Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 merits of relocating the British Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There are no plans to move the UK embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv. Israel is a close friend and key strategic partner, built on decades of cooperation. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with Israel through our Embassy in Tel Aviv.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 economic development in Monserrat.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to supporting the economic development of Montserrat as part of our enduring commitment to the Overseas Territories. The FCDO is funding a five-year £30 million capital investment programme which will deliver a package of infrastructure projects, including a subsea fibre cable and a new hospital. The FCDO is also providing £28.3 million to develop a new port which will improve access to the island. The UK also provides approximately 65 per cent of the Government of Montserrat's recurrent budget which supports the delivery of key public services and funding to improve local resilience from a variety of government funding streams.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken in negotiations with the EU to help support peace in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign Secretary is in regular and close contact with Vice President Sefcovic to find solutions to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Our priority is protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and political stability in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of reports that the Islamic revolutionary guard corps launched an explosive drone at an oil tanker off the coast of Oman.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the recent drone attack on MV PACIFIC ZIRCON. We remain committed to assuring the safety of shipping in the Middle East region, including through the Gulf of Oman. The UK is a member of the International Maritime Security Construct, along with several Gulf partners, which addresses the threat in the region by providing reassurance to commercial shipping and deterring further threats. We note recent reporting that Iran may be behind the attack. We will work with partners to ensure that those responsible are held to account.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent discussions she has had with her G7 counterparts on strengthening European security.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has played a leading role alongside our G7 allies in driving the response to Putin’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
On 7 April, the Foreign Secretary met her G7 counterparts at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels. They reiterated our unwavering support for Ukraine, and our readiness to assist further, including providing weapons and financial assistance to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression.
The Foreign Secretary will meet her G7 counterparts again in Germany next month.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
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 help ensure that any international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We are at the end of talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). Our objective remains to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. There is a fair and comprehensive deal on the table which would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation and return Iran's nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits. The JCPoA would also restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency and prohibit activities relevant to nuclear weapons development. A rapid conclusion to the deal is essential for international security.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts regarding Iran’s refusal to provide clarification to the International Atomic Energy Agency about nuclear material present at four previously undeclared locations in Iran.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
As a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the UK is regularly involved in discussions on the outstanding issues related to Iran's implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, most recently at the quarterly meeting 7-11 March 2022. Ahead of the meeting, the UK consulted with international counterparts and during the Board session issued a joint statement with France and Germany noting Iran's recent agreement with the IAEA to make progress on this issue, and reinforcing that Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA by providing technically credible information, documentation and answers to questions requested by the IAEA.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to programmes on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the last five years for spending overseas (a) in total and (b) on the provision of abortion.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to International Planned Parenthood Foundation over the last five years for spending overseas (a) in total and (b) on the provision of abortion.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to Marie Stopes International in the last five years for spending overseas (a) in total and (b) on the provision of abortion.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.
A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.
As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.