Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support for (a) victims of violence and (b) protesters in Suwayda.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is following the protests in Suweida closely. The UK's permanent representative to the UN drew global attention to the protestors' cause in the UK's statement to the UN Security Council on 27 September. We condemned the regime's use of violence against peaceful demonstrators and demanded Damascus' adherence to international human rights standards. We will continue to monitor the situation and urge the regime to treat protestors with dignity respect. It is vital that Assad heed their calls for regime participation in the political process established by UNSCR 2254.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of UK Official Development Assistance to Syria.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO aid budget is allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate.
There is a robust framework in place for allocating Official Development Assistance (ODA). In 2023, the UK committed up to £150 million at the Brussels Pledging Conference and up to £43 million to support the response to the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, raising our total commitment to over £3.8 billion.
However, the situation's scale is immense, with Syria's overall aid requirements for 2023 only 29.44% funded. HMG encourages all international actors to do everything possible to ensure that sufficient aid reaches those in need.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in Iraq on the potential effects of the proposed amnesty law that could result in Daesh members who have been convicted of (a) genocide against the Yazidi people and (b) other crimes being freed from detention.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support survivor and minority communities who suffered immense atrocities under Daesh. As members of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh, we will continue to work with Iraq in order to ensure that Daesh cannot re-emerge. Together with our international partners we will continue holding Daesh accountable for their crimes and bringing them to justice. We are not able to comment on any individual investigations. We are monitoring the proposed amnesty bill, which has not been finalised or passed in to law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
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 implications for his policies of the proposed amnesty law in Iraq that could result in Daesh members who have been convicted of (a) genocide against Yazidi people and (b) other crimes being freed from detention.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support survivor and minority communities who suffered immense atrocities under Daesh. As members of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh, we will continue to work with Iraq in order to ensure that Daesh cannot re-emerge. Together with our international partners we will continue holding Daesh accountable for their crimes and bringing them to justice. We are not able to comment on any individual investigations. We are monitoring the proposed amnesty bill, which has not been finalised or passed in to law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK Daesh fighters (a) are currently serving criminal sentences and (b) may be freed if the proposed amnesty law for Daesh fighters is implemented in Iraq.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to support survivor and minority communities who suffered immense atrocities under Daesh. As members of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh, we will continue to work with Iraq in order to ensure that Daesh cannot re-emerge. Together with our international partners we will continue holding Daesh accountable for their crimes and bringing them to justice. We are not able to comment on any individual investigations. We are monitoring the proposed amnesty bill, which has not been finalised or passed in to law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to help secure the release of Yazidi women and girls abducted by Deash.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Yazidi women and girls in Syria and Iraq. The UK led the UN Security Council to establish the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) which has supported the Government of Iraq look for missing Yazidi women and girls. We continue to use our position at the UN to raise the plight of the Yazidi community, most recently at a UNITAD council session on 7 June.
We also advocated for the passing of the Iraqi Yazidi Survivors Law, an important step toward assistance and justice for survivors of sexual violence by Daesh. The UK is committed to helping Iraq fully implement the legislation, including providing funding support to the Directorate of Yazidi Affairs. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met Yazidi communities and leaders to hear their experiences and reiterate UK support during his recent visit to Iraq.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) diplomatic support the Government is providing to help keep the peace process in South Sudan on track.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Poor implementation of South Sudan's peace agreement is driving violence and a humanitarian crisis. On 8 May, I [Minister Mitchell] met with the South Sudanese Minister of Presidential Affairs and emphasised the need for immediate, tangible action on the peace process. The UK also raises concerns about lack of progress at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, and through Troika (UK, US, Norway) or Troika and EU statements. The UK funds peacebuilding programmes to address the root causes of subnational conflict in South Sudan and funds the placement of technical experts in both the ceasefire (Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism) and peace agreement implementation (Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission) monitoring mechanisms.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to ensure that surplus power produced by privately owned (a) wind turbines, (b) small hydroelectric schemes and (c) other power generators is (i) fed into the National Grid and (ii) used for localised storage.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Surplus power produced by privately owned wind turbines, small hydroelectric schemes and other power generators can flow into the electricity network under the terms of the connection agreement with the network owner. The Smart Export Guarantee gives small scale low-carbon electricity generators the right to be paid for the renewable electricity they export to the grid. The Government and Ofgem are facilitating the deployment of electricity storage at all scales through the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UN agencies operating in Myanmar that receive UK funding are prohibited from buying goods and services from military-owned companies in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to targeted sanctions which impose a cost on those profiting from, or supporting, the Myanmar military's campaign of violence against the civilian population.
On 28 February 2022 the UK updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain diligence to ensure that commodities do not reach the military. Organisations involved in the delivery of essential humanitarian aid delivery are able to apply for licences for goods and services which may be impacted by targeted sanctions.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from the public purse his Department (a) has contributed as of 17 February 2023 and (b) plans to contribute in future to the Joint Peace Fund in support of Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to de-escalating the current crisis in Myanmar and seeking a resolution to the country's long running conflicts. The UK is a founding donor of the Joint Peace Fund and has contributed £7.16 million to the fund since 2016. No decision on future funding has yet been made.