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, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Enfield North to discuss the response to the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
An FCDO Minister would be willing to meet the Honourable Member to discuss these issues.
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 his Department has provided engineering personnel to Turkey since the earthquakes in February 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO has not provided engineering personnel to Turkey since the earthquakes in February. The UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Turkey and to look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort.
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 raised the distribution of aid in Turkey since the recent earthquakes in that country with his Turkish counterparts.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary has engaged frequently with his Turkish counterpart, including on the distribution of aid in Turkey. Minister Andrew Mitchell visited southern Turkey on 19 February to see the response to the earthquakes first-hand. The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty, also met with the Turkish Disaster Response Authority during his visit to Turkey in March.
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 ability for aid to pass freely (a) into and (b) around Turkey following the recent earthquakes.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working to ensure that aid reaches those who are most in need as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are working in close coordination with the Turkish authorities, the United Nations, international humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organization partners to ensure that aid makes it to those who are most in need, including vulnerable and minority communities.
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 she has made of the impact of oil pollution in South Sudan on the health of (a) humans and (b) animals in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are aware of reports of oil pollution in South Sudan, particularly in Paloich, Melut County and some parts of the Ruweng Administrative Area, where oil leaks have been exacerbated by flooding. The Sudd Institute have reported complaints by communities regarding the high prevalence of petroleum pollution, allegedly causing disease and reproductive health issues, including birth defects, infertility, stillbirth, and miscarriages. We have raised environmental concerns with the petroleum industry as part of wider discussions with the South Sudanese Ministry of Petroleum. We work in close coordination with development partners and civil activists who have been calling on the South Sudanese Government to conduct an environmental audit on oil pollution.
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 recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in South Sudan on oil pollution in that region.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK Government continuously monitors political, economic and environmental developments in South Sudan, including oil production and pollution. UK Government officials have raised environmental concerns with the petroleum industry as part of our wider discussions with the South Sudanese Ministry of Petroleum. We work in close coordination with development partners and civil activists who have been calling on the South Sudanese Government to conduct an environmental audit of oil pollution.
More broadly, we are committed to the protection of natural wealth in South Sudan, including through funding projects for wildlife conservation, poverty reduction and building community resilience to the impacts of climate change.
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 her Department is taking to help ensure that women have access to safe gynaecological care in Bangladesh.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is a leading development partner in Bangladesh. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) 'Better Health in Bangladesh Programme' provides financial and technical assistance to the Government of Bangladesh's national health sector programme. The programme helps to ensure that women have access to safe gynaecological care in Bangladesh through interventions including cervical cancer screening, post abortion care, midwifery training and technical assistance to strengthen Bangladesh's health system. It also aims to strengthen the Bangladeshi health system, including combatting issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and ending preventable deaths of mothers and new-borns. In targeted districts of Bangladesh, the FCDO tests new methods of cervical cancer screening and treatment, and provides basic emergency obstetric care. The UK's technical health assistance has also resulted in new midwifery training programmes in Bangladesh. The FCDO's £12.29 million midwifery programme has supported the training of 8,475 midwives, of which, 2,557 have been deployed in public primary health care facilities over the last five years. These midwives have assisted over 300,000 natural births, and served almost one million family planning users through post-partum and post abortion care.
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 representations she has made to the Russian authorities on the prosecution of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government continues to work with the Ukrainian authorities on the cases of British Nationals held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine and is fully supportive of their efforts to secure the release of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner. We have raised concerns with the Russian authorities about British detainees and reminded them of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including that detainees should not be exploited for political purposes. We continue to do everything we can to support these men and their families, alongside other British Nationals detained by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine.
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 she has taken to support the families of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner following their prosecution by Russian forces in the Donetsk region.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK Government condemns the reported sentencing of two British Nationals, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine. We are in regular, ongoing contact with the families of both men to provide support and advice at this difficult time - as we are with the families of other British Nationals detained by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine. The UK Government will continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities on all these cases as a matter of urgency and is fully supportive of all their efforts to secure the prisoners' release.
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 recent assessment she has made of the prospects for a negotiated peace settlement in Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
A negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen. The UK supports fully the efforts of the UN Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, to drive forward the political process in Yemen. We urge the parties to engage constructively in negotiations to end the conflict and alleviate the dire humanitarian crisis.
On 20 October the UK supported a UN Security Council Press Statement calling for an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib. The Foreign Secretary also visited Riyadh in October where she discussed the conflict in Yemen with Saudi counterparts.