Stephen Doughty

The Government is currently undertaking its own laboratory work as a priority to better understand the impact of the new Covid-19 variants on the vaccines currently in deployment, in particular the risk of vaccine resistance. We maintain close contact with vaccine developers to understand their own studies as to the efficacy of their vaccines on variants and the impact on current supply chain arrangements for their manufacture.

We continue to take a portfolio-based approach that monitors the landscape of Covid-19 vaccine development and we remain confident that the three vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford University/AstraZeneca, and Moderna) that we have purchased, which have been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), will continue to be effective against the virus.

The Government is currently undertaking its own laboratory work as a priority to better understand the impact of the new Covid-19 variants on the vaccines currently in deployment, in particular the risk of vaccine resistance. We maintain close contact with vaccine developers to understand their own studies as to the efficacy of their vaccines on variants and the impact on current supply chain arrangements for their manufacture.

We continue to take a portfolio-based approach that monitors the landscape of Covid-19 vaccine development and we remain confident that the three vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford University/AstraZeneca, and Moderna) that we have purchased, which have been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), will continue to be effective against the virus.

The Government has procured 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and 100 million doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccines.

The UK was the first country in the world to start a vaccination programme using these vaccines. As of 26 January 2021, over 6.85 million people across the UK have been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine. We continue to work to meet our target of vaccinating all four priority groups by 15 February.

Vaccines are a precious resource in very high demand across the world; therefore, for security reasons it is not possible to provide detail about the size of our supplies and exact detail about deliveries.

The Government has made several strategic investments in UK vaccine manufacturing capabilities to increase its capacity, ensuring we are able to manufacture across different vaccine technologies and embed resilience. This includes:

• The acceleration and expansion of flexible vaccine manufacturing capabilities at the UK’s first Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) in Harwell.
• Collaborating with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to fund a state-of-the-art Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree.
• Expansion of the Valneva factory in Livingston, Scotland, which is capable of whole virus manufacture.

Both the VMIC and Braintree sites are flexible to vaccine types, including messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vector, and protein sub-unit. These sites could have a role in providing capability to manufacture vaccines to address the emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus.

The Government has also invested through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support the creation of a new Centre of Excellence in mRNA vaccine manufacture at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), with equipment that can manufacture mRNA for vaccines. This funding has upgraded CPI’s National Biologics Manufacturing Centre at Darlington to obtain good manufacturing practice certification for the manufacture of RNA products including mRNA for clinical trials. A key advantage of RNA vaccines is how quickly they can be developed compared with other platforms.

The Government invested over £300 million in 2020 to secure and scale-up the UK’s manufacturing capabilities to respond to this pandemic, including:

- £127 million towards the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Braintree in Essex;

- £93 million to accelerate the completion and expanded role of the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Oxfordshire;

- £4.7 million for skills training through the Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network, which will be delivered through both virtual and physical centres;

- £8.75 million for the set-up of the rapid deployment facility at Oxford Biomedica in Oxfordshire; and

- £65.5 million for the manufacture of the University of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.

In addition to the above, we have also funded the fill and finish of vaccines through a contract with Wockhardt in Wrexham, North Wales, as well as the expansion of the Valneva factory in Livingston, Scotland. However, we are not able to give further details on these two developments owing to commercial confidentiality.

The Government takes security extremely seriously and is ensuring all necessary steps are taken.

Vaccines are a precious resource and are in very high demand across the world; therefore, for security reasons it is not possible to provide detail about the size of our supplies or give exact detail about future deliveries.

We have been monitoring the requirements across the supply chain from supplier through to patients for some time. All vaccine candidates’ supply and onward deployment have clear supply chain plans across the value chain, including materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution.

As of 18 January 2021, over 4.6 million people in the UK had been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine. We are in the process of understanding the implications of Pfizer’s announcement on 15 January regarding upgrades to its manufacturing capacity. We continue to work to meet our target of vaccinating all four priority groups, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, by the middle of February.

We have been monitoring the requirements across the supply chain from supplier through to patients for some time. All vaccine candidates’ supply and onward deployment have clear supply chain plans across the value chain, including materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution.

Three of the UK's seven COVID-19 vaccines are being manufactured in the UK. The Government has worked closely with the manufacturers to ensure that we have sufficient capacity secured.

The Government has also invested over £300 million in securing and scaling up the UK’s manufacturing capabilities to be able to respond to this pandemic.

We have been monitoring the requirements across the supply chain from supplier through to patients for some time. All vaccine candidates’ supply and onward deployment have clear supply chain plans across the value chain, including materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution.

Three of the UK's seven COVID-19 vaccines are being manufactured in the UK. The Government has worked closely with the manufacturers to ensure that we have sufficient capacity secured.

The Government has also invested over £300 million in securing and scaling up the UK’s manufacturing capabilities to be able to respond to this pandemic.

The Department has been in close contact with the metals recycling sector during this challenging period. The sector has seen a reduction to material flows throughout the economy, which is impacting their output.

The metals recycling sector has made use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and we have also promoted the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, alongside other business support schemes.

The Government is mindful of the important role that the metals recycling sector plays in keeping our economy moving and we continue to be receptive to their concerns.

As stated in Written Question 46671, CDC has invested a total of $78,795,576 into the above companies over the last five years (2015-19). A $50,000,000 direct debt investment was made in Irrawaddy Green Tower Project in 2016. A $20,000,000 direct equity investment was made in Frontiir Co. Ltd in 2019. The remainder has been invested through 4 investment funds. These are Anthem Asia Myanmar SME Venture Fund, Insitor Impact Asia Fund Private Ltd, Myanmar Opportunities Fund II and Advans S.A. These funds have made six investments over the last five years in Shan Orchard, Solar Home Pte Ltd, MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, Advans Myanmar and Frontiir Co Ltd.

CDC discloses on its website the amount it invests into companies, projects and investment funds. The amount invested by those funds into underlying investments is not disclosed as this information is commercially sensitive

CDC’s rigorous due diligence process involves assessing a wide range of Environmental and Social, as well as Business Integrity risks and involves the production of multiple separate documents and reports. Ordinarily, CDC does not publish the suite of documents related to the due diligence it undertakes in the course of making investments because these documents contain commercially confidential or sensitive information about the business being reviewed.

On that basis, DFID does not intend to publish the documents related to the due diligence of investments listed above.

CDC does publish an overview of expected development impact, including key elements related to Environmental and Social issues, for new investments into companies and funds. The next update of CDC’s database will be available from July when CDC publishes its Annual Review.

We are deeply concerned about COVID-19 and the desert locust outbreak compounding high humanitarian need already caused by residual effects of war and climate change induced disasters in Eritrea. Limited health infrastructure, limited diagnostic capacity, low levels of sanitation coverage and high pre-existing levels of malnutrition and morbidity, raise the Eritrean population’s vulnerability. The locust outbreak is destroying crops, livelihoods and essential food supplies. The impact of COVID-19 on domestic market supply chains and household food and income sources could also be significant.

