Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) local availability of cancer services in Gaza and (b) access to treatment outside Gaza for cancer patients.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have made clear our concern about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the significant damage and destruction of civilian infrastructure, hospitals and clinics. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of access to healthcare, including critical health services, with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 1 June. We are urging the Government of Israel to ensure this access is maintained. The long-lasting movement restrictions and the serious constraints imposed by the occupation can impact the provision of medical care. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the financial capacity of the Palestinian Ministry of Health to respond to ongoing needs during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We welcome the steps that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities have taken so far to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage further dialogue in this regard. The UK is committed to global equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. The Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) were among the first to benefit from the COVAX scheme with its first delivery of vaccines on 17 March 2021. Since that initial shipment, we are pleased that several further deliveries have arrived in the OPTs, including most recently on 25 August 2021.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of global equitable access to covid-19 vaccines on the emergence of viral variants of covid-19.
Answered by Wendy Morton
All viruses change constantly through mutation, and many thousands of variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected across the world. Most have little to no impact on the virus's ability to cause infections and disease, but some can pose higher risks. Variants are more likely to arise in areas of high transmission. In addition to basic public health measures, the World Health Organisation has advised that ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines will reduce virus circulation. This will ultimately lead to fewer mutations and variants.
The UK is committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), committing £548 million, which leveraged $1 billion from other donors in 2020 through match funding. This support to COVAX has been critical to it supplying COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries, and economies. We have also committed to share the majority of our supply of any surplus vaccine doses with COVAX.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many covid-19 vaccine doses the UK has shared through the COVAX facility in 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK remains committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, and the Prime Minister has said that we will share the majority of any doses that are surplus to UK needs with COVAX. As the multilateral mechanism set up to support international cooperation on vaccines, COVAX remains best-placed for allocating vaccines where they are most needed, and will be most effective. We have already committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, which specifically supports vaccine access for at least 500 million people in up to 92 low and middle income countries in 2021. Our wider support for COVAX has enabled the mechanism to reach over 120 countries.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether covid-19 vaccine dose-sharing will count towards the Official Development Assistance budget for 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is a founding member, and one of the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, contributing £548 million for global equitable access. This £548 million spend, and the vital work it supports, has been assessed as ODA eligible, and will be met under our commitment to spend 0.5% of UK GNI on ODA.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on sharing surplus covid-19 vaccine doses through the COVAX facility in 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is committed to rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, treatments, and tests globally. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and I continue to speak to our international counterparts, discussing the shared fight against coronavirus.
For example, at the recent G7 Foreign and Development Ministerial Meeting, we agreed a statement on Equitable Access and Collaboration that recognised COVAX as "the key mechanism for global sharing of vaccines…to enable the rapid equitable deployment of vaccines." We committed to supporting access to safe, effective vaccines, with distribution guided by principles of equity and public health data.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to allocate additional funding to the COVAX facility in 2022.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), committing £548 million, which leveraged $1 billion from other donors through match funding in 2020. This support to COVAX has been critical in supplying COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and economies. The Prime Minister has also committed to sharing the majority of any surplus vaccines with COVAX.
The UK is committed to our G7 Presidency championing equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to help the world fight COVID-19, and build back better from this pandemic. We are engaging, including with our G7 partners, on COVAX's approach for 2022, and beyond, and continue to advocate for further financial contributions to COVAX to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Government plans to begin sharing surplus covid-19 vaccine doses through the COVAX facility in 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
As the multilateral mechanism set up to support international co-operation on vaccines, and to ensure that the most vulnerable countries have access, COVAX remains best-placed to allocate any surplus doses that the UK may have where they are most needed, and will be most effective. However, it is too early to determine how many doses of the vaccines that the UK has ordered will not be needed for the UK population. This is under constant review.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to the Government of Israel on the demolition or seizure of at least 114 EU-funded structures provided as humanitarian assistance to Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is concerned by the continued demolitions of Palestinian property and infrastructure by Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process.
The UK regularly raises demolitions with the Government of Israel. I raised my concerns about demolitions of Palestinian and humanitarian structures with the Israeli Ambassador on 29 October 2020, and the UK Ambassador to Israel outlined the UK's position to the Israeli Authorities in Jerusalem on the same day. UK senior officials raised demolitions with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 10 November 2020. The UK also urged the Government of Israel to end demolitions of property in the West Bank at the UN Security council on 21 December 2020. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities, including to Khan al Ahmar on 20 November, Givat Hamatos on 22 October, the South Hebron Hills on 19 October, and Ras al Tin on 16 October. We are focused on preventing demolitions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to tackle the (a) increase in the demolition of Palestinian property and (b) subsequent displacement of 524 Palestinian children in 2020.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is concerned by the continued demolitions of Palestinian property and infrastructure by Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process.
The UK regularly raises demolitions with the Government of Israel. I raised my concerns about demolitions of Palestinian and humanitarian structures with the Israeli Ambassador on 29 October 2020, and the UK Ambassador to Israel outlined the UK's position to the Israeli Authorities in Jerusalem on the same day. UK senior officials raised demolitions with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 10 November 2020. The UK also urged the Government of Israel to end demolitions of property in the West Bank at the UN Security council on 21 December 2020. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities, including to Khan al Ahmar on 20 November, Givat Hamatos on 22 October, the South Hebron Hills on 19 October, and Ras al Tin on 16 October. We are focused on preventing demolitions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.