Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will launch a public awareness campaign on the requirement for UK citizens to apply for European Travel Information and Authorisation System travel authorisation in order to travel to Europe from 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government continues to engage with the European Commission and EU Member States to understand the impact the EU's European Travel Information and Authorisation System will have on British citizens, and to understand their plans for public communications.
Entry requirements for British citizens travelling to the EU are set out in FCDO travel advice. These requirements are based on information provided by EU Member States. FCDO travel advice is regularly updated to reflect our latest understanding of EU Member State requirements.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions (a) Ministers or (b) officials in his Department have held discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Work and Pensions on the position of overseas pensioners without reciprocal social security arrangements in the last five years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO Ministers and officials routinely engage with their counterparts in other Government Departments on matters of mutual interest and concern.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the rights of disabled people in Ukraine.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
There are 2.7 million people in Ukraine with disabilities that are at high risk of harm and abandonment. Many are trapped, unable to evacuate to safer areas and experiencing severe food and medication shortages.
The UK is committed to providing humanitarian aid on the basis of need alone, without discrimination on any grounds. In Ukraine, the UK seeks to drive forward a fully inclusive international humanitarian response that addresses the life-saving and urgent needs of women, children, people with disabilities and excluded groups affected by the crisis, and ensuring compliance with the IASC guidelines on disability and gender-based violence.
UK funding for Ukraine is largely channelled via international humanitarian organisations to enable effective, inclusive humanitarian assistance to reach those who need it most, including people with disabilities, and to tailor and target the most appropriate support.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to use OECD Development Assistance Committee markers to measure disability.
Answered by Vicky Ford
FCDO official development assistance programmes use the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) disability inclusive policy marker. The FCDO includes this marker in the annual statistical return made to the OECD DAC.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her Department will publish an annual progress report in relation to their disability inclusion strategy.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 16 February 2022 I launched a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy, which reaffirms the UK's commitment to disability rights and sets out a vision and approach towards 2030. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will review the strategy and delivery plans periodically.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to enshrine the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into law.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK remains fully committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the UK ratified in 2009. The UK as a general principle does not incorporate international treaties into domestic law. However, the rights of disabled people under this Convention are largely reflected and given effect in existing domestic policies and legislation, including the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement the disability inclusion strategy across its programming and funding to different organisations and governments.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO will launch a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy next week to mark the second Global Disability Summit. Looking to 2030, the strategy will set out how the FCDO will embed disability inclusion across its diplomacy, policy and programming.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what contribution her Department has made to the Global Disability Summit in February 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to promoting and protecting universal rights for all, including people with disabilities. I will attend the Summit and announce a new set of UK policy commitments to take the agenda forward.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a ministerial delegation will participate in the Global Disability Summit on 16 to 17 February 2022.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to promoting and protecting universal rights for all, including people with disabilities. I will attend the Global Disability Summit and will announce a new set of UK development commitments to take the agenda forward.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to publish an annual progress report on her Department's disability inclusion strategy.
Answered by Vicky Ford
On 16 February 2022 Minister Vicky Ford launched a new Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy, which reaffirms the UK's commitment to disability rights and sets out a vision and approach towards 2030. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will review the strategy and delivery plans periodically.