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 unlock the £2.5 billion worth of funds resulting from the Sale of Chelsea football club to be used for humanitarian ends for Ukrainian people effected by conflict in Ukraine.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This government is working hard to ensure the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible, in line with the UK's unilateral declaration. The government is fully committed to that position, as part of our iron-clad support for Ukraine. UK officials continue to hold discussions with Mr Abramovich's representatives, experts and international partners, and we are doubling down on our efforts to reach a resolution.

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 Russia's policies on the (a) granting of Russian citizenship to Ukrainian children and (b) placement of Ukrainian children in foster families.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is appalled by reports that Ukrainian children living under Russian occupation and Ukrainian children who have been forcibly deported to Russia are being forced to take Russian citizenship, as well as subsequent reports that these children are being adopted into Russian families. The UK was pleased to participate in the most recent meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on 1 October. We will continue to raise Russia's attempts to erase the Ukrainian identity of these children at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the Human Rights Council.

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 his international counterparts on returning Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to track Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children, which is a clear violation of international law. We were pleased to see another group of children returned via Qatari mediation in September, and are grateful for Qatar's continued engagement on this issue. The UK participated in the most recent meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children on 1 October and continues to work closely with the Ukrainian government on this issue. We have also raised Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the UN and the Human Rights Council.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking as penholder on Sudan to help find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in that country.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK uses its position as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council to call for coordinated, international action to bring an end to the conflict. On 18 September, the UK called an urgent council session to address escalation in El Fasher, where we called on the Rapid Support Forces to halt its siege of the area and reiterated our calls to both warring parties to return to negotiations in good faith. The UK will have the Security Council Presidency in November where Sudan will feature on the agenda. We look forward to the Secretary-General's recommendations on Protection of Civilians and will work closely with the UN, Council Members, and international partners to build momentum towards their implementation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to engage with people affected by the ban on LGBT people serving in the British Armed Forces prior to the start of discussions on a financial settlement.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government has engaged with people affected by the Ban throughout the response to the Independent Review; the response can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-independent-review-government-response.

Defence has worked closely with key stakeholders on the design of the scheme, enabling the voices of the veterans to be heard. Indications of interest were invited through the application process for non-financial restorative measures, aiding Defence in understanding more about the affected community and ensuring that the scheme considers the needs of the community. Further information regarding the restorative measures can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-veterans-apply-for-restorative-measures.

I recently held a briefing in which I welcomed questions and listened to the concerns of veterans directly from their MPs. This Government is committed to holding a Parliamentary debate to ensure Parliamentary scrutiny is given to the design of the scheme and that all veterans concerns may be represented.

Further information about available support and next steps can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department allows the transfer of (a) retired, (b) surplus civilian (i) vehicles and (ii) vehicle fleets from the UK to support military units in Ukraine.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has prioritised its support to Ukraine, including establishing processes to ensure equipment that is retiring, or is surplus to UK military requirements, is considered for donation to Ukraine. Similarly, the Ministry of Defence has enabled the transfer of donated equipment e.g. vehicles, to Ukraine from private organisations, or Other Government Departments such as the Home Office.

We will continue to support and enable donations of equipment.

Submit Evidence (by 9 Dec 2024)

In Development: call for potential topics of inquiry

Submit Evidence (by 7 Jan 2025)

In November 2020, the Government announced a reduction of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI), a “temporary measure” until a set of certain fiscal rules were met. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed that the FCDO would be held to the previous government’s fiscal rules, with the OBR confirming that these rules, and therefore a restoration of the aid budget, are not expected to be met during the life of this Parliament. With the UK’s aid budget being under further strain due to Home Office spend on in-donor refugee costs, it becomes increasingly important that the FCDO ensures Value for Money on its programme spending.