Existing humanitarian and development programmes in Eritrea are being adapted to address current food security challenges. The UK has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £4 million to UNICEF in 2019-20 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services. The UK has provided £7 million to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Regional Emergency Appeal for the locust outbreak, which includes Eritrea. With the UK’s support, the FAO is spraying pesticides on the ground and by air to prevent further damage to crops and livelihoods.

Recent changes in the Government of Ethiopia’s (GoE) asylum policies, alongside the impact of COVID-19, are affecting the ability of Eritreans to acquire refugee status in Ethiopia. The policy changes have seen a reduction in the numbers of Eritreans registering with the GoE and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian agencies are now concerned that many Eritreans, including unaccompanied children, arrive in Ethiopia but do not complete the formal registration processes that facilitate access to lifesaving protection and other forms of assistance. This makes it challenging to assess their humanitarian needs.

We are not aware that unaccompanied children are being turned away at the Ethiopian border. However, in an effort to limit transmission of COVID-19 GoE asylum personnel are no longer deployed at border crossings, which complicates registration processes for newly arrived asylum seekers. Despite these complications we are encouraged that recent COVID-19 planning documents shared by the GoE stress Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold the right to asylum.

In Ethiopia, the UK has allocated £22.2 million to COVID-19 activities with urgent support now reaching refugees and other communities across the country. Ongoing UK funded programmes are also being adapted to meet COVID-19 needs, which refugees are also benefitting from.

In addition to a financial and development impact assessment, when making an investment CDC evaluates a wide range of Environmental and Social (E&S), as well as Business Integrity, risks through a rigorous due diligence process. All of CDC’s investments follow its Code of Responsible Investing.

In the case of CDC’s investment into Frontiir, this included a stand-alone E&S due diligence with the terms of reference explicitly aligned to the CDC Code of Responsible Investing. The methodology included a site visit to Frontiir’s operations and a review of relevant documentation. The scope of the due diligence placed a focus on contextual factors including implications for any disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, indigenous peoples, alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, forced labour/child labour, occupational health and safety and understanding how data security and privacy are handled, including censorship and government disclosure.

CDC provides further guidance on due diligence in its ESG Toolkit.

The amount CDC invested into companies in Myanmar in the each of the last five years is:

The names of companies that received investment in this period are: Shan Orchard, Frontiir Co. Ltd, Solar Home Pte Ltd, MC Easy Microfinance Co. Ltd, Alliance for Microfinance in Myanmar Ltd, Advans Myanmar, Irrawaddy Green Tower Project.

The Partnership Principles play an important role in the UK Government’s decision-making process, helping to inform the extent to which we work directly with partner governments in countries where we have a bilateral aid programme.

CDC invests in private companies to achieve development impact. It does not lend to governments or invest in state owned enterprises. The Partnership Principles do not readily apply when making investments in private companies, however CDC nonetheless ensures that all its investee companies meet high environmental, social and governance standards through their Code of Responsible Investing.

CDC’s investment into Frontiir followed their Code of Responsible Investing.

DFID’s Partnership Principles underpin our development relationships with partner country governments. The last major update to the Principles was made in 2015.

The Principles continue to reflect core UK values on human rights and good governance and are an essential tool in providing a balanced judgement of a partner government’s shared commitment to those values.

They allow UK Ministers to make informed choices on our aid relationships on a case by case basis, and they improve the effectiveness of our aid, ultimately supporting countries receiving it to become self-sufficient.

The most recent meeting between Peter Sands and UK Ministers was with the Secretary of State for International Development’s predecessor at the Global Fund Sixth Replenishment Conference in Lyon on 10 October 2019. The UK is a strong supporter of the Global Fund and the second largest donor to the Sixth Replenishment.

CDC remains a long-term investor and is open for business. CDC and the Department for International Development are working together to deliver a targeted response that preserves, strengthens and helps rebuild economies across Africa and South Asia in response to the impact of COVID-19.

Firstly, CDC is supporting its existing portfolio of companies. CDC is assessing where it can provide additional capital to help firms and their workers weather the crisis. CDC has also launched an Emergency Technical Assistance Facility and published advice on its website (https://www.cdcgroup.com/covid-19) on measures that companies should take to protect the health and safety of employees and customers and protect jobs.

Secondly, CDC is focused on strengthening the response to the wider economic and health challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis. CDC is actively looking to make new investments that can provide more systemic liquidity to companies, especially Small Medium Enterprises, and at investments that can directly mitigate some of the adverse health impacts of COVID-19.

Finally, CDC will be there to support countries rebuild and will continue to invest for long-term sustainable development in its geographies.

DFID Zimbabwe does not bilaterally fund the procurement of ARVs in Zimbabwe. The Global Fund – to which the UK is the second largest donor – does however provide support for the procurement of ARVs in Zimbabwe. In June 2019, concerns were raised over the distribution of expired ARVs, procured through the Global Fund. At the time of procurement, the ARVs expiry date was approaching but ARVS were urgently needed as there was a risk of stocks in country. Assurances were provided by the Manufacturer and the Medical Council Association of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) that the medicines were safe and effective before they were distributed.

DFID’s central teams work closely with the Global Fund to ensure they are actively monitoring supply chain issues at a global level and engage closely with partners. Global Fund Partners are supported in implementing good practices including safeguarding against purchase and use of expired drugs.

The COVID-19 outbreak presents a risk to the ongoing supply and distribution of ARVs. The majority of ARV procurement and distribution in Zimbabwe is funded by PEPFAR and USAID have taken several steps to ensure that patients continue to receive their prescriptions such as providing monthly rather than weekly prescriptions, so patients do not have to visit clinics so frequently. The Global Fund is also flexing to cope with the crisis. It has created up to $1 billion of flexible funding opportunities for countries to re-programme existing grants and apply for additional funding, including in Zimbabwe. This will support countries with their direct COVID-19 response, address critical gaps in health systems, and to adapt their HIV, TB, and malaria programmes, including if needed to reinforce in-country ARV supply chain management.

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is a cross-government fund managed by the Joint Funds Unit (JFU). The JFU are taking steps to ensure existing programmes consider the implications of COVID-19 and are currently assigning 25% of discretionary spending to new programming on COVID-19 response. Activities funded to date include supplying specialist medical equipment, hygiene kits and pharmaceuticals in the Middle East and North Africa, and funding healthcare systems in the UK’s Overseas Territories. An ongoing CSSF re-prioritisation exercise will determine how existing and new programmes respond to COVID-19. This exercise will ensure that CSSF funding complements departmental efforts to coordinate the international health response and support vulnerable countries to meet future challenges to security and stability linked to the pandemic.

Dev Tracker (https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/) publishes all our approved programming and disbursements, all of which flow from Secretary of State (or via her delegated approval). Ministers have made no decisions yet on suspension of activities. It is too early to catch changes to our planned spending for 2020/21 on our management information systems.

Pursuant to my answer on 16 March, the Department will provide details of all budget transfers to other Government Departments in our Memorandum to the International Development Committee on the publication of the department’s Main Supply Estimate.

We are supporting the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) COVID-19 response by deploying a UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and £2 million of research and response capacity-building funding alongside the Wellcome Trust from our Joint Initiative on Research for Epidemic Preparedness Programme. We also have a Public Health England expert on long term secondment to Africa CDC with whom I have spoken.

