Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will condemn recent comments made by the Kremlin on (a) Mikhail Khodorkovsky and (b) other dissident pro-democratic Russians, in the context of the formal platform of engagement with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to open a formal dialogue with the Russian Antiwar Committee.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to offer support to members of the Russian Anti-War Committee living in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government condemns the continued deterioration in the Kremlin's dire domestic human rights record and its use of repressive legislation to crush political opposition, repress anti-war voices and maintain a climate of fear. We regularly use multilateral fora to highlight the Russian authorities' human rights violations and hold them accountable. For example on 7 October the UK co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council urging the Russian authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and renewing the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) engages a wide range of Russian civil society figures. The FCDO, Home Office, operational partners and other government departments work closely to ensure UK residents are safe and secure.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 implications for his policies of the report by the UNESCO entitled AI and the Holocaust: rewriting history, published on 18 June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government welcomes the publication of this report, which explores both the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Holocaust remembrance and education.
We remain committed to working internationally on both developing safe, secure, and responsible AI and promoting education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust. We must continue to stand against Holocaust distortion in all its forms, including AI-facilitated distortion.
AI was a focus area of the UK's recent presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, held from March 2024 to February 2025. In October 2024, our presidency co-sponsored an event with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Romania to consider how AI could improve Holocaust education and identify and tackle instances of antisemitism and Holocaust distortion online.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192710 on British International Investment: DP World, what the cost to the public purse was of payments made to (a) P&O Ferries and (b) DP World through (i) British International Investment and (ii) other spending by his Department in the period between 17 March 2022 and February 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
British International Investment's (BII) partnership with DP World is supporting the modernising and expansion of three ports in Dakar, Sokhna and Berbera, which aims to increase access to vital goods for 35 million people and add $51 billion to total trade by 2035. Since the answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192710, no further disbursements have been made by BII. BII has no relationship with P&O Ferries, its investment partnership is solely in certain ports with DP World in Africa. There has been no other payments / funding directly from the FCDO to P&O or DP World in the period between 17 March 2022 and February 2024.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much British International Investment paid DP World between (a) October 2021 and March 2022 and (b) March 2022 and July 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Ports are vital to the long-term prosperity of the African continent, yet Africa accounts for just 4 per cent of global containerised shipping volumes. British International Investment's (BII) partnership is supporting the modernising and expansion of three ports in Dakar, Sokhna and Berbera, helping to improve access to vital goods for 35 million people. By 2035, an estimated $51 billion in additional trade is forecast to pass through the ports, equivalent to 3 per cent of Senegal's and Egypt's GDP and 6 per cent of Somaliland's GDP.
In 2021, BII committed approximately $320 million to the joint venture. BII has so far disbursed $290 million, all of which has been disbursed between March 2022 to end of June 2023.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received any representations on the recent protests in Beita.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
According to UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), since the beginning of May, seven Palestinians, including two children, have been killed around Beita as a result of live fire from Israeli Security Forces. On 5 August the British Consul General and Heads of Mission and representatives from a number of likeminded countries visited Beita.
In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we urge the Government of Israel to conduct swift and transparent investigations. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received any representations on the reported use of internationally prohibited ammunition by the Israeli Defence Force in Beita.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
According to UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), since the beginning of May, seven Palestinians, including two children, have been killed around Beita as a result of live fire from Israeli Security Forces. On 5 August the British Consul General and Heads of Mission and representatives from a number of likeminded countries visited Beita.
In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we urge the Government of Israel to conduct swift and transparent investigations. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has (a) spoken to or (b) met with William Shawcross to discuss the contents of his report on Libyan-sponsored IRA terror.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Foreign Secretary has taken a close interest in the issue of compensation for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism. As ministerial lead on this issue, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly, and senior FCDO officials, kept Mr Shawcross abreast of work on a Government response to his report.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 findings of the Shawcross Report; and what discussions he has had with William Shawcross on the contents of that report.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Government response to the Shawcross report on UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism is set out in the 23 March Written Ministerial Statement (WMS). Since Mr Shawcross was the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative on UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, the FCDO has led the Government's relationship with him.