Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment has he made of the implications for his policies of the airstrikes by Turkey in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of civilian deaths from Turkish air strikes in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on Turkey’s airstrikes in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of extending sanctions on Russia to include consumer goods.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Sanctions are carefully targeted to maximise impact while minimising unintended consequences, including for ordinary Russians. Since April 2022, the export of luxury goods to or for use in Russia is prohibited. This ban ensures that oligarchs and other members of the elite, who have grown rich under President Putin's reign and support his illegal invasion, are deprived of access to luxury goods. Sanctions are carefully targeted to increase pressure over time and will be maintained to secure peace. We are not able to comment on potential future sanctions as this may lessen their impact.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 implication for his policies of a suspension of food assistance to families in Gaza by the World Food Programme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK is a key donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), providing essential humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees across its five zones of operation. In financial year 2022/2023, the UK provided UNRWA with £18.7 million, including £13 million for UNRWA's Programme Budget for spend in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; as well as £2 million for an employment programme for Gazan women and £3.7 million for food assistance, both under UNRWA's OPTs Emergency Appeal. The UK is not currently a donor to the World Food Programme in Gaza, but recognises the critical role they play in supporting vulnerable families to have access to sufficient food.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help international counterparts tackle gynaecological disease.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government acknowledges the severe morbidity women face from gynaecological conditions and the distress these conditions can cause. In 2021, we launched our Ending Preventable Deaths for mothers, babies and children approach. This centres the importance of working with our international counterparts to strengthen health systems and progress sexual and reproductive health and rights, both of which are hugely important to tackle gynaecological disease. Our programmes in this area include support for the rollout of the Human Papillomavirus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer through the global vaccine alliance (GAVI); and through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UK is supporting the procurement and delivery of reproductive health commodities such as hormonal contraceptives, which are also used to treat gynaecological diseases.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance his Department issues on the compatibility of deep sea mining with the United Nations High Seas Treaty.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UN Agreement on Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) will be open for signature on 20 September 2023 and enter into force after sixty countries become parties. The UK will sign early, ratify, and help lead its implementation and support others to do so. The UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep-sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority and are in place. The UK's approach is precautionary and conditional.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 27 April to Question 181634 on Turkey: Earthquakes and of 3 May to Questions 182972, 182973, 182974 and 182975 on Turkey: Elections, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) safe passage to polling stations, (b) the security and safety of the electoral processes and (c) the conclusions of the election observation missions.in the recent Turkish election.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We have noted the preliminary findings of the independent election observation missions in the recent Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections. We commend the example set by Turkish people with their high turn-out at the ballot boxes, in Turkey and abroad. We will continue to monitor and communicate with organisations like the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) regarding their plans and assessments for the second round of the Presidential election on 28 May.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to send election observers to Turkey for the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties, civil society groups and the Turkish media. We have met with Turkey's high election board and stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner in safe and secure conditions. We will continue our dialogue with Turkey throughout the process. Following an invitation from the Turkish authorities and in accordance with its mandate, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has deployed an Election Observation Mission to the 14 May 2023 general elections and the Council of Europe will also send an observation mission. The Government is not sending election observers. However, British parliamentarians will join observation missions mounted by both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the (a) security and (b) safety of the electoral process for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in May 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties, civil society groups and the Turkish media. We have met with Turkey's high election board and stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner in safe and secure conditions. We will continue our dialogue with Turkey throughout the process. Following an invitation from the Turkish authorities and in accordance with its mandate, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has deployed an Election Observation Mission to the 14 May 2023 general elections and the Council of Europe will also send an observation mission. The Government is not sending election observers. However, British parliamentarians will join observation missions mounted by both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.