Members of the Government and UK officials are in regular contact with senior Africa CDC representatives. I spoke with the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, H.E. Amira El Fadil and Dr Benjamin Djoudalbaye, Head of the Division of Policy, Health Diplomacy and Communication on Tuesday 21 April to discuss the work of Africa CDC and the UK’s on-going support. UK officials have also spoken with Dr John Nkengasong and his team and are due to do so again this week.

My Department will provide details of all budget transfers to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments in our Memorandum to the International Development Committee on the publication of the department’s Main Supply Estimate.

The UK is leading high level political engagement for the international community on Somaliland’s overdue parliamentary elections calling on all political actors to ensure they are held well before the end of 2020. Over the last three months, we have continued diplomatic efforts in addition to work through the Conflict Security and Stability Fund to provide ongoing support to mediation efforts, technical expertise for the National Electoral Commission secretariat and the engagement of marginalised groups, including women and minorities, in the electoral process.

As outlined by the Heath Secretary’s announcement to the House of Commons on 9 February 2021, new measures will come into force from 15 February 2021 to deliver robust measures, coupled with stronger enforcement action. A range of measures will apply to passengers and crew travelling from ‘red list’ countries, and those who have been in ‘red list’ countries in the past 10 days. Further guidance and information following this announcement will be issued in due course.

The information requested is not held centrally. The information may be available from individual airports and air traffic control providers, which operate in the private sector.

Carriers have been requested to report on the health of passengers through General Aircraft Declarations (GAD) prior to disembarkation. This information is held by Public Health England.

To bring stability and certainty to the industry during this turbulent time, all DfT-franchised train operating companies (excluding LNER and Northern Trains) have seen a temporary suspension of their existing franchise agreements financial mechanisms, and all revenue and cost risk has been transferred to the Government. These arrangements allow us to ensure that trains operate for those who cannot work from home, and essential travel can continue. We continue to manage rail services with close scrutiny of costs, to ensure efficiency and good value for the taxpayer.

We are closely monitoring the developing situation in the region and have been keeping our advice to UK carriers under constant review. Both UK and foreign carriers continue to make their own routing decisions based on Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and internal risk assessments.

Last week, the Department for Transport issued NOTAMs requesting that UK carriers avoid operating in Iranian and Iraqi airspace. This is in line with similar advice provided by international partners including the US, Canada, France and Germany.

Public Health England’s (PHE’s) International Health Regulation (IHR) Strengthening Project and the United Kingdom Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) have provided genome sequencing support to Nigeria to independently sequence the virus. The IHR and UK-PHRST continue to provide support, remotely or through in person deployment, to a number of countries around the world.

In addition, PHE IHR and UK-PHRST are exploring opportunities to support Africa Centres for Disease Control’s sequencing strategies. PHE is also providing genome sequencing support to Gibraltar, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

To ensure vaccines are shared equitably across the United Kingdom, the Barnett formula is used to calculate vaccine supply allocations to the devolved Administrations.

The new guidance means that people living with HIV in England can now choose to arrange their COVID-19 vaccine through specialist clinics, without notifying their general practitioner (GP).

We encourage everyone living with HIV to make their GP aware of their HIV diagnosis. Where that is not possible, HIV clinics should identify those who have not given permission to disclose their HIV status to their GP and refer individuals into local vaccination hubs.

Public Health England (PHE) has staff permanently located at London Heathrow. Exact numbers vary with demand. PHE’s Heathrow based Health Control Unit provides all English ports with 24 hours a day, seven days a week public health support, risk assessments and advice. PHE also works with local National Health Services and other first responders to provide local health support when needed.

Public health is a devolved issue and it is up to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to decided how, what and where resources are deployed at ports of entry, which will vary depending on demand.

Public Health England does not hold prevalence rates or R rates for international countries.

The United Kingdom Government has committed £24.6 million for COVID-19 research through a joint Rapid Response Research Call and is providing over £45 million in funding to two UK vaccine candidates. Details of the projects funded through the joint Rapid Response call, including the amount of funding granted are publicly available on the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation-Medical Research Council websites.

The UK Government is a signatory of the 2013 Helsinki declaration which states that research studies must be registered on an internationally recognised trial registry. The International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register is the internationally recognised registry of choice for primary research in the UK and feeds into the World Health Organization’s own systems. All NIHR-funded primary research studies are required to register in an appropriate registry.

The United Kingdom Government is a signatory of the 2013 Helsinki declaration which states that research studies must be registered on an internationally recognised trial registry. The International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register (ISRCTN) is the internationally recognised registry of choice for primary research in the UK and feeds into the World Health Organization’s own systems. Other internationally recognised registries may be appropriate or required for the primary registry; e.g. where there is a regulatory requirement.

The 5 million euros funding from the Department to the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) in support of the four-year March 2018 to February 2022 project the Pan-African Network for Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Disease Epidemics (PANDORA-ID-NET) was made in December 2017 as part of the Department‘s contribution to EDCTP’s 2016 workplan. To date EDCTP has disbursed 2.8 million euros in 2018 and 546,000 euros in 2020 to the PANDORA-ID-NET project, a total of 3,346,000 euros in the Department’s Official Development Assistance funding.

The African Coalition for Epidemic Research Response has received United Kingdom’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding through the Department’s ODA-funded global health research portfolio.

The Pan-African Network for Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Disease Epidemics (PANDORA-ID-NET) has received United Kingdom Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding through the Department’s ODA-funded global health research portfolio.

The Department is continuing to work closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and local government to plan for routine commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from April 2020. We will set out how commissioners will be supported shortly.

Routine commissioning of PrEP is expected to accommodate all individuals at risk of acquiring HIV based on clinical risk assessment. These assessments will be informed by current clinical guidelines produced by the British HIV Association and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV in relation to assessment of individuals at risk of HIV. These state that ‘PrEP is indicated for those at greater risk of HIV acquisition and therefore comprehensive history taking and risk assessment, including both sexual and drug taking histories, are required to identify those most likely to benefit’.

The Department is continuing to work closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and local government to plan for routine commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from April 2020. We will set out how commissioners will be supported shortly.

Routine commissioning of PrEP is expected to accommodate all individuals at risk of acquiring HIV based on clinical risk assessment. These assessments will be informed by current clinical guidelines produced by the British HIV Association and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV in relation to assessment of individuals at risk of HIV. These state that ‘PrEP is indicated for those at greater risk of HIV acquisition and therefore comprehensive history taking and risk assessment, including both sexual and drug taking histories, are required to identify those most likely to benefit’.

Public Health England (PHE) is supporting cities in England that are working towards or have joined the HIV Fast Track Cities (FTCs) network and the International Association of providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC). Further information on the FTC programme is available at the following link:

http://www.fast-trackcities.org/cities

This support has included providing specialist public health advice to identify needs across the range of care. For example, improving access to HIV testing, tackling stigma and providing bespoke data analysis to better understand the local need.

PHE also works collaboratively with the initiative to provide methodologies and data to IAPAC, sharing learning and expertise with other FTCs and helping secure funding for work regionally.

