Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
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 (a) number of staff and (b) resources committed to its Crisis Response Centre.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO Crisis Response Centre has the capacity to surge staff and resources to respond to a crisis depending on the scale and nature of the incident. Following the Afghanistan response, the FCDO implemented a full review of these cadres, as well as the cross-FCDO crisis response training package, to ensure that staffing and resources are fit for purpose. This led to a full refresh of surge lists, many of whom served within the recent Sudan response.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons his Department has not appointed a Special Representative for Climate Change.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Whilst an immediate successor to the Special Representative has not been appointed, our resource and senior representation within the FCDO on climate and environment has grown significantly in recent years. Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government, and to the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff working on climate and environment in his Department have been employed at Senior Civil Service grade in each year since 2020.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The information on staff at Senior Civil Service (SCS) grades working on climate and environment across the FCDO network is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
However, climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and to the Foreign Secretary. Our resourcing and senior representation within the FCDO on climate and environment has grown significantly in recent years. We have many SCS across the FCDO who work on these issues either full time or as a key part of their portfolio.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help address the humanitarian situation in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the difficult humanitarian situation in Haiti, which is worsened by the chronic security issues caused by armed criminal gangs. We are supporting Haiti through our contributions to the United Nations and other international agencies who have a strong presence on the ground, including the World Bank. Through the British Embassy in Port-au-Prince we remain in regular contact and coordination with these agencies. The UK continues to use our platform both in country and at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to help international efforts in realising a Haitian-led solution to Haiti's multifaceted challenges.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on freedom of (a) assembly, (b) association and (c) expression for (i) civil society activists, (ii) journalists and (iii) other people in the context of COP27.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK and we regularly raise concerns with the Egyptian authorities, both in private and public. The former Prime Minister did so during his call with President Sisi on 25 August. Also, both Lord Ahmad and the then Foreign Secretary raised human rights with Foreign Minister Shoukry during his visit to London in July. The UK COP Presidency continues to work closely with the Egyptian authorities regarding COP27, urging them to ensure an inclusive summit, where civil society, youth, and independent media can participate freely.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Italian counterpart on helping to ensure that UK citizens who are (a) working at and (b) retired from Italian universities are compensated for arrears in unpaid (i) wages and (ii) pension payments.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK citizens have made, and continue to make, a valuable contribution to educational exchange between the UK and Italy. The UK Government has been following this issue closely for several years. Her Majesty's Government Ministers and officials have made representations to their counterparts and will continue to advocate for a solution.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking in its role as penholder on Yemen at the UN Security Council to support the creation of an international mechanism to ensure accountability for human rights violations and war crimes.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are concerned about reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations and abuses by parties to the Yemen conflict. In March we co-sponsored a joint statement at the Human Rights Council recognizing the collective effort needed to respond to these allegations. The statement called for all parties to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
We regret that the mandate of the UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen was not renewed last October. The UK voted in favour of renewing the mandate.
We are discussing with international partners the potential for a follow-up mechanism to support human rights accountability in Yemen. Justice and accountability are key for inclusive and durable peace.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government is providing to refugees from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds leaving Ukraine.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or race. Combating violence and discrimination against minorities forms an important part of our wider international human rights work. We have pledged £395 million of aid to the current crisis, which includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance and deployed UK humanitarian experts to support Ukraine's neighbours, who are receiving and supporting refugees fleeing Ukraine, through providing logistics advice and analysis of needs on the ground.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ease customs red tape and reduce paperwork requirements for people trying to deliver aid to Ukrainian refugees in EU countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government advises people to donate cash through trusted charities and humanitarian partners, rather than donating goods. Unsolicited donations, although well-meaning, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent support from getting through. Trusted humanitarian partners are working with the Government of Ukraine and countries in the region to assess needs and deliver the assistance most required. It is usually more efficient for aid organisations to procure required items themselves, and locally, than to process, store, and distribute donated goods.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ease customs red tape and reduce paperwork requirements for people trying to deliver aid to Ukraine.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government advises people to donate cash through trusted charities and humanitarian partners, rather than donating goods. Unsolicited donations, although well-meaning, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent support from getting through. Trusted humanitarian partners are working with the Government of Ukraine and countries in the region to assess needs and deliver the assistance most required. It is usually more efficient for aid organisations to procure required items themselves, and locally, than to process, store, and distribute donated goods.