Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the annual cost to the public purse is of maintaining the Chagos Marine Protected Area.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides money for the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration for the good governance of the territory, including environmental protection. The FCDO does not itself spend money for maintaining the BIOT Marine Protected Area, outside of the Blue Belt programme. The Blue Belt Programme, which is funded by the FCDO, has provided £1,230,562 since 1 April 2022 to support BIOT manage its Marine Protected Area.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department has provided through the Blue Belt Programme to help protect ocean health in the British Indian Ocean Territories since 2022.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Blue Belt Programme, which is funded by the FCDO, has provided £1,230,562 since 1 April 2022 to support the British Indian Ocean Territory manage its Marine Protected Area. This includes measures to prevent illegal fishing through satellite monitoring and joint surveillance with Sri Lanka and India, as well as a coastal monitoring plan.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 impact of the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands on the long term sustainability of the Chagos Marine Protected Area.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius on conservation. This partnership will prioritise high conservation standards, with the UK supporting Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago. This will extend to technical, financial, capacity-building assistance, fostering long-term sustainable management.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief on the role of freedom of religion or belief in his policies.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) holds regular discussions with the Minister for Human Rights on key FoRB issues and reports to the Foreign Secretary through the Minister for Human Rights. The UK Government champions the right to FoRB and promotes tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora - including our position at the UN and Article 18 Alliance - our bilateral work, and programme funding.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the work of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; committing £1.65 billion in the 2021-2025 period. This funding supports Gavi's mission to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives. There are a number of global health replenishments coming up in 2025. The UK is considering all future investments in the round and announcements will be made following the completion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Iran on its need to (a) respect the right to peaceful assembly and (b) release unfairly detained prisoners.
Answered by David Rutley
We continue to raise human rights with the Iranian Government at every appropriate opportunity, both directly and in multilateral fora. This has included making clear to Iran that the violence levelled at protestors is totally unacceptable and must stop, through summoning Iran's most senior diplomat here in London, and through our ambassador in Tehran. We also supported successful votes to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Support of Women and to establish an investigative mechanism into human rights abuses by the Iranian regime. The UK will work with partners to ensure this delivers for the people of Iran.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is she taking to help support the development of a democratic Sudan.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Since the military coup in October 2021 we have consistently pressed for a return to Sudan's transition to democracy. This includes through statements, discussion at the UN Security Council, and directly with different Sudanese political actors. We also provide support to civil society and the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, which is mandated to assist Sudan's transition to democracy. Further, we have conveyed to Sudan's military leadership that the restoration of a credible civilian-led government is vital for the resumption of economic support and international debt relief.
We welcome the efforts of the UN and African Union to facilitate talks to end the crisis and urge all sides to engage fully in this process. We also call for the military to end arbitrary detentions, lift the State of Emergency and allow people to protest without fear of violence. These messages were delivered directly to Sudan's military leadership and other political actors during a recent visit to Khartoum by the UK Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and other envoys, on 27-29 April.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made about the current impact of UK humanitarian aid to Sudan.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are concerned at the levels of humanitarian need in Sudan, with almost half the population expected to face hunger this year and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates up to 20 million people will face "emergency" or "crisis" levels of acute food insecurity in 2022. This situation is driven by the ongoing political and economic crisis. As a leading donor, the UK continues to deliver lifesaving support to those who need it most. In 2021 we contributed £27 million to humanitarian response via partners, including the World Food Programme, the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This provided approximately 1.2 million people with urgent assistance such as food, cash and voucher support, safe drinking water, shelter, and sanitation, with over 500,000 vulnerable children receiving free school meals.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made about the current impact of UK humanitarian aid on (a) malnourished Yemeni children and (b) Yemen.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK will spend at least £88 million on aid in Yemen over the course of the current financial year. This will help feed at least 200,000 people every month, provide lifesaving health care for 800,000 women and children, and treat 85,000 severely malnourished children. The UK plays a leading role in the Yemen humanitarian response and has spent over £1 billion on aid since the conflict began.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made about the current political situation in Yemen.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK welcomes the UN-brokered two-month truce in Yemen, which began on 2 April, and the creation of a Presidential Leadership Council on 6 April. After over seven long years of conflict, a negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and end the humanitarian suffering. The UK will continue to use its diplomatic relations and role as penholder on Yemen in the UN Security Council to support efforts towards political dialogue and peace. The UK continues to encourage the conflict parties to engage constructively with UN-led peace efforts.