The inhabited Overseas Territories are separate, largely self-governing jurisdictions with their own democratically-elected representatives. Our relationship with the Territories is based on partnership and we are working together to put in place arrangements to protect the legal status and rights of LGBT+ people. Nine of the Overseas Territories have legal recognition and protection for LGBT+ people, six have also introduced legislation to introduce civil partnerships or legalise same-sex marriage.

We continue to assess and engage with all the Overseas Territories to ensure that their legislation is compliant with their international obligations.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs is following developments in Kazakhstan closely and is very concerned by the violent clashes witnessed in recent days. It is deeply regrettable that lives have been lost and many others injured. We have called for calm and condemned the acts of violence and destruction of property. Protests should be peaceful and law enforcement responses proportionate and in line with Kazakhstan's international commitments. We are also concerned by the withdrawal of internet services. At the beginning of the protests, President Tokayev signalled his intention to engage with the legitimate demands of peaceful protestors, a fact that we welcome. FCDO Ministers and the British Embassy team in Nur-Sultan are in contact with the Kazakhstan authorities to establish the latest information. The situation is changing quickly, so any British Nationals in Kazakhstan or planning to travel should check the latest advice on the FCDO website, which is kept under regular review. We will also continue to respond promptly to consular enquiries.

Freedom of Navigation is a critical element of the rules-based international order and the UK plays an important role in upholding this principle. A clear example has been the global deployment of the HMS Queen Elizabeth Strike Group in 2021 - a joint deployment with NATO Allies which supported FCDO, Defence and International Trade objectives. We will continue to work with NATO Allies and other partners to safeguard Freedom of Navigation wherever it is under threat. In the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Riga in December 2021, The Foreign Secretary spoke with like-minded Allies including Canada about the importance of working together on issues affecting the Arctic, such as climate science and collective security. This was part of the Foreign Secretary's regular discussions with NATO counterparts covering regional security issues.

As the Foreign Secretary set out in her statement to Parliament on 7 January, we are working closely with international partners to push back against Russia's threatening behaviour and to make clear the severe costs to Russia of any military incursion. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba on 4 January, after welcoming him to London for high level talks on 8 December. She spoke bilaterally to US Secretary of State Blinken on 22 December and again with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany on 29 December. The Foreign Secretary also joined an extraordinary meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on 7 January to discuss Russia's military build-up and broader European security issues.

The UK takes seriously talk of secession and other threats to undo the progress of the last twenty-six years in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). These are clear challenges to the peace and stability envisaged by the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP). Those responsible must cease this destabilising and divisive rhetoric. As a member of the UN Security Council and Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, the UK is committed to upholding the GFAP in BiH. The recent appointment of Sir Stuart Peach as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Western Balkans shows our strong commitment to the region. The UK works closely with our partners to support BiH's territorial integrity and to maintain the peace stabilisation force (EUFOR) and the Office of the High Representative. We work closely with various multinational bodies such as the Council of Europe, NATO, the OSCE and UN to encourage the authorities in BiH to meet their obligations to those who elected them. On 13 December, the Foreign Secretary hosted Western Balkans Foreign Ministers at Lancaster House, and took forward discussions on how to support stability in BiH.

The Government condemns the erratic and irresponsible behaviour of Lukashenko's regime in Belarus. Belarus' exploitation of irregular migration to apply pressure on Poland and others in the region shows Lukashenko's complete lack of respect for international rules. We continue to stand with our allies who have been targeted by this provocative use of irregular migration, including by deploying troops from the Royal Engineers to support our Polish partners. We are supporting humanitarian partners to alleviate suffering at the border. Through our contributions to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, organised by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies we have ensured support gets to those who need it. While we have not done a full analysis of the numbers involved, we have seen a decrease in the number of migrants entering Belarus and note that many of those who were stranded at the border have now returned to their countries of origin.

To date, the UK has delivered 16.1 million doses to recipients, either bilaterally or through COVAX. A further 5.8 million vaccine doses are with COVAX and in the process of being allocated and delivered and a further 9 million will be delivered to COVAX in the coming weeks

In 2020, the UK provided over £300 million in bilateral overseas development assistance to countries across Southern Africa. Of this, the countries referred to have received approximately £49 million in covid-19 related support. The UK has also provided significant additional support to multilateral efforts to alleviate the covid-19 crisis across Africa.

The FCDO does not maintain data on numbers of British nationals overseas and we do not require British nationals to register with an Embassy / High Commission when they travel or live abroad. Any registration process would quickly become dated as British nationals would not reliably update their location. We do however, encourage British nationals to follow FCDO Travel Advice and to consult gov.uk for the latest information and advice on returning to the UK from a red list country.

The UK New Variant Assessment Platform (NVAP) is providing genomic sequencing assistance to countries in the African region. This support includes supply of reagents and other consumables, technical assistance, training and secondments of experts. In response to the Omicron variant, NVAP have offered to provide rapid support to countries in the Southern African Development Community region at request from countries. Support will include sequencing samples in the UK, training, procurement of reagents, and technical, analytical and public health advice. Countries will receive a package of support tailored to their needs. NVAP has received a request to provide UK sequencing support to Zimbabwe and is mobilising this support as soon as possible.

I spoke with Dr John Nkengasong, Head of Africa Centres for Disease Control, on 7 October to update him on the UK's vaccines policy and the UK's significant support to his organisation. The African Union (AU)'s mediation efforts in the Ethiopia conflict have our full support. I spoke with AU Special Envoy Obasanjo on 4 November, and with AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole on 8 November.

I spoke with Dr John Nkengasong, Head of Africa Centres for Disease Control, on 7 October to update him on the UK's vaccines policy and the UK's significant support to his organisation. The African Union (AU)'s mediation efforts in the Ethiopia conflict have our full support. I spoke with AU Special Envoy Obasanjo on 4 November, and with AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole on 8 November.

I spoke with Ethiopian State Minister Redwan on 18 November about the deteriorating situation and raised our concerns about ethnic profiling and detentions, stressing the need for all parties to the conflict to engage in meaningful talks and avoid further bloodshed.

The Foreign Secretary also spoke to Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen on 5 November, where she also made clear there is no military solution and that negotiations are needed to avoid bloodshed and deliver lasting peace. We have made these points repeatedly to the Ethiopian Government and the Tigrayan authorities. Alongside the US we are fully supportive of the African Union's mediation efforts. I spoke with AU Special Envoy Obasanjo on 4 November, and with AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole on 8 November.

We are extremely concerned by the security situation in Ethiopia. I issued a statement on 24 November about the deteriorating situation and urged British nationals to now leave while commercial flights are available as options could be severely limited in the coming days. We routinely undertake contingency and scenario planning alongside the Ministry of Defence in order to ensure the safety of UK citizens and personnel around the world. Media reports that orders have been issued for UK personnel to deploy to support evacuation operations in Ethiopia are not true.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not require British nationals to register with an Embassy / High Commission when they travel or live abroad. Any registration process would quickly become dated as British nationals would not reliably update their location. British nationals are encouraged to follow FCDO Travel Advice for the latest information and advice on what to do if they are in Ethiopia.

