Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Development in response to the question from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, during the Urgent Question on Sudan of 3 September 2024, Official Report, column 161, if he will publish a breakdown of the £97 million funding announced for Sudan this financial year by (a) sector (i) multilateral, (ii) non-governmental organisations, (iii) local and (iv) national responders in Sudan and (b) geographic area.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As of the end of September 2024, £70 million of this year's £97 million bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Sudan had been disbursed. The rest of the UK's funding to Sudan this year will be distributed by the end of the financial year. The majority of this funding supports key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF who are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. UK ODA also contributes to: the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which is supporting local and national responders, including Emergency Response Rooms; a consortium of International non-governmental organisations delivering protection services, including on sexual and gender-based violence associated with conflict; and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Humanitarian Situation Update No. 221 on the Gaza Strip, if he will have discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the proportion of (a) coordinated humanitarian movements in Gaza that were (i) denied and (ii) impeded in August 2024 and (b) planned World Health Organisation missions to Gaza between 13 and 18 September that were (A) significantly delayed and (B) denied.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is closely monitoring the impact of the conflict and is deeply concerned by UN reports that humanitarian access is becoming ever more difficult, particularly to northern Gaza. As set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement on 2 September, Israel could and must do more to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza. This was one of the factors in the UK Government's decision in September to suspend some arms export licences to Israel. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the need for greater aid access in his statement to the UN General Assembly on 26 September. The Foreign Secretary also continues to press Israeli leaders to allow unfettered aid access in Gaza.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 1338 on British Nationals Abroad: Detainees, what response he has received to his request for consular access to Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and if he will take further steps to call for his release prior to the fifth anniversary of his detention in prison on 29 September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HMG Ministers and officials at the British Embassy in Cairo continue to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian government at the highest levels. They have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access. The Egyptian Government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah as a British national and are refusing consular access. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty most recently on 25 September, the Prime Minister also raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 8 August, and I raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Ambassador on 11 September.