Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in Nigeria on the training of Nigerian security forces to help (a) reduce and (b) prevent anti-Christian violence.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Rising insecurity in Nigeria has affected communities of all faiths, including Christians. UK Government officials and I regularly raise freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including the impact of insecurity on communities and the need to bring perpetrators to justice, with the Nigerian Government. In February, I met the Nigerian Minister of State for Police Affairs, where I emphasised the UK's commitment to helping Nigeria tackle the root causes of conflict and instability. During the UK/ Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership dialogue in February, we agreed to enhance the existing cooperation in a number of areas, including training of security forces and conflict management.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Bahrain on the arrest of Hasan Mohammed.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials and ministers have regular discussions with Bahraini counterparts on human rights issues, most recently during Lord Ahmad's meeting with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in September in New York and discuss individual cases, as appropriate, both with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what contact her Department has had with Ukrainian missionaries and church networks on the targeting and delivery of UK aid.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The total UK aid to Ukraine and the region for the current crisis totals £395 million, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance. We recognise the important role that faith groups and NGOs play in responding to humanitarian crises and through direct funding, country programmes and multilateral support, we work with NGOs and faith groups, who are often best placed to meet the needs of those most at risk. In Ukraine, we are working to ensure aid agencies are able to respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched its Ukraine Appeal on 2 March which has now reached over £100 million, with the government matching £25 million of the publics donations. This is our largest ever aid-match contribution, which will help DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to Stonewall over the last four years; and what his policy is on funding allocations to that charity in 2022 and beyond.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The FCDO works closely with a range of civil society organisations, including Stonewall, to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world. Most recently this included work with Stonewall to evacuate LGBT+ people from Afghanistan under threat from the Taliban. Any future funding to Stonewall would be allocated in keeping with FCDO policies. Please refer to the answer of 17 November 2021 to question 72342 for a detailed breakdown of funding provided to Stonewall since 2018.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Bahrain Government on the treatment and imprisonment of the leader of the political opposition, Mr Hasan Mushaima, and the leading human rights defender, Dr Abduljalil Alsingace.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor and raise the cases of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, Hassan Mushaima and others as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government has to increase humanitarian aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo to combat the ongoing hunger crisis in that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
As one of the largest bilateral donors to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we are providing life-saving assistance to 3 million people. The UK is also leading a global call to action on the risk of famine. Through our Presidency, the UK has recently secured the G7's first ever Compact to tackle the drivers of famine - helping protect over 34 million people at imminent risk and address the upward trend in people needing humanitarian aid, including in DRC.
The seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. As a result, UK humanitarian aid to DRC will not increase. We will remain a world-leading Official Development Assistance donor and still spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the Government of China's military threats against Taiwan.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are concerned by any action which raises tensions in the region and risks destabilising the status quo. Her Majesty's Government considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle Chinese Government aggression towards India.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We recognise that as neighbours India and China have an important relationship with one another. We welcome discussions between India and China to manage tensions along their disputed border, including the ninth round of Corps Commander-Level talks on 24 January. We continue to support a peaceful resolution between India and China of the border question.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the Government of Taiwan in the face of military threats from China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are concerned by any action which raises tensions in the region and risks destabilising the status quo. Her Majesty's Government considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to completely end UK aid to China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 26 November, there is still a case for some collaboration on development with China. As a major driver of global growth with increasing presence on the global stage China has to be part of finding solutions to global challenges. We offer expertise and skills to help tackle global issues like climate change, where action by China is critical to reaching our global climate goals, as well as using Official Development Assistance (ODA) to fund the ODA eligible portion of the costs of UK diplomatic staff in China, Chinese Chevening scholars and the British Council's ODA eligible activity in China.