The conflict in Tigray has had significant consequences and has displaced millions of people including more than 63,000 Ethiopian refugees who have sought safety in Sudan. The UK has provided £6.1 million in funding to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Danish Refugee Council to address urgent needs arising from the Tigray crisis in Sudan. This is part of an overall UK commitment of more than £76 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict, making the UK the second largest donor. Our priority is to ensure that all Ethiopians including internally displaced people (IDP) and irrespective of ethnicity, religion and political affiliation, receive life-saving aid.

We remain a major development and humanitarian donor - and one of the biggest donors to Ethiopia with an overall UK commitment of more than £76 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict, making the UK the second largest donor. Given the severity of needs, in the last three months, funds have been drawn from ongoing development programmes in Ethiopia, as well as from bilateral development interventions which we have not been able to deliver due to insecurity or were not delivering lifesaving activity. Some planned funding originally earmarked for the Government of Ethiopia has also been re-directed towards humanitarian agencies operating in Afar, Amhara and Tigray. No Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been suspended. The UK is committed to ensuring that our aid is fully accountable. While we continue to urge all sides involved in the Tigray conflict to de-escalate and halt violence, we must make sure our ODA only serves to improve conditions for the intended beneficiaries. We will always review ODA when circumstances around its use may change.

Ituri is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Half its population suffer from acute food insecurity, the highest level in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (itself the world's largest food security crisis). Due to violent attacks by armed groups, more than 863,000 people have been displaced within Ituri in 2021, including 140,000 in just the past 3 months. Armed groups are also responsible for large numbers of civilian deaths, sexual violence, burning and looting of villages, attacks against health facilities, and for preventing people from farming their fields. Insecurity and attacks against humanitarian organisations are in turn affecting their ability to respond to the crisis.

As one of the largest humanitarian donors, the UK has been providing life-saving support to tens of thousands of affected people in Ituri through our funding to UN, NGO and Red Cross partners. This support includes cash transfers, emergency water and sanitation, family tracing and reunification, and sensitising armed actors to their responsibilities under international humanitarian law. The UK is also assisting efforts to reduce violence and build stability in eastern DRC, including by supporting MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission, and the DRC Government to demobilise armed groups and help local communities.

We are concerned by recent reports of the detention of several UN staff in Ethiopia. Expulsions and detention of key UN personnel will have a direct impact on the ability of the international community to deliver vital humanitarian assistance. On 30 September I [Minister Ford] called on the Government of Ethiopia to reverse the decision to expel UN officials from the country. Our concerns were reiterated at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 4 October where a joint statement was issued by the UK Ambassador to the UN on behalf of over 40 countries. We also raised these concerns at the UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Ethiopia on 6 October. The British Ambassador to Ethiopia raised our concerns about ongoing detentions with President Sahle-Work of Ethiopia on 12 November. On 5 November the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, setting out the pressing need for a ceasefire and a humanitarian access.

On 1 November I met with Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, in a formal bilateral meeting in the margins of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

The ongoing violence in the Central African Republic continues to take a distressing toll on the civilian population, compounding an already acute humanitarian situation. The UN estimates that in 2022 3.1 million people, or 63% of the population will need humanitarian assistance. The UK continues to make a significant humanitarian contribution, in 2020/21 this was £21 million.

The most important need continues to be security and the UK continues to work closely with international partners to support efforts to bring stability to the country. I spoke with President Touadéra on 1 November and underlined the UK's commitment to MINUSCA and the importance of an inclusive peace-building process. Last week the UK voted in support of renewing the mandate of the UN Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for a further 12 months and makes an annual assessed contribution to MINUSCA (approximately £40 million per year).

The UK is deeply concerned about the security situation in the Sahel and parts of West Africa. In the Sahel, there were more deaths by violence in 2020 than in any previous year in the past decade. We condemn all attacks and are particularly concerned about reported human rights abuses and violations in the region, which exacerbate grievances and drive the cycle of violence. Through our deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and our programmatic support for stabilisation and conflict resolution, the UK is committed to building long-term peace and stability in the Sahel. We have been pressing in the UN Security Council and in the region for renewed efforts to tackle impunity for human rights abuses and violations.

In the Lake Chad Basin region, the UK Government is also supporting efforts to respond to the regional conflict with extremist groups. We are supporting regional stabilisation efforts, the regionally-led fight against these groups, and the demobilisation, de-radicalisation and reintegration of former members.

Across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, we are using our humanitarian assistance to support those worst affected by conflict.

The UK stands firm with the LGBT+ community globally to affirm our commitment to the principle of non-discrimination on all grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. We make regular representations about LGBT+ rights, including to the Government of Ghana. We work through our High Commission in Accra, as well as international organisations, to promote non-discrimination towards LGBT+ people, and to address discriminatory laws.

The UK acknowledges Ghana's democratic reputation and respects Ghana's Parliamentary process. However, we fully support the position of the United Nations Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in condemning the arbitrary arrest of activists and the discriminatory nature of the draft Private Members Bill.

Ghana has historically been a champion of tolerance, inclusion and human rights. The UK encourages Ghana to reaffirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the principles of both the African and Commonwealth Charters.

We are concerned by the behaviour of some foreign private military companies operating in conflict zones, particularly those engaged as direct parties to conflicts. While foreign military companies might be engaged in legitimate activities, such as the protection of sensitive infrastructure; UN and media reports have noted that in the Central African Republic, widespread human rights abuses, including the killing and torture of unarmed civilians and widespread looting are being carried out by a foreign private military company. It is vital that all international actors, including private military companies, respect international humanitarian law and comply with relevant arms embargos in conflict zones.

The Safe To Be Me: Global Equality Conference team is working hard with a range of domestic and international stakeholders to shape its programme and delivery. No formal invitations to the event have issued yet, but we are planning on a wide range of global participation, recognising that countries are at different stages of the journey towards LGBT+ equality. We welcome attendance from any country who wants to make progress towards that goal.

The Safe To Be Me: Global Equality Conference team is working hard with a range of domestic and international stakeholders to shape its programme and delivery. No formal invitations to the event have issued yet, but we are planning on a wide range of global participation, recognising that countries are at different stages of the journey towards LGBT+ equality. We welcome attendance from any country who wants to make progress towards that goal.

We regularly discuss the conflict in Ethiopia with a wide variety of partners, including at the UN and the African Union (AU). I spoke on 28 October at a UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate, stressing the importance of cooperation between the UN and AU in this conflict. The Foreign Secretary spoke with the AU Horn of Africa Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo on 12 October and offered our full support to his efforts. I spoke with him on 4 November to discuss the situation in Ethiopia and reiterate our support. I also spoke with the AU Commissioner Bankole Adeoye on 8 November about the urgent need for a ceasefire and humanitarian access in Ethiopia. During the World Leaders Summit at COP26, I was also able to discuss the situation with leaders of different African States. The Foreign Secretary also spoke to Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen on 5 November, where she made clear there is no military solution and that negotiations are needed to avoid bloodshed and deliver lasting peace.

On 5 November the UNSC issued a Press Statement, following the introduction of the nationwide State of Emergency by Prime Minister Abiy on 2 November, expressing deep concern about the conflict and its impact on the humanitarian situation and wider region. The UNSC most recently met on 8 November, where the UK called for all parties to stop fighting and start talking, and to implement the recommendations contained in the joint report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

The UK was pleased to join with others on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to approve the Global Fund's new strategy for 2023-2028. This will underpin development of the investment case for the next replenishment. The UK Government continues to be a major donor to international health organisations and programmes, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and the Global Fund.

