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Written Question
Migrant Workers: Higher Education
Thursday 8th February 2024

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Researchers at Risk programme, organised by the British Academy in collaboration with the Council for At-Risk Academics and other UK National Academies, in rescuing and supporting researchers from Ukraine; and if he will make it his policy to help expand the programme to cover academics from other countries where they face serious risk.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

More than 170 Ukrainian academics have been supported in the UK under the 'Researchers at Risk' programme, launched in March 2022. £3 million was initially allocated to the programme. A further £9.8 million, announced by the Government in June 2022, helped it to expand significantly to meet demand. The first priority of the programme was to enable Ukraine-based researchers to continue their research at UK institutions, whether they were fleeing the conflict or already in the UK and unable to return home. The Academy hopes to open the scheme more widely, when possible, subject to funding.


Written Question
Ukraine: Reconstruction
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

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 potential utility of an augmentation task force of experienced UK former (a) officials and (b) military personnel to work on preliminary plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in London demonstrated the UK's commitment to Ukraine's reconstruction. It is for Ukraine to lead reconstruction planning in accordance with the National Recovery Plan it unveiled in 2022. Through the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine, we, alongside partners, are working with Ukraine to determine its immediate recovery priorities. We are considering initiatives to support Ukraine's early recovery and reform programme. At the URC, we announced £240 million of bilateral assistance this year for Ukraine's humanitarian, early recovery and reform needs. FCDO's Civilian Stabilisation Group already provides rapidly deployable specialist conflict expertise to target priority conflicts.


Written Question
Iran: United Nations
Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the United Nations Human Rights Council against the appointment of Iran’s ambassador to the UN as chairman of its Social Forum 2023; and for what reason no alternative candidate was nominated by the UK.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Iranian Government is responsible for persistent, widespread and serious human rights violations and can have no international credibility in this sphere. This is why we worked with partners in December to ensure Iran was expelled from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The Social Forum is a subsidiary body of the UN Human Rights Council which the UK does not traditionally attend. The chair rotates between members' ambassadors according to region and this year is the turn of the Asia-Pacific region. The UK will continue to work closely with our partners to hold Iran to account in international fora; to that end we regularly meet with UN representatives, both in the UK and overseas through UK Missions in Geneva, New York and around the world.


Written Question
Malawi: Storms
Friday 17th March 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

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 help support Malawi with the impacts of Cyclone Freddy.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK is working closely with the Government of Malawi and international agencies to respond to Cyclone Freddy. We are supporting the Emergency Operations Centre established in Blantyre and working closely with partners to rapidly identify the needs of those affected. We are looking at options for further UK support including how we can help those still stranded, help manage trauma cases and extend our support to tackle the ongoing cholera outbreak.


Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Wednesday 11th January 2023

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of the places available in the first year under ACRS Pathway 3 have been filled, pending security checks, by eligible (a) British Council (i) contractors and (ii) contractors' family members, (b) GardaWorld (i) contractors and (ii) contractors' family members and (c) Chevening (i) Alumni and (ii) Alumni family members.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Government received over 11,400 expressions of interest (EOI) under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which we have been assessing against the eligibility criteria. We have informed just under 200 individuals that they are eligible in principle for resettlement, subject to passing security checks. Including their dependents, this accounts for over 750 of the 1500 available places on Pathway 3 in year one. We will not be commenting on individual cohort numbers while EOIs are still being processed and security checks are outstanding. As initial security checks are completed, we are providing further information on next steps to eligible individuals. We will update Parliament further once we have completed the allocation process, have notified all those who submitted EOIs of the outcome and have assured data to share.


