Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what support his Department plans to provide to (a) Fritz Bélizaire, (b) Edgard Leblanc and (c) the Transitional Council in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting a Haitian-led political solution to address the escalating violence in the country. We welcomed the swearing in of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) in Haiti as an important step on the journey to restoring much needed political stability. We now stress the need for TPC agreement on the candidates for the positions of President and Prime Minister so that these might be ratified swiftly.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart on the recent riots in that country relating to the On Transparency of Foreign Influence bill.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. I [Minister for Europe] discussed this and a range of other issues with the Georgian Ambassador on 17 April, and on 2 May I publicly raised my concerns regarding the apparent excessive use of force by police during demonstrations in Tbilisi. Our Ambassador to Georgia has consistently made our concerns about the proposed law on Transparency of Foreign Influence known to the Georgian Government, most recently to the Prime Minister on 22 April.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the suspension of foreign media access in Burkina Faso.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK opposes the recent decision of the Burkinabe government to suspend international media outlets, including the BBC and the Guardian, following their coverage of a Human Rights Watch report which alleged the authorities had been involved in attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso. On 29 April, the UK and USA issued a joint statement condemning the alleged violence against civilians and the media suspensions. We are clear that societies are strengthened, not threatened, by well-informed public and strong, independent media. We will continue to raise our concerns on media freedom and democratic space with authorities in Burkina Faso.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by the Centre for Economic Business Research entitled The pothole crisis is costing £14.4 billion a year in economic damage in England alone, published on 29 April 2024.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government agrees that, whilst local road maintenance is the responsibility of individual local authorities, more that needs to be done to improve the condition of roads across the country.
That is why we’ve committed £8.3 billion extra from savings as a result of cancelling HS2 Phase 2 to help local councils fill potholes and resurface roads.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to flood affected areas in East Africa; and whether small farmers will be (a) consulted and (b) involved in both short and longer term responses.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Heavy rains continue to have a significant impact across East Africa, with over 350,000 people displaced in Kenya and Tanzania, many of them rural farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted by flooding. The UK is working with humanitarian partners to respond to this latest phase of flooding, including through our contributions to the Start Fund which has allocated support to Tanzania. The UK is also developing long term assistance for community recovery, including working with small farmers, through new and existing partnerships. In Kenya in response to previous to El Niño-related flooding the UK allocated £3.7 million in emergency support.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the welfare of Thailand embassy staff in the context of the conflict on the Thailand/Myanmar border.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety and welfare of embassy staff and British nationals in Thailand is our top priority, and the Ambassador has confirmed that all embassy staff are safe and well.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the safety of smart motorways; and what evidence was used to make that assessment.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest published safety data and assessment can be found in National Highways’ ‘Third year progress report 2023’.
Since then, massive investment of millions of pounds has been spent to upgrade and improve the safety of all motorways. Ongoing assessment is being made.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to enable employees to use salary sacrifice schemes that reduce their cash earnings below National Minimum Wage rates.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The law prevents employers from reducing pay below the National Minimum Wage through salary sacrifice schemes and pay deductions where this is in some way for the employer's own use and benefit. Such a benefit could derive from a reduction in the employer's National Insurance contributions. This remains the case even if the worker chooses to participate in such a scheme.
The Government is not currently considering changing this legislation. It is important that we continue to prevent exploitation from unscrupulous employers and harm to vulnerable workers. It is the responsibility of all employers to understand and follow these rules.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the number of children aged between six and 59 months that are at risk of severe malnutrition in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
According to the most recent UN-backed analysis of food security in Haiti, almost half the population needs some type of food assistance. The UK continues to support Haiti through our contributions to UN agencies, multi donor, pooled NGO funds, and institutions such as the World Bank Group, who are active in addressing Haiti's significant humanitarian challenges. The difficult security situation within Haiti has impeded humanitarian access, but the UN has established a limited humanitarian airbridge. In response to calls for urgent humanitarian assistance, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, of which the UK is historically the largest contributor, has authorised disbursement of $12 million to support those affected.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Amnesty International’s annual report, published 23 April 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We note Amnesty International's annual report, published last month.
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights both internationally and domestically. We will continue to show global leadership in encouraging all states to uphold international human rights obligations and hold those who violate human rights to account. We report on the UK's work around the world to promote and protect human rights in the Annual Human Rights & Democracy Report, due to be published this summer.