The UK has contributed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which aims to provide up to 1.8 billion doses to low and middle-income countries by early 2022. Our G7 Presidency also secured agreement from leaders to share and finance an additional 1 billion doses by mid-2022. This includes a commitment from the UK to share 100 million doses, 80% of which will go through COVAX.

As of 9 November, the UK has provided 410,000 doses directly to Kenya. In addition to the financial contribution, a further 4,919,680 doses have been donated via COVAX and delivered to the following Sub-Saharan countries: Malawi (119,040), Angola (128,640), Ghana (249,600), Zambia (119,200), Senegal (140,160), Uganda (299,520), Kenya (407,040), Democratic Republic of Congo (51,840), Nigeria (1,292,640), Ethiopia (1,664,640), Niger (105,600), Mozambique (188,160) and Rwanda (153,600).

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, including the disturbing reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces. We continue to raise the crisis with representatives of the Government of Cameroon, including through our High Commission in Yaounde, as well as within multilateral fora. My predecessor visited Cameroon in March and met President Biya, Prime Minister Ngute and Foreign Minister Mbella Mbella to push for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. HMG also urges the Government of Cameroon to engage fully with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. At the UN Security Council in June, the UK's Permanent Representative reiterated the UN Secretary General's call for the violence to end and for all actors to stop attacks against civilians. At the UN Human Rights Council in September, the UK called for an end to violence and impartial investigations to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account. We have since reiterated these calls in our engagements with the Government of Cameroon.

We have engaged with the UN Working Group looking at proposals for a new international treaty on business and human rights since 2015 through to the seventh session, which took place on 25-29 October 2021. At the seventh session the UK actively engaged, setting out the UK's position via a statement which built on our substantive statement made during the sixth session, and participating in discussions chaired by Ecuador on next steps.

The UK Government has consistently supported the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights, which are widely regarded as the authoritative international framework to steer practical action by Governments and businesses worldwide on this important and pressing agenda. Implementation of the UNGPs will support access to justice and remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses, wherever these occur, and encourage businesses to voluntarily adopt due diligence approaches to respecting human rights.

The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UNGPs. In response to the Guidelines, the UK was the first State to produce a National Action Plan (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/522805/Good_Business_Implementing_the_UN_Guiding_Principles_on_Business_and_Human_Rights_updated_May_2016.pdf). We continue to develop our approach in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

We strongly condemn the actions of the Sudanese military on 25 October, including to detain Prime Minister Hamdok and members of the civilian government and declare a State of Emergency. The Foreign Secretary made a statement on 5 November calling for the release of all those unlawfully detained and restoration of the civilian-led transitional government, which followed a similar statement made with our Sudan Quad partners (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and US) on 3 November. We expressed our condemnation at a UN Security Council meeting on 26 October, as well as during a Special Session at the UN Human Rights Council we secured on 5 November which also adopted a resolution making clear that Sudan's civilian-led government must be restored, detainees freed, and human rights respected. Our Ambassador to Khartoum and other members of the diplomatic community in Khartoum have met with Prime Minister Hamdok to demonstrate UK support for his release. On 9 November Troika (UK, Norway and US) ambassadors met with General Burhan to urge the military to reverse their actions.

Sudanese civil society played an important role in the 2019 protests and we welcome their continued efforts towards ensuring the success of the transition since the revolution. It is crucial that the prominent role of civil society in Sudan's democratic transition continues. With our international partners we continue to maintain public international pressure on the military to return to the democratic transition in order to deliver the freedom, peace and justice called for by the Sudanese people.

The UK remains concerned by the situation in Eswatini, including by reports of the use of excessive force and the arbitrary arrest of protestors in mid-October. We have called for all reports of incidents of police brutality to be investigated. The UK Government is clear that all citizens have the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and that the Government of Eswatini must exercise restraint and respect the human rights of its people. We raised this most recently during Eswatini's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council. In September I visited Eswatini and met Prime Minister Dlamini and King Mswati III, at his request, to discuss the civil unrest and violent confrontations, I urged him to listen to all parties and address the root causes. I also met with members of Eswatini's Multi-Stakeholder Forum to discuss how civil society can engage with the Government on these issues. The Government's recent commitment to draw up terms of reference, in cooperation with SADC, for a National Forum for Dialogue is welcome. The UK High Commissioner in Eswatini is continuing to engage with the Government to promote peaceful and inclusive dialogue and the early resolution of the charges against three MPs, two of whom remain incarcerated.

We welcome the news that Mozambican, Southern African Development Community and Rwandan Forces have recovered areas of Cabo Delgado, north-east Mozambique, that were previously under insurgent control. There is still work to be done and we look forward to the Government of Mozambique working with international partners to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches affected areas, and reconstruction can take place. We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability, including by providing targeted assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. The UK is also working to strengthen international cooperation, and co-chairs with Ireland a high-level international taskforce on Cabo Delgado.

The UK has provided over £22 million in aid to Cabo Delgado through UN agencies, ensuring access to food, shelter, water, sanitation and basic health. None of this Official Development Assistance has been spent on the security sector.

The Government is concerned by increasing insecurity in Nigeria. The drivers of violence in the North are complex, often influenced by poverty, competition over resources, and a lack of alternative employment. Jihadist ideology is also a key driver of the conflict involving terrorist groups in the North East.

We regularly raise this insecurity in Nigeria, including terrorist and criminal activity with the Nigerian Government. On 1 November I raised the issue of insecurity with Nigeria's Foreign Minister in the margins of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The Prime Minister also discussed this with President Buhari in the margins of the Global Education Summit in July.

We are providing a comprehensive package of humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to support communities affected by the conflict in North East Nigeria. We also continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to respond to conflict and implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence across the country.

The UK Government follows political developments in Nigeria closely and has regular engagement with the Nigerian Government. The Prime Minister discussed a range of issues with President Buhari in the margins of the Global Education Summit in July. I [Minister Duddridge] visited Nigeria in April and held discussions with the Foreign Minister and the President's Chief of Staff. In particular, we are monitoring increasing insecurity and the ongoing work of the judicial panels of inquiry which were established to investigate allegations of police and military brutality following last October's #EndSARS protests. We are also urging the Nigerian Government to continue dialogue with Twitter to lift the Nigerian Government's recent ban on Twitter.

The UK Government is deeply concerned by the security situation in Nigeria where terrorism, intercommunal violence and criminality, including recent kidnappings of schoolchildren, are affecting communities. I [Minister Duddrdige] met the Nigerian Foreign Minister again in July, along with Nigeria's Minister of State Education, where we discussed insecurity and the impact it was having on education. We are committed to helping Nigeria tackle the terrorist threat and are providing humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to support communities in need. We are engaging with local actors who are working to find solutions to intercommunal violence.