Written Question
BBC World Service
Thursday 27th October 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

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 effect on people living under repressive regimes of losing the option of listening to the BBC World Service via radio, with particular reference to the ability of such regimes to (a) impede the availability of online broadcast services and (b) discover and arrest those listening illegally online; and how many (i) full-time and (ii) part-time posts in each country where BBC World Service radio broadcasts are ending (A) have been and (B) are scheduled to be lost.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The BBC recently announced plans to move certain language services to digital-only, whilst maintaining access to the full range of 42 language services, and providing assurance that the World Service will continue to serve audiences in need, ensuring continued access to vital news services.

The FCDO strongly supports the BBC's role in bringing high-quality, impartial news to audiences around the world, including where internet restrictions are a tool of repression. We recognise that in the current fiscal context, the BBC, like other organisations, is facing difficult financial decisions.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from Government, and it is for the BBC to comment on matters relating to staffing and service delivery.


Written Question
Diplomatic Service: Pilot Schemes
Monday 4th July 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating an augmentation force consisting of recently retired (a) diplomats and (b) other relevant officials to provide surge capacity in (i) Ukraine and (ii) other States facing emergencies; and if she will make it her policy to commission a pilot scheme to test the feasibility and practicability of that proposal.

Answered by Vicky Ford

The FCDO has established capabilities that provide surge capacity. These include FCDO's humanitarian and civilian stabilisation roster. These capabilities provide rapidly deployable, specialist expertise, are open to all non-civil servants, including retirees, and ensure the UK Government is able to access UK expertise to deliver impact and value for money for the taxpayer.


Written Question
Sovico Group: Linacre College
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 23 February 2022 to Question 124937 on Sovico Group: Linacre College, if she will publish (a) correspondence, (b) advice, (c) emails and (d) notes held by her Department on Linacre College and the University of Oxford working with Vietnamese entities in each of the last 2 years, including background information supplied to (i) Linacre College and (ii) the University of Oxford on working with those entities relating to (A) the Sovico Group and (B) Nguyen Thi Phurong Thao.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

FCDO Officials have given background information to Linacre College and the University of Oxford, at the request of these institutions, in line with the advice we offer UK organisations and businesses looking to work with Vietnamese entities. The offer would be the same globally.

It would not be appropriate to publish background advice given to any third party institution.


Written Question
Russia: Sanctions
Tuesday 19th April 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2022 to Question 139243 on Russia: Sanctions, whether shipping carrying Russian-originated cargo, but (a) owned, (b) operated, (c) controlled, (d) chartered, (e) registered or (f) flagged by or to countries other than Russia, including NATO countries, are banned from entering British ports; what representations she plans to make to EU and NATO countries to institute similar bans on all vessels carrying Russian-originated cargo; and if she will take steps, in conjunction with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury to ensure that Russia is excluded from all aspects of the London Commercial Insurance market.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK Government has banned all ships that are Russian owned, operated, controlled, chartered, registered or flagged from entering British ports. We continue to consider further trade measures to support our policy of ratcheting up economic pressure on Russia. Nothing is off the table until Russia reverses its illegal invasion of Ukraine, stops undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and abides by international law.


Written Question
Financial Institutions: Russia
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish a consolidated list of all Russian banks and comparable institutions which (a) are and (b) are not being sanctioned, together with an explanation of the decision not to impose sanctions on all the organisations listed and an estimate of the extent to which those which remain unsanctioned undermine the effectiveness of the sanctions against the Russian banking sector.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK Sanctions List, published by the FCDO on GOV.UK, is the comprehensive list of persons or ships designated. Additionally, there are entities listed in Schedule 2 of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, which are covered by sectoral financial measures. The UK is working with our international partners to ensure any action is coordinated and has the maximum impact on parties involved in the unlawful invasion of Ukraine. We will continue to work with allies to identify targets as appropriate.

We have made powerful designations including banking designations which will be the most significant financial sanctions in history. We have introduced asset freezes on major banks, a prohibition on clearing for Sberbank, and the removal of selected banks from SWIFT. We have cut off Russian banks with global assets of £348 billion as well as the central bank in Moscow. We are focusing on measures that have the greatest impact rather than the numbers.