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Written Question
Ukraine: Development Aid and Military Aid
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on (1) military, and (2) non-military, aid to Ukraine since February.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has committed a total of £2.3 billion for lethal and non-lethal military support to Ukraine this year. This makes us the second biggest donor of military aid (after the US).

The UK has committed £220 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, making us the third largest bilateral humanitarian donor (after the US and Germany). At end September 2022, 67% of this funding had been spent.


Written Question
Ukraine: Development Aid and Military Aid
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they plan to spend on (1) military, and (2) non-military, aid to Ukraine in 2023.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, including through committing £2.3 billion of military support this year. We have committed to meeting or exceeding our 2022 spend on military aid to Ukraine next year.

Funding arrangements for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine next financial year are yet to be finalised.


Written Question
Russia: Ukraine
Thursday 6th January 2022

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic effort they are making to revive the Minsk Agreements.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

As G7 Foreign Ministers made clear in their 12 December statement, we support the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk agreements in order to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The Prime Minister underlined to President Putin on 13 December that Russia had to respect the terms of the Minsk agreements. The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK's support for the Minsk agreements in her 2 December meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and in her 8 December talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba. The UK regularly calls on Russia to end the conflict by immediately ceasing its support for the armed formations it backs, withdrawing its military personnel and weapons from the territory of Ukraine and fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk agreements.


Written Question
Afghanistan: Refugees
Wednesday 1st September 2021

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timescale for the repatriation of Afghan refugees who have supported the British mission in Afghanistan; and how they intend to achieve that repatriation, particularly for refugees located outside Kabul.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our absolute priority has been to evacuate as many people as possible. However the terror attack outside the Kabul airport tragically demonstrates the complex and vulnerable situation that impacted operations on the ground. We will continue to do all we can to support British Nationals and those Afghans who have supported us, and to put pressure on the Taliban to allow safe passage. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme remains open to anyone who is eligible, and we will work with international partners on establishing potential routes for those eligible for ARAP to get to the UK.


Written Question
Afghanistan: NATO
Friday 27th August 2021

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had within NATO to maintain an Alliance presence in Afghanistan.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We have spoken a number of NATO Allies in recent days about the situation in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister has spoken to US President Biden, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Rutte and the NATO Secretary General. The Foreign Secretary has spoken to his US, French, Dutch, Danish and Turkish counterparts. We continue to work closely with our partners to assess how to address risks concerning terrorism most effectively and will continue to be at the forefront of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.


Written Question
Taiwan: Coronavirus
Tuesday 13th July 2021

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to supply Taiwan with COVID-19 vaccines; and what is the timetable on any such plans.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to equitable access to safe and effective vaccines and the Prime Minister has stated that we will share vaccines with COVAX and has called on G7 leaders to vaccinate the world by end of next year. We will continue to discuss this issue with our G7 partners and will issue details of the quantities and timeframe for sharing vaccine doses soon.

Taiwan has had one of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 in the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. We are continuing to engage with the relevant authorities locally through the British Office in Taipei as it faces its first significant occurrence of community transmission of the virus. Taiwan has so far received 609,600 doses through the COVAX platform. We will continue to work with all of our international partners to deliver a strong global response to the pandemic.


Written Question
Hong Kong: HSBC
Thursday 24th December 2020

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to HSBC Bank following that bank's suspension of the bank accounts of pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.


Written Question
Freedom of Expression
Thursday 22nd October 2020

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the free expression of will on the status of (1) Nagorno-Karabakh, (2) Scotland, (3) Hong Kong, and (4) Crimea, by those who live there.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

Scotland regularly elects representatives to one of the most powerful devolved administrations in the world, as well as to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The people of Scotland voted decisively to remain part of the UK in 2014 and the UK Government is committed to upholding and respecting that decision.

We consider that the Basic Principles for a settlement proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs provide the basis for a reasonable compromise in this regard, taking due account of the relevant OSCE principles governing relations between member-states. This includes the return of territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control and future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.

Our position on Hong Kong is clear. The UK handed sovereignty for Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under the terms of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. We expect China to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms as provided for in the Joint Declaration.

The UK, in common with the majority of the international community, does not recognise the 16 March 2014 Crimea referendum or its outcome as legitimate or of any credibility or value. UN General Assembly resolution 68/262 affirms Ukraine's territorial integrity and underscores the invalidity of the illegal referendum.


Written Question
United Kingdom Internal Market Bill: Treaties
Thursday 8th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential implications of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill for upholding international agreements, including the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Joint Declaration made clear that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, rights and freedoms would remain unchanged for 50 years. We have not breached it and call on China not to do so.


Written Question
Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review
Thursday 10th September 2020

Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in relation to the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy; whom they have consulted as part of that Review; and when they anticipate it will be completed.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In a phased approach, Her Majesty's Government is undertaking detailed horizon-scanning, covering future trends, opportunities, risks and threats; gathering evidence and conducting policy analysis; and developing policy, capability and systems reform options.

Her Majesty's Government is engaging with external experts and wider stakeholders with an interest in our nation's security and prosperity, and the global challenges the UK will face over the coming years. This includes our allies and partners, building on an ongoing dialogue about COVID-19 response and recovery, the Devolved Administrations, civil society and external experts in the UK and overseas. Her Majesty's Government has also launched a Call for Evidence to hear from the public and stakeholders to inform the long-term strategic aims of our international policy and national security, rooted in our national interests.

The Integrated Review process remains closely aligned with the Comprehensive Spending Review, to be published in autumn. This allows the Government to ensure that departments have the resources they need to deliver the Integrated Review's conclusions.