Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 implications for his policies of the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, A/79/363, published on 20 September 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We did not make an assessment of the Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories (A/79/363). However, the Government has been clear since day one that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK supports Israel's right to self-defence, but it must do so in accordance with IHL. The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. Too many civilians have been killed and we need to prevent further bloodshed. What is urgently needed is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza and a pathway to a two-state solution.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to allocate funding to support (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers from budgets other than Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The UK reports ODA spending consistent with internationally agreed OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) rules, which includes certain basic support costs for refugees and asylum seekers. The Home Office uses non-ODA funding for all other costs not permitted by the DAC rules.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to review the reporting methodology for in-donor refugee costs.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The government reports all in-donor refugee costs in line with the OECD rules on Official Development Assistance (ODA). A comprehensive review of the methodology for estimating in-donor refugee costs was undertaken by departments and detailed in a Methodology report published in September 2023, which can be found here on gov.uk.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she take steps to increase Official Development Assistance above 0.5% of gross national income.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government has set departmental budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26 to enable the UK to spend 0.5% of GNI on ODA in calendar years 2024 and 2025. On current forecasts, this will mean spending £13.7bn on ODA in 2024. The government remains committed to restoring ODA spending to 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. As set out at Budget, the OBR’s latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within the Parliament. The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm whether a return to spending 0.7% GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast. These plans strike an appropriate balance between fiscal responsibility at home and our responsibility to support the most vulnerable, and ensure that the UK remains one of the most generous global donors of development assistance, using ODA resources to save lives whilst tackling key global challenges such as climate change, conflict, and epidemics.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 implications for his policies of the UK's obligation under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention to prevent genocide in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government's long-standing policy is that any formal determination of genocide should be based on the judgment of a competent national or international court. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart on 27 October, and reiterated that Israel must do much more to bring about an end to hostilities and get aid into Gaza. We have continued to use all diplomatic avenues to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international humanitarian law, protection of civilians including a rapid increase of aid into Gaza, respect for the UN mandate in Gaza and greater stability across the West Bank.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee 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 25 October 2024 to Question 8831 on China and Hong Kong, what steps he plans to take to ensure that British-born children of British nationals with Hong Kong descent who are exclusively British citizens are not treated as Chinese nationals by the People’s Republic of China; and what steps his Department is taking to safeguard their consular rights and protections under international conventions when travelling to or residing in China.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad. In some cases, British Nationals of Hong Kong or Chinese descent may be considered Chinese by the Chinese authorities meaning the consular assistance we can provide may be limited. As per our nationality guidance, we advise seeking legal advice where appropriate for individual cases.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on (a) how many and (b) the identities of UK citizens who have travelled to Israel to volunteer for military service with the (i) Israeli Air Force and (ii) other branches of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of UK citizens travelling to fight for the Israel Defense Force (IDF), but the Government does not estimate the numbers of those who have done so. The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor China’s compliance with international consular conventions on the treatment of naturalised British citizens with (a) Hong Kong and (b) Chinese descent.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's Travel Advice for China explains that China does not recognise dual nationality and anyone born in China to a Chinese national parent would be considered by the Chinese authorities to be of Chinese nationality and treated as a Chinese citizen. China therefore does not grant us consular access to these individuals, preventing our ability to directly monitor China's compliance with relevant conventions in these circumstances.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the salary is of the Envoy to the Regions and Nations.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The terms of reference for the Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Nations and Regions will be published online in the normal way, setting out the purpose, scope and remit of the role.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the Envoy to the Regions and Nations will report to.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The terms of reference for the Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Nations and Regions will be published online in the normal way, setting out the purpose, scope and remit of the role.