Oral Answers to Questions

Cat Eccles Excerpts

Monday 14th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[David Burton-Sampson (Southend West and Leigh) (Lab)]

9. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on support for Ukraine.

[Cat Eccles (Stourbridge) (Lab)]

13. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on support for Ukraine.

[Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)]

15. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on support for Ukraine.

--- Later in debate ---

[Cat Eccles]

I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. On a recent visit to Ukraine, I visited the Chernihiv oblast, which is a former Russian red line. There, we saw a large military effort by communities and local government. Given that large segments of the military in Ukraine are made up differently from our own Ministry of Defence, what discussions is the Secretary of State having to ensure funds are going into community and local government efforts?

[John Healey]

Like my hon. Friend, I have been privileged to see some of those community efforts and local mayor- led initiatives when I have visited Ukraine. Part of the work that the Government have put in place since 2022— I am proud of the UK’s leadership on Ukraine over that period—has been to commit £38 million to the Ukraine good governance fund. That has allowed communities to draw down some of that funding and the Ukrainian Government to take steps to deal with some of the corruption that has been endemic since the Soviet period. That is an extraordinary feat, given that they are fighting a war and dealing with corruption in their system at the same time.