Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish the (a) individuals and (b) firms that (i) she, (ii) her special advisors and (iii) officials in her Department have (A) received correspondence from and (B) met since 10 February 2022 on specific or proposed designations under the Russia (Sanctions) Regulations 2022.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly receives correspondence regarding designation proposals or specific designations under all sanctions regimes. The UK Government has already put in place the largest package of sanctions in our history in response to Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have sanctioned Putin and Lavrov, Russia's defence industry and a growing list of oligarchs. As the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 28 February, we are targeting oligarchs close to Putin without fear or favour, and we will continue to do so.
Lawyers providing legal services to Russian oligarchs and entities that have written to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in processed correspondence since 10 February 2022 include BCL Solicitors LLP on behalf of Alisher Usmanov. Representations were also received from Sberbank.
Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many applications her Department has received to vary or revoke a designation under the Russia (Sanctions) Regulations 2022.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not received any requests to vary or revoke a designation made under The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, by what proportion his Department’s work on governance, democracy and anti-corruption will change as a result of reductions to Overseas Development Assistance in 2021.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As announced last year, the impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA) to a target of spending 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, rather than 0.7%. As we have set out in the Integrated Review, this is a temporary measure and we will return to 0.7% when the fiscal situation allows. No decisions on individual country or sectoral budget allocations have yet been made.
The recently-published Integrated Review is clear about the UK's commitment to being a Force for Good, supporting open societies. We will use our aid budget and British expertise to strengthen democratic institutions, human rights, free media, protect the civic space, and promote effective governance, including combatting corruption and illicit financial flows. Championing this agenda is not only essential for future development progress, but also to protect our values and interests in a world where open societies are under threat.
Asked by: Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide a breakdown of the reduction in the amount of Overseas Development Assistance to (a) governance, (b) democracy, and (c) anti-corruption programmes for each country in receipt of that funding.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As announced last year, the impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA) to a target of spending 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, rather than 0.7%. As we have set out in the Integrated Review, this is a temporary measure and we will return to 0.7% when the fiscal situation allows.
We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes. No decisions on individual country or sectoral budget allocations have yet been made. The UK remains a world-leader in international development and, based on current GNI forecasts, we will spend over £10 billion of ODA in 2021.