Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 February 2024, what steps his Department has taken to mitigate the risks of red-rated legacy IT systems.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, has established a programme to support departments managing legacy IT. CDDO has agreed a framework to identify 'red-rated' systems, indicating high levels of risk surrounding certain assets within the IT estate. Departments have committed to have remediation plans in place for these systems by next year (2025). It is not appropriate to release sensitive information held about specific red-rated systems or more detailed plans for remediation within the FCDO's IT estate, as this information could indicate which systems may be at risk, and may highlight potential security vulnerabilities. FCDO are actively managing their legacy estate via their existing change plans through system upgrades and migration to public cloud.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
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 support African leaders in responding to the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence and pave the way for meaningful talks.The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, senior officials and myself have engaged frequently with counterparts in the region with partners such as Kenya, Djibouti and Egypt.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2020 to Question 21185 on Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review, whether he plans to publish an update to the Integrated Review and its recommendations in the event that the future UK-EU security partnership is not finalised when the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review is published.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The main bulk of the Integrated Review is expected to conclude in line with the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year, although implementation of its recommendations will be a multi-year project. Unlike a normal Strategic Defence and Security Review the Integrated Review will not be limited to specific departments, objectives or timeframes but will take a holistic approach to our place in the world and how Government is best structured to achieve our objectives.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy will be completed before the finalisation of a UK-EU security partnership.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The main bulk of the integrated review is expected to conclude in line with the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year, although implementation of its recommendations will be a multi-year project.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming its guidance on Overseas Security and Justice Assistance to include separate advice on assistance provided to non-state groups.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its guidance on Overseas Security and Justice Assistance in 2017 by Written Ministerial Statement. Since then, information on its implementation has been included in the The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. Overseas Security and Justice Assitance assessments completed for specific projects or interventions are working documents, and are regularly updated in line with developments in the country concerned. Information on the number of Overseas Security and Justice Assitance assessments completed in previous years and a more detailed breakdown of applications requiring Ministerial approval is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
The guidance applies to any security and justice assistance from Her Majasty's Government that could result in changes to the laws, policies, practices or capabilities of foreign justice or security institutions and/or result in individuals being identified, investigated, arrested, detained, interviewed, interrogated, prosecuted, tried or sentenced by foreign authorities.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many applications for Overseas Security and Justice Assistance have required Ministerial approval from his Department in each financial year since 2015-16.
Answered by Mark Field
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its guidance on Overseas Security and Justice Assistance in 2017 by written ministerial statement. Since then, information on its implementation has been included in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments completed for specific projects or interventions are working documents, and are regularly updated in line with developments in the country concerned. Information on the number of Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments completed in previous years and a more detailed breakdown of applications requiring Ministerial approval is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
The guidance applies to any security and justice assistance from Her Majasty's Government that could result in changes to the laws, policies, practices or capabilities of foreign justice or security institutions and/or result in individuals being identified, investigated, arrested, detained, interviewed, interrogated, prosecuted, tried or sentenced by foreign authorities.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a cross-departmental electronic database system for collating Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments, as part of its roll out of the Fusion Doctrine.
Answered by Mark Field
Responsibility for complying with the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance rests with the department or agency with oversight of the assistance being delivered. Where more than one department or agency is involved, in most cases the implementing body will lead on the project-specific assessment, and the funding or coordinating body will lead on securing the necessary approval. All organisations regularly involved in security and justice assistance have a designated OSJA Lead who is responsible for ensuring consistency in the application of the OSJA Guidance in their department.
Government departments use the OSJA Guidance as a central part of their risk management procedures. OSJA assessments completed for specific projects or interventions are working documents, and are regularly updated in line with developments in the country concerned.
We do not assess that there is a need for a central database to support these risk management arrangements.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on the Dayton Agreement of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK's commitment to peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, as a member of the Peace Implementation Council in our own right, does not depend on our membership of the EU. Indeed, at the Western Balkans Summit last July the Prime Minister announced a doubling of our bilateral assistance and a substantial increase to our staffing in the region, with security a major priority.
EUFOR is mandated by the UN to implement the military aspects of Dayton. The UK fully supports the objectives of EUFOR Operation Althea, its continuing UN Chapter VII mandate, and the Berlin Plus arrangements from which it benefits. We will continue to do so as we leave the EU, and we intend to maintain a contribution to the Operation. In the event of a No Deal Brexit a separate agreement with the EU would be required for UK troops to continue in the Operation. We have made clear to the EU that we are open to reaching such an agreement.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 16 July 2018, Official Report, column 24, what support the Government is offering to the Government of Ukraine in relation to the situation in the Crimea.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The UK is absolutely clear in its rejection of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. The British Government regularly highlights, publically and multilaterally, Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and human rights abuses towards those who oppose the illegal annexation. In public statements, including the UK statement at the recent UN Human Rights Council, our bilateral contacts with Russia and in multilateral fora - we have called on Russia to immediately release Ukrainian prisoners detained for politically motivated reasons. The EU has taken practical measures to reinforce its policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea, including on 18 June the EU renewed trade sanctions in response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol for a further 12 months; and on 5 July economic sanctions were renewed for a further 6 months.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 147856 on United Nations: peace keeping operations, if he will list the equipment that the UK received reimbursements for from the UN in each year since 2013-14.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK, as a Troop Contributing Country (TCC) to UN peacekeeping missions, receives reimbursements from the UN for equipment it has provided. These reimbursements fall into two categories: self-sustainment and major equipment. Self-sustainment can include items such as bedding and furniture. Major equipment can includes items such as generators, containers and vehicles. A full list of the equipment the UK has received reimbursement for, each year since 2013-14, is not held centrally by the FCO and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.