financial year are ongoing, and we will prioritise support for those most in need. We continue to work with international partners and non-governmental organisations to respond to those urgent needs. The second phase of the Spending Review is currently underway and will inform spending plans for 2026/27 onwards.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
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 potential impact of ODA reductions on support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine; and whether he plans to ringfence funding for such programmes in conflict zones.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to ensuring justice for Ukrainian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). We will continue to provide capacity building support to respond to CRSV through the UK Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI), to help embed international guidance and best practice, including on survivor-centred approaches, into the work of Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the revised ODA budget in the 2024–25 financial year is allocated to support Ukraine; and how much was allocated in (a) 2022–23 and (b) 2023–24.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a leading bilateral donor to Ukraine. In 2022-23, UK Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) spend for Ukraine was £210.11 million and in 2023-2024 it was £222.95 million.
The UK allocated £236.7 million of ODA financing for Ukraine in the 2024/25 financial year. The final outturn and future planned allocations will be published in the 2024-25 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report and Accounts in summer 2025 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-06/hcws421 5 February 2025).
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to prioritise funding within the reduced ODA budget for the reconstruction and rebuilding of (a) healthcare, (b) housing and (c) education infrastructure in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine is estimated to require a total cost of $524 billion over the next decade. Given the scale of the damage, the UK's aim is to use its Official Developmental Assistance resources to deliver impact directly, mobilise other financing and facilitate the UK private sector to engage in supporting the recovery process.
Through initiatives like the Foundations for Infrastructure and Recovery (FIRE) programme, we are helping the Government of Ukraine to lay the foundations for a robust approach to infrastructure identification, appraisal, project preparation, design, and delivery in support of Ukraine's reconstruction.
Through the UK-led multi-donor programme Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), we support local Ukrainian authorities with direct assistance to enable the repair of critical services in regions on the front line. In its first phase, PFRU completed 401 rapid recovery interventions to improve service delivery across eight oblasts in front line areas, enabling more than 2 million residents to regain access to priority services such as healthcare, education, power, and water supplies. Our funding remains prioritised to those in greatest need.