Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Opinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-third session, reference A/HRC/WGAD/2022/19, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Ryan Cornelius is arbitrarily detained in the United Arab Emirates.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO takes the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seriously. FCDO Ministers and officials regularly raise Mr Cornelius' case with the UAE authorities, most recently on 7 February 2023 during a visit to the UAE by the FCDO's Consular Director. Mr Cornelius' case was also raised on 6 July 2022 by the then Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling, with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Gargash. Consular staff are in regular contact with Mr Cornelius and his family and are providing him with ongoing support.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of CDC Group’s 2020 funding commitment to Globeleq will be allocated to the Temane gas-fired power station in Mozambique.
Answered by James Duddridge
CDC's 2020 investment commitment to Globeleq was provided to support the financing and development of its pipeline of African power projects. The final funding arrangements for individual projects are not yet finalised.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of CDC Group’s £95.6 million funding commitment to Globeleq will support (a) gas-power projects and (b) other fossil fuel projects.
Answered by James Duddridge
CDC's 2020 investment commitment to Globeleq was provided to support the financing and development of its pipeline of African power projects. The final funding arrangements for individual projects are not yet finalised.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of CDC Group’s 2020 funding commitment to Globeleq will be allocated to the Qua Iboe gas-fired power station in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
CDC's 2020 investment commitment to Globeleq was provided to support the financing and development of its pipeline of African power projects. The final funding arrangements for individual projects are not yet finalised.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the purpose is of CDC Group’s 2020 commitment of £20.3 million in funding to Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited.
Answered by James Duddridge
CDC Group's 2020 commitment to Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited is for the construction of a feed conditioning unit installed as part of Indorama's fertiliser plant. This unit will save 70,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, recovering CO2 that would otherwise be vented.
Since 2013 CDC's investment in Indorama has helped Nigeria meet its domestic needs for urea fertiliser as well as shifting the country to be a net exporter. This is a critical part of tackling food insecurity in Nigeria. More information on CDC's investment into Indorama is available on its website - https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/our-impact/investment/indorama-eleme-fertilizer-chemicals-limited/
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on the recognition by the UN of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK recognises the serious and unequivocal threat that climate change poses to our planet, and that it can undermine the enjoyment of human rights. However, any recognition of a new legal right must give due regard to the structure of international human rights law so as not to undermine the notion and value of human rights as a whole.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the Government's £5.8 billion pledge for International Climate Finance committed to the period 2016-17 to 2020-21 was spent in each of those financial years; and how much of the £11.6 billion the Government has committed to International Climate Finance between 2021-22 and 2025-26 is planned to be spent in each of those financial years.
Answered by James Duddridge
Details of UK International Climate Finance (ICF) by calendar year can be found here. Headline figures are below:
Year | Amount (million) |
2016 | £1,025 |
2017 | £903 |
2018 | £1,169 |
2019 | £1,183 |
The UK Government remains committed to doubling our ICF to £11.6 billion over the next five years. Annual allocations have not been set for the five year period.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many green energy and climate-related projects that were under consideration for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding are no longer under consideration as a result of the decision to reduce the ODA budget; what type of project they were and in which countries they were located.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Foreign Secretary has completed the cross-government review of how Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be allocated against the government's priorities for 2021, including on climate and biodiversity. This review has ensured that UK ODA is focused on our strategic priorities, spent where it will have the maximum impact, has greater coherence and delivers most value for money.
However our international climate finance is protected, and we remain committed to doubling our International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion over the next five years.
No decisions on individual budgets have been taken yet by Ministers.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich of 19 November 2020 on the presidential election in Uganda.
Answered by James Duddridge
A response was sent on 22 December 2020, and an additional copy has been sent to the Member's office.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement signed by the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation on 10 November 2020, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees, and the remains of the fatalities, is carried out.
Answered by Wendy Morton
I spoke to the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 13 November and the Armenian Foreign Minister on 30 November where I welcomed the cessation of hostilities. I urged both Foreign Ministers to ensure the International Committee of the Red Cross were able to access the conflict zone to allow for the facilitation of the return of prisoners of war and the remains of the deceased. Our Embassies in Yerevan and Baku continue to engage their hosts in support of these efforts.