Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21589 on Military Bases: Diego Garcia, when she plans to publish the costs of the (a) proposed economic partnership and (b) Chagossian Trust Fund; and whether she plans to frontload payments for the proposed lease of the military base.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK-Mauritius treaty, which will enable the continued operation of the base on Diego Garcia, alongside the structure of any associated financial obligations, still remains subject to finalisation and signature.
It is not normal practice for the UK to confirm the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe. Any financial obligations arising from this agreement will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework, including through the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason his Department notified the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the resubmission of the planning application for the Chinese Embassy in Tower Hamlets; and whether that notification included material planning grounds for requesting that the Secretary of State exercise powers under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to determine the planning application.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In the anticipation of press interest in the application, FCDO officials notified colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) of the resubmission of the planning application for the Chinese Embassy in Tower Hamlets. This notification did not express any views on the exercise of the powers that the Secretary of State, MHCLG, has under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to call in and determine the planning application. The decision to call in the planning application was a decision of the Deputy Prime Minister in her capacity as Secretary of State, MHCLG, and was made in line with current policy on call-in.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has received from his Mauritian counterpart on the length of the proposed lease of the military base on Diego Garcia since 3 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The agreement will have a duration of 99 years from entry into force, extendable with the agreement of both parties.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish all (a) correspondence and (b) representations his Department (i) has made and (ii) received on the planning application for the proposed Chinese Embassy since July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to her quasi-judicial role. As you would expect, the FCDO has received correspondence relating to the planning application. We have no plans to publish this information. The Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary's written representations to the Planning Inquiry are publicly available.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what verbal discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Chinese government on the planning application for a new Chinese Embassy in London since July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and she will make this decision independent from the rest of Government corresponding to her quasi-judicial role.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of closer economic ties with China on (a) the UK economy and (b) public finances.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor visited Beijing and Shanghai for the 2025 UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue. The government published a press statement and policy outcomes paper on Saturday 11 January which lists the outcomes for British businesses and the UK economy. The press release and paper can be found here.
The Chancellor also published a written ministerial statement about her visit to China on the morning of Monday 13 January (found here) and delivered an oral statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 14 January.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 potential implications for his policies of the decision by the Taliban to prohibit women and girls from undertaking midwifery and nursing courses in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is deeply concerned at reports of a ban on women accessing medical training in Afghanistan, including midwifery education. We have released a statement strongly condemning the decision and officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan have met with Taliban leaders to urge them to reverse this decision. We have made clear that this is yet another affront to girls' right to education and will threaten the lives of countless women and girls who will be denied critical medical care, as well as their children. Officials are working closely with partners to assess the mid to long-term effects. We continue to press the Taliban on all human rights abuses in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to promote the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions and, most recently, at a G7+ meeting of Special Representatives in Geneva on 16 December. As the Foreign Secretary has said, exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic setback for Afghanistan. Officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan continue to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan, including the most recent ban on female medical education. We are committed that at least 50 percent of people reached by our £161 million aid programme in Afghanistan will be women and girls.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide humanitarian (a) assistance and (b) aid to Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is taking a leading role in the humanitarian response to the people of Afghanistan and has provided over 2.7 million people with humanitarian assistance in financial year 2023/24. The FCDO is planning £161 million of funding to Afghanistan this financial year (2024/25) which includes both humanitarian aid and support for essential services. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners such as UN organisations, the Red Cross and NGOs, and we remain committed that at least 50 percent of people reached are women and girls. We are focused on supporting both emergency relief and strengthening the capacity of Afghan communities.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
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 recent trends in the prevalence of human right abuses in China; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such instances on civilians.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
People across China face widespread restrictions and violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and Tibetans, restrict civil society and independent media, and target human rights defenders and lawyers. We provided this assessment at the UN General Assembly last October, and the Human Rights Council in September. In addition, we joined a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly and a statement led by the USA on Xinjiang at the Human Rights Council, both of which provided further assessments of the human rights situations in the respective geographies.