The figures for Official Development Assistance allocated to Ethiopia for 2019/20 and 2018/19 can be found in the respective Annual Report and Accounts covering those years. Figures for Official Development Assistance spend in Ethiopia for 2020/21 will be announced in this year's Annual Report and Accounts. Since November 2020, £42.7million has been allocated to the humanitarian response in Tigray to support those in need, working through other implementing partners. UK-funded partners such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Children's Fund, World Food Programme and International Committee of the Red Cross are providing food, shelter, water and healthcare in challenging circumstances. A further £5 million has been allocated to support refugees from the conflict in Sudan.

The UK Government is seeking clarification about the circumstances of Mr Kanu's arrest from the Nigerian Government. We are also taking active steps to secure consular access and provide assistance to Mr Kanu. We are in regular contact with the Nigerian authorities and remain in contact with his family and legal representatives. Our current priority is Mr Kanu's health, welfare and fair treatment.

The UK has played a leading role in supporting global access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines from the outset of the pandemic and stands side by side with our international friends and partners during this deeply challenging time to tackle COVID-19. The UK has provided it's financial support for vaccines through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment. The UK is one of the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, having committed £548 million to the initiative which, through match funding, leveraged $1 billion from other donors in 2020. Our early funding has been key to helping COVAX secure deals with manufacturers to supply up to 1.8 billion doses of safe and effective vaccines for up to 92 low- and middle-income countries by early 2022. Over 215 million safe and effective vaccines have now been delivered globally through COVAX to 138 participants. This includes 38.7 million doses for 42 African countries.

The UK is proud that our G7 Presidency secured agreement from leaders to support vaccinating the world in 2022 and to share and finance an additional 1 billion doses over the next year to accelerate vaccine roll-out. This includes a commitment from the UK to share 100 million doses, 80% of which will go to COVAX to enable it to provide further support to countries in need. 9 million of these doses have already begun to be delivered, with 5 million doses shared through COVAX to countries in Africa as selected by the COVAX allocation process. 4 million doses have been donated bilaterally, with Kenya among those countries that have received doses.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

Full budgets per country and a final audited spend for 2021/22 will be published in due course, including in our regular Statistics on International Development and in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts.

The UK commends the people and Government of Somaliland on the successful conduct of parliamentary and local council elections on 31 May. The transparent and peaceful nature of the balloting process is a testament to Somaliland's commitment to democratisation, security and stability. The election of minority clan and youth candidates is a welcome development. However the decreased number of women in elected office is a matter of concern and we call on the Somaliland Government, political parties and civil society organisations to take urgent steps to address the future representation of women in elected and non-elected public office. The UK has played a lead role as the largest donor to the election process, contributing £1.97 million to support core election costs and also funding a Limited International Election Observer Mission.

We are concerned about the security situations in the Sahel (including Burkina Faso and Mali), North East Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin, and in the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. Insecurity continues to have a tragic impact on people living in these regions. We regularly discuss issues of insecurity with our counterparts in each region. In January, I met Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré to discuss the security challenges in the Sahel and their impact on the people of Burkina Faso. In March and April I visited Cameroon and Nigeria respectively, where I discussed issues of insecurity with the Foreign Ministers of both countries. Lord Ahmad reaffirmed UK support to help Mozambique fight terrorism when he spoke to the Mozambican Foreign Minister in March, and I also raised Cabo Delgado when I spoke to the Foreign Minister in February.

The UK Government is providing security assistance to regions affected by insecurity. This includes through our recent deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), our support to the Multinational Joint Task Force, a regional force coordinating military efforts and security in the Lake Chad Basin, and in Mozambique under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. We also support those worst affected by conflict through our humanitarian assistance. For example, in North East Nigeria, our lifesaving support will reach more than 1.5 million people over five years (2017-2022).

We are concerned about limitations to access to telecommunications in Tigray. Some humanitarian agencies have reported a recent improvement in the numbers of satellite phones and radios they have been allowed to import into Ethiopia. However, this is not across the board and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in particular note ongoing challenges. Internet access remains very problematic with NGOs, for example, reliant on services provided by the UN.

We continue to call for improved access to communications in Tigray as vital for an effective humanitarian response and in shining a light on the grave human rights atrocities that continue to be committed there.

The UK stands firm with the LGBT community globally to affirm our commitment to the principle of non-discrimination on all grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. We want to see an end to violence and discrimination against LGBT people. In June 2022 the UK will host its first global LGBT conference to tackle inequality around the world and urge countries to take action. On 16 May the Prime Minister appointed a new Special Envoy on LGBT rights, Lord Herbert, the Special Envoy will bring together the UK Government's domestic and international work to advance LGBT equality.

We make regular representations about LGBT rights, including to the Government of Ghana. We work through our High Commission, as well as international organisations, to promote non-discrimination towards LGBT people, and to address discriminatory laws. We are deeply concerned by the recent arrest of 21 LGBT activists in Ho in May and we are seeking further details from the government about the arrest.

We are not aware of any maritime boundary or rights disputes the UK or its Overseas Territories have engaged directly or indirectly in the last five years aside from the UK’s commitment to working with Mauritius to explore all aspects of its interests in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory’s (BIOT) Marine Protected Area (MPA) and implementation of the 2015 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Award. The Government is aware of the judgment of 28 January by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) formed to deal with a dispute concerning delimitation of a maritime boundary claimed by Mauritius to exist between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The UK is not a party to these proceedings, which can have no effect for the UK or for maritime delimitation between the United Kingdom (in respect of BIOT) and the Republic of the Maldives.

It is for Rwanda (as Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) host), with the Commonwealth Secretariat, to propose a new date for Member states' agreement, taking into account the international calendar and pandemic-related developments. The UK looks forward to a new date being fixed for the next CHOGM as soon as practicable.  The timing and arrangements for planned Commonwealth Ministerial meetings, including the annual meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers, will be communicated when they have been fixed.

The UK will remain as Chair-in-Office until CHOGM is held, and will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Rwanda and the other member states to take forward Commonwealth business.

The UK Government has committed to supply COVID-19 vaccines for the people of the Overseas Territories. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have been arranging deliveries and vaccines have now been delivered to all 12 permanently inhabited Territories, most recently the Pitcairn Islands and Tristan da Cunha, but also to South Georgia. Further deliveries are anticipated to complete the programmes over the coming weeks. The table below represents the percentage of the adult population in each to receive first and second doses of the vaccines.

We continue to closely monitor the situation and are clear that the withdrawal of Eritrean forces must be swift, unconditional and verifiable. However, despite Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy's commitment that Eritrean troops would withdraw from Tigray we are yet to see any evidence that this is happening. There are numerous shocking reports of atrocities committed by Eritrean forces in Tigray, and their continued presence is fuelling insecurity. These forces must leave Ethiopia immediately. We continue to press hard for this commitment to be delivered. I made this clear on my call to the Eritrean Ambassador on 16 March.

The Global Partnership for Ethiopia was created specifically to bring about transformational economic and social impact through the provision of affordable mobile and internet services in Ethiopia.

The investment is expected to:

• Open access for the first time for c.24 million Ethiopians to digital health, agriculture, education and skills services by 2032.
• Cut prices by up to 75% for mobile internet services by 2032.
• Significantly boost the economy of Ethiopia, including by enabling productivity improvements for over one million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-entrepreneurs.

CDC expects to make a total investment commitment of circa $200 million as part of the Global Partnership for Ethiopia consortium.

