Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure access to shipping routes in the Red Sea.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and our partners have collectively sent an unambiguous message: the Houthis' attacks on shipping are illegal, dangerous, and destabilising, and we are determined to put a stop to them.
The Foreign Secretary and I continue to work closely with regional and international partners to increase pressure on the Houthis. We remain supportive of US action to degrade Houthi capability and welcome the continued operation of the EU's Operation ASPIDES.
We will always defend the principle of freedom of navigation and British lives at sea.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to provide humanitarian assistance in Sudan.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Sudan conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world with 24.8 million people in need of assistance. The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and those who've fled the country. The UK's ODA this year in response to the conflict in Sudan is £113.5 million - the vast majority of which is spent on vital humanitarian aid and support for the regional refugee crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF who are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which provides support to local and national responders, Emergency Response Rooms and a consortium of international non-governmental organisations. The UK continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve global food security.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Improving global food and nutrition security is a priority for this government. Our diplomatic and humanitarian engagement is addressing acute need and famine risks in places like Sudan and Gaza. We support long-term solutions, working with partners to transform food and farming systems, critical for inclusive growth, climate resilience and nature protection. At the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in Brazil in July, I announced the UK would join the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty when it launches in November, to increase political support, unlock finance, share and learn, and work with partners to scale-up lasting solutions.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have welcomed recent commitments from Israel to increase the amount of aid getting in to Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing - steps we have long urged Israel to take. We want to see Israel fulfil these commitments swiftly and in full. The Foreign Secretary discussed this with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 17 April.
During that visit, the Foreign Secretary urged Israel to deliver on its promises of delivering more aid into Gaza through as many routes as possible by land, sea and air.
The UK has announced a £9.7 million package of military and civilian support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including the deployment of a Navy ship, and £3 million of additional funding for equipment to support UN and aid agencies at new and existing land crossings to get more aid into Gaza. The UK's contribution will include trucks, forklifts, generators, fuel stores and lighting towers.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
We have condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. It was unprecedented and reckless, and a dangerous escalation. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners. It is essential that we now prevent further escalation.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the scale of food shortages in Yemen.
Answered by David Rutley
The UN's Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 identifies that 17.6 million people continue to suffer from acute food insecurity in Yemen. The ongoing conflict, insecurity and economic crisis remain the main drivers.
Furthermore, the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea caused by Houthi attacks risks driving up costs of food and humanitarian aid supplies to Yemen. The Houthis have been attacking the very sea lanes that the Yemeni people depend on: 90 percent of food staples, such as wheat are, imported.
The UK is committed to provide continued humanitarian assistance to help alleviate the dire conditions faced by millions of Yemenis. This financial year (FY23/24), the UK's £88 million humanitarian pledge has contributed to providing food to at least 100,000 of the most vulnerable every month, providing lifesaving healthcare through 400 healthcare facilities and treating 22,000 of severely malnourished children.
The UK is committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and trade.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the scale of food shortages in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
17.7 million people in Sudan (37 percent of the population) are now thought to be experiencing acute food insecurity. This is likely to worsen in the coming months. As much as 70 percent of the population could be experiencing acute food insecurity by June. The conflict has now spread to the "breadbasket" state of Jazira, where food production, grain milling, storage and transportation, are heavily impacted. The UK is pushing for a concerted international community response. In November, at the Global Food Security Summit in London, the UK pledged a further £14.3 million in humanitarian aid for Sudan, bringing our total support package for Sudan to £38 million for 2023-2024, which includes some food and nutrition assistance.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the disruption to shipping in the Red Sea on global transfer of (a) fertiliser and (b) energy.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Red Sea is a vital sea lane for international shipping. 12 per cent of international trade, worth over $1 trillion, passes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal every year. The global economy has therefore been threatened by the Houthi's dangerous and destabilising attacks since 19 November.
Djibouti and Ethiopia, for example, are particularly dependent on importing fertilisers through the Red Sea (75 per cent from Morrocco, and 70 per cent from North Africa, respectively). Supply of fertiliser is time sensitive (because it is needed at specific points in a crop's life) and so delays in delivery may be more impactful on such countries' food security, than the consequences of delays to other goods.
The Department for Transport assesses jet fuel to be the most concerning commodity at risk of this disruption; globally, 30 per cent of seaborne jet fuel, 12 per cent of seaborne oil, and 8 per cent of seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes through the Red Sea.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the scale of food shortages in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is increasingly concerned over the growing food insecurity in Gaza. Palestinian civilians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the WFP and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. We will continue to support and have supported the WFP to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. 750 tonnes of life-saving food aid arrived in the first delivery and a second delivery of 315 tonnes has been made.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the disruption to shipping from Ukraine via the Black Sea on food supplies to the developing world.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As a result of Ukrainian resilience and innovation, as well as our support and that of international partners, over 13 million tonnes of agricultural produce has been exported through the Black Sea since September 2023. These are the highest levels since the war began, which is a remarkable achievement.
These supplies are crucial for the resilience of global grain markets and global food security, which are especially important for the developing world. Developing countries, including Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan, have directly received significant quantities of grain from Ukraine via the corridor.