Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with International partners on how best to co-ordinate action to tackle child trafficking.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK continues to drive efforts to eradicate all forms of modern slavery in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 by 2030. We work closely with international partners, including the UN, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Commonwealth, to encourage joint action on priorities including ending the worst forms of child labour and the exploitation of women and girls.
We support the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF through our Asia Regional Child Labour Programme which has linked 3.6 million children at risk of the worst forms of child labour with social protection schemes.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether the World Bank has fully incorporated its sovereign lending in line with the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In 2021, during the UK COP26 Presidency, the World Bank Group made a commitment to fully align its sovereign operations with the Paris Agreement by 1 July 2023, and non-sovereign operations by 1 July 2025. In March this year the World Bank published a comprehensive set of methodologies and sector notes detailing its approach to Paris alignment. Since 1 July, all projects are assessed for Paris alignment. While the Bank is still in the early stages of implementation, HMG is confident that the Bank is implementing a rigorous process and is applying oversight through its seat on the Board.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 (a) effectiveness and (b) viability of the Productive Safety Net Programme.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has been a longstanding supporter of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) which has reached millions of vulnerable people throughout Ethiopia and has helped to promote resilience to drought. In January this year I [Minister Andrew Mitchell] announced a package of support to the PSNP budgeted at £11.6 million. This will reach 250,000 people living in extreme poverty.
As a member of the Donor Working Group responsible for overseeing PSNP the UK is working with the Government of Ethiopia and other donors to track programme performance against agreed aims.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that representatives from the Executive Office in Northern Ireland who attend meetings of the Joint Consultative Working Group are briefed on the House of Lords European Affairs Committee report entitled The Windsor Framework, published on 25 July 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government regularly engages with Northern Ireland officials on a range of issues, including with those who are part of the UK delegation at the Joint Consultative Working Group. While it is not for the UK Government to determine what reports or other materials Northern Ireland officials should consider, I [Minister Docherty] am of course happy to ensure that UK Government officials offer to brief their counterparts on the Committee's report of 25 July. Of course, were Northern Ireland power sharing arrangements operating as they should be, Executive ministers would be able to instruct their officials to request such briefings.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make a formal apology to Matthew Hedges on the level of support offered by his Department while Mr Hedges was in prison in United Arab Emirates.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) issued a formal apology to Mr Hedges on 31 August 2023 in accordance with the recommendations set out following an investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which upheld aspects of his complaint. Supporting British nationals when they need help abroad remains an enduring priority of the FCDO.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterpart in Canada on the accuracy of the information about the United Kingdom on the Canadian government webpage entitled United Kingdom travel advice.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK and Canadian Ministers regularly meet to discuss a range of Government business. There are no current plans for Ministers to discuss the Government of Canada's travel advice for the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Economic Community of West African States on stability in the region, in the context of the situation in Niger.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK condemns in the strongest possible terms attempts to undermine democracy, peace and stability in Niger. From the outset of the crisis, the UK has stood firmly behind the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in calling for the restoration of constitutional order and democracy in Niger, and the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family. On 1 August the Foreign Secretary visited Nigeria and met with President Tinubu, ECOWAS Chair, and emphasised the UK's support for ECOWAS' strong statements and leadership on the coup. Minister for Armed Forces also visited Nigeria from 22-23 August where he met the President of the ECOWAS Commission. We are using our diplomatic presence in Abuja to keep in regular contact with ECOWAS and its members, and will continue to engage with and support ECOWAS in its efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to provide funds for the next replenishment round for the International Development Association.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The International Development Association's 21st (IDA21) replenishment negotiations will commence in 2024. The IDA21 replenishment package should meet the challenge in IDA countries. The $93 billion International Development Association 20th (IDA20) replenishment was the largest in IDA's history. The UK is the third largest IDA20 donor, with £1.4 billion pledged.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the work of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continually monitor the impact and effectiveness of our Conflict, Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) programming in Colombia which has been consistently evaluated as high performing, including in our most recent Annual Review. Since 2015, the UK has committed £82 million through the CSSF to support the peace process and improve stability and security in Colombia. Our funding is providing valuable support to the Colombian Government's rural development and reintegration programmes, transitional justice mechanisms, and strengthening law enforcement capability to counter narcotics and illicit finance both in Colombia and across Latin America. The most recent programme summaries of CSSF programmes in Colombia are published on GOV.UK. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conflict-stability-and-security-fund-programme-summaries-for-the-americas-2021-to-2022]
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many times consignments of goods were returned to Great Britain from Northern Ireland because of a failure to comply with European Union requirements in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
No consignments were returned once they had entered Northern Ireland for customs purposes. Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls are the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DAERA). In 2021, approximately 180 consignments were returned by DAERA, or less than 0.001 per cent of the total. In 2022, approximately 140 consignments were returned by DAERA, or less than 0.0001 per cent of the total.