Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with the International Criminal Court on the adequacy of its funding to investigate conduct in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is one of the major funders of the Court through its annual budget and works to ensure the Court has the resources it needs to operate effectively. Additionally, the UK provides practical support including witness protection; sentence enforcement; and secondments. This year we also provided additional funding to the Prosecutors Trust Fund for Advanced Technology and Specialized Capacity, the Trust Fund for Deployed Personnel and the Trust Fund for Victims. Funding earmarked for individual investigations is forbidden under the financial regulations of the Court.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) Notaries Public and (b) agents representing Notaries his Department consulted on ending the premium same day service for apostilles.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO Legalisation Office regularly reviews its service offer. Earlier this year, Legalisation Services undertook a customer review of its service offer contacting every registered Same Day Service customer to feed into the latest review. An initial meeting with stakeholders was held on 12 October to discuss the closure of the Same Day service. My officials will shortly be in touch with the affected parties to discuss the issue further.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to maintain the same-day premium apostille service after 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Legalisation Services is subject to regular review to ensure the public offers are as efficient, sustainable, and resilient as possible. Following the most recent review it was decided that consolidating the services and withdrawing the Same Day Service was in the best interests of the wider service.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many premium same day apostille cases were processed in each of the last five years; and what funds were generated by that service in each of those years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The number of apostilles issued and revenue generated by the Same Day Legalisation Service for the last five complete financial years is as follows:
Financial Year | Apostilles | Revenue |
2022/23 | 104,146 | £7,796,421 |
2021/22 | 96,154 | £7,220,845 |
2020/21 | 38,537 | £2,894,600 |
2019/20 | 112,145 | £8,445,448 |
2018/19 | 128,157 | £9,625,785 |
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
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 implications for his policies of the (a) Israeli Defence Force operation and (b) reported use of a helicopter gunship in Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Monday 19 June; and whether he has had recent discussions with (i) his counterparts in the Israeli Government and (ii) the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on this matter.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We regularly raise the issue of the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank with the Israeli authorities. Israel has a right to self-defence, but it is vital that Israel's security operations are in line with international humanitarian law, including the principles of proportionality, distinction and necessity. When there are accusations of excessive use of force, we urge Israeli authorities to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May to Question 184795 on Deep Sea Mining, what regulatory safeguards would be sufficient for the Government to support deep sea mining exploitation at the International Seabed Authority Council and Assembly.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is fully engaged in the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council and Assembly in Kingston, Jamaica, to agree deep sea mining exploitation regulations.
The UK's policy is 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 enforceable environmental Regulations, Standards and Guidelines have been developed by the ISA and are in place. The UK's approach is both precautionary and conditional.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
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 (a) Chinese counterpart and (b) other international partners on the oppression of the Tibetan people.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of human rights violations in Tibet, including severe restrictions on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Tibetans dying in custody, coercive control, labour transfer schemes, and Tibetan parents being coerced and intimidated into sending their children to boarding schools. We continue to raise the situation in Tibet with the Chinese authorities. We also coordinate with partners to draw international attention to the human rights situation in Tibet. In June 2022, a UK led lobbying effort helped to secure the support of 46 other countries for a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) which highlighted the situation in Tibet, and called on the Chinese authorities to abide by their human rights obligations. In March, we raised the issue of boarding schools in our Item 4 statement at the UN HRC. We will continue to press China to cease human rights violations.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
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 the World Bank in relation to solar projects located in the villages of Agar, Shajapur and Neemuch in the Madhya Pradesh region of India funded via the Clean Technology Fund in order to help ensure (a) adequate compensation for anyone displaced by those projects and (b) appropriate consideration of the welfare of affected communities in the planning and delivery of those projects.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
India is a critical partner in climate change. India's focus on expanding renewables at an unprecedented speed is to be commended and its leadership can also bring other developing nations with it. We are working with India including through a $1 billion World Bank Green Guarantee and British International Investment Partnerships to support India's commitment to become Net Zero by 2070.
As a contributor to the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) we are aware of the project's Resettlement and Livelihood Restoration Plan (RLRP) and will look to this to deliver a fair and equitable solution for the affected people and communities.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will set out the Government's position on the forthcoming vote in the United Nations on Iran's membership of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through its actions, words and repression of women's rights, Iran has proven it is not fit to sit on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The UK fully supports the United States' proposal to seek Iran's removal from the CSW, and will do what we can, together with our partners, in support of this. On 24 November, the UK supported a successful Human Rights Council resolution to establish a UN investigation into the regime's appalling human rights violations during the protests.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on tackling the food crisis in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Kenya, (c) Nigeria, (d) Somalia and (e) other African countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is pressing for an urgent collective response to food insecurity in Africa. We continue to support the G7 Global Alliance on Food Security and the UN Global Crisis Response Group. At the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting the Foreign Secretary discussed with partners such as Kenya and the African Union how food insecurity can be best tackled.
FCDO Ministers have also called and continue to call multilateral institutions to do more. The UN has now confirmed a scale-up of efforts in Somalia and Ethiopia. The World Bank and Africa Development Bank have also announced more than $35 billion of funding for food security across the region.