Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the recovery efforts in Tanzania after the recent floods.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 14 April the Government of Tanzania confirmed that 58 people had died as a result of heavy rains and floods, with over 126,000 people, many of them from the most vulnerable communities, also affected. While the UK has not been asked to provide support, we will aid relief efforts through our contribution to the multi-donor pooled Start Network. Initial indications from discussions with partners in Tanzania suggest that humanitarian efforts will focus on economic recovery through livelihood support, food aid and hygiene assistance for women.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many Ministerial visits have taken place to Southern African Development Community nations in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognises the important role the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has in relation to regional issues. I [Minister Mitchell] regularly discuss a range of issues, including peace and security and UK-SADC collaboration, with regional partners. In the past 12 months I have travelled to Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, DRC with plans to visit a further two SADC countries in the next 3 months and have also met with the region at World Bank Spring Meetings, AfDB annual meetings and the UN General Assembly.
The information requested on the previous 10 years is not held centrally by the Department and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Senegalese counterpart.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Senegal's new Minister for African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Yassine Fall, took office on 11 April. I look forward to discussing our shared priorities with her and the new Senegalese government at the earliest opportunity, following our first UK-Senegal High Level Political Dialogue at which I hosted her predecessor in London in October last year. I also met Senegal's new Minister for Finance and Budget at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings last week.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what progress his Department has made on its preparations for this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October will be an important opportunity to mobilise Commonwealth action on shared interests, including boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment; enhancing access to climate finance and protecting the environment; and reaffirming our shared commitment to Commonwealth Charter values. We are working closely with Samoa, other Commonwealth partners and the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure CHOGM delivers strong outcomes that offer benefits to Commonwealth members and citizens. Ministerial attendance plans will be finalised closer to CHOGM.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many Ministers are scheduled to attend this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October will be an important opportunity to mobilise Commonwealth action on shared interests, including boosting intra-Commonwealth trade and investment; enhancing access to climate finance and protecting the environment; and reaffirming our shared commitment to Commonwealth Charter values. We are working closely with Samoa, other Commonwealth partners and the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure CHOGM delivers strong outcomes that offer benefits to Commonwealth members and citizens. Ministerial attendance plans will be finalised closer to CHOGM.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of reports of the conscription of Rohingya boys as child soldiers by the government of Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by credible reports of forcible detention and recruitment of the Rohingya, following the Myanmar military regime's conscription announcement. This has the potential to further stoke inter-communal tensions. On 4 April, the UK convened the UN Security Council to raise concern over the escalating conflict in Rakhine State. We are committed to supporting children in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in international fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many members of the Government will be attending the Paris Olympic Games.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We wish Team GB and ParalympicsGB every success at what promise to be very special Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. Attendance by members of His Majesty's Government at Paris 2024 remains under consideration.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with his Caribbean Community counterparts on the security situation in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Haiti that exacerbates pre-existing humanitarian and economic crises. I [Minister Rutley] have engaged significantly on this issue, discussing it with regional and international partners over many months. I most recently engaged with Caribbean partners during my attendance at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Guyana on 26 February, where I discussed concerns about - and options to respond to - the security situation in Haiti with interlocuters. The UK strongly supported the UN Resolution to authorise a Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to Haiti. And on 9 April, in his press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK would be providing over £5m to the MSS.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the kidnappings of schoolchildren in Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government is monitoring the recent kidnappings of schoolchildren in Nigeria and condemns this crime. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) dialogue in February, we strengthened our commitment to providing mentoring and capacity-building support to agencies tackling the threat of kidnap within Nigeria. As part of this partnership, the UK National Crime Agency is working with Nigeria to create a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell to increase interoperability between security and justice agencies responding to kidnaps. This will help reduce harm to victims and hold those responsible to account.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Zimbabwe on period poverty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I have not reviewed this matter in my meetings with President Mnangagwa or his Minister but supporting women and girls in Zimbabwe is a UK priority. Through our health programme the UK has delivered menstrual health education as part of the Sister2Sister (S2S) clubs which included supporting sustainable menstrual health options for girls such as disposable pads, reusable pads, menstrual cups, and menstrual underwear. Since 2012 the UK has worked alongside the Government of Zimbabwe to help provide sanitary products for schools through the Zimbabwe Girls Secondary Education (ZGSE) Programme implemented by CAMFED.