The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In response to the recent eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, UK-funded partners are already on the ground providing emergency support. The International Federation of the Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Fund is providing first aid, water, sanitation, hygiene, shelter and psychological support and working to restore family units. The International Committee of the Red Cross is providing support for unaccompanied children and the UN Humanitarian Air Service is providing vital reconnaissance flights in the area. We are working closely with the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO), the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs and our humanitarian partners to monitor the situation, assess the impact, and deliver further assistance if required.

The former Department for International Development spent £1.489 billion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Ethiopia in the financial years from 2016/17 to 2020/21. This budget covers those categories (with the exception of Security Sector Reform, where no ODA funds were used). The FCDO publishes all ODA spending, including in Tigray, on devtracker.

The FCDO made the decision in November 2020 to pause financial aid payments to the Government of Ethiopia destined for Tigray. However £22 million has been allocated to the humanitarian response in Tigray to support those in need, working through other implementing partners. UK-funded partners such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are providing food, shelter, water and healthcare in challenging circumstances. The FCDO is in the process of allocating budgets for programmes this financial year. Both the Tigray conflict and the nature of UK support will be kept under close review.

We are aware of reports alleging that civilians in Tigray have suffered burns that may be consistent with the weaponised use of white phosphorus. The Government of Ethiopia has strongly refuted allegations that such weapons are being used against civilians. The UK strongly condemns direct or indiscriminate attacks against civilians no matter what weapon is used.

The UK Government is working to establish the facts. Access to the affected areas, and to verified information, remains difficult. We have called for communications to be restored and for unfettered humanitarian access. We have also consistently called for access for independent human rights investigators. We will continue to do so and support the efforts of the joint investigation between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.

Protecting freedom of religion or belief for all faiths, and none, remains a priority for the UK Government. Members of non-religious communities continue to be victims of harassment and persecution, despite progress over recent years with the promotion of freedom of religion or belief for all. The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the severity and scale of violations and abuses of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all in many parts of the world. As the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon underlined these points at the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group Annual General Meeting on 24 May.

Lord Ahmad works closely with the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP. In addition to championing FoRB, Mrs Bruce represents the UK at meetings of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to advocate for the rights of individuals being discriminated against or persecuted on the basis of their faith or belief, including members of non-religious communities.

The UK has been clear that meaningful political and economic reform, and respect for human rights and the rule of law, are prerequisites for Zimbabwe's reengagement with the international community. We are therefore concerned by the unacceptable pattern of arrests of prominent opposition, civil society figures and journalists. I have regularly raised concerns about the treatment of political opponents. I wrote to the Zimbabwean Minister of Home Affairs on the case of Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova on 10 May 2021 urging for them to be treated in line with the constitution.

We continue to prioritise support for human rights, including political and media freedoms, in our programming, supporting civil society to monitor human rights violations and support survivors. The UK Government will continue to speak out, both privately and in public, where we have concerns and we will work alongside the international community to support a better future for all Zimbabweans.

We are deeply concerned at human rights violations, and atrocities against civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Since the conflict started, the UK, alongside international partners including the US, have consistently called for an end to fighting, and for all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians.

The Foreign Secretary discussed concerns about the situation in Tigray with Secretary of State Blinken on 3 May. We continue to closely engage US counterparts on the full range of human rights issues in Washington DC, Addis Ababa and in capital to capital discussions, including with the US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman. We will continue to work closely with the US on this issue.

I condemned the recent detention of the President, Prime Minister and other members of the government in Mali. Any attempt to impose a change of leadership by force, including through forced resignations, is unacceptable.

We are monitoring the political and security situation in Mali closely. We are ready to support ECOWAS efforts to monitor progress towards democratic, constitutional rule within the agreed timeframe, and with full respect for the conditions set out by ECOWAS.

The UK remains committed to supporting stability and development in Mali, and will continue to provide aid to those most in need. The final figures for UK spending in the Sahel will be published in due course, but we will remain a significant donor to the region.

The UK plays an active role across the world in support of LGBT rights. We want to see an end to violence and discrimination against LGBT people. I made this clear when I spoke at the launch of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives in December 2020.

We are very concerned about the criminalisation of homosexuality, and recognise that there is a long way to go before all LGBT people are able to live free and equal lives, including in some parts of Africa. We make regular representations to governments around the world on this issue including in Uganda, Ghana, Namibia and Nigeria. We work through our Embassies and High Commissions, as well as international organisations, including the UN, Council of Europe, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Commonwealth, to promote non-discrimination towards LGBT people, and to address discriminatory laws. We directly challenge governments that criminalise homosexuality at the highest political levels.

The UK Government is fully committed to supporting the Overseas Territories, and we will continue to do all we can to protect their interests. During negotiations of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, we made clear to the EU from the outset that we were negotiating on behalf of the Overseas Territories. However, the European Commission refused to negotiate a future relationship that included the Overseas Territories.

We sought to change the Commission's position, but it declined to engage. As a result, tariffs now apply on exports from the Overseas Territories to the EU, particularly exports from the Falkland Islands. We are working with the Falkland Islands Government to agree the appropriate actions to mitigate against the impact of tariffs on their exports to the EU.

FCDO supports trade in sustainable palm oil and efforts to tackle deforestation associated with palm oil through a combination of diplomatic engagement, policy measures and development assistance. FCDO, jointly with BEIS, fund the Partnerships for Forests programme which works with the Government of Indonesia to strengthen Indonesia's palm oil sustainability standards. FCDO also provides funds to the Tropical Forest Alliance which brings together over 180 companies, governments and civil society organisations to tackle deforestation associated with palm oil and other commodities. The Government also supports the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil initiative, which works towards a commitment to source 100% of palm oil from sustainable sources, and through the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership we continue to collaborate with other European countries to implement similar commitments.

In the past three years CDC has supported one business involved in the primary production of palm oil - Feronia Inc. CDC's investment into the company, based in a remote area of DRC, was aimed at providing economic opportunities for local people as well as improvements to healthcare, education, clean water and infrastructure provision.

We have interpreted the question to mean how many UK Based staff were posted by the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development and currently Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to all posts in Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Mozambique in each of the financial years, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. The figures shown are based on the headcount as at 31 March in each financial year.

In the Sahel, Official Development Assistance (ODA) for security sector reform, conflict prevention, and preventing violence against women and girls has principally been delivered through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). This is a cross government fund which focuses on tackling instability and preventing conflicts that threaten UK interests.

A breakdown of CSSF ODA spend across the five Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) can be found in table A4f of the 'Additional tables: Statistics on International Development Final UK Aid Spend' under 'Statistics on International Development' which are published annually here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development. Figures for 2019 are published separately here: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-aid-spend-2019. Figures for 2020 will be published in due course on the gov.uk website here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

Our Travel Advice is clear that British Nationals should leave Chad as soon as possible. We are in touch with British Nationals in Chad to provide support and to set out available options for them to leave. A large proportion have already left. We continue to work closely with authorities and airlines to ensure British Nationals are able to leave Chad as soon as possible. This includes work to secure the exemptions that may be required for people leaving Chad in urgent circumstances.

Tanzania's new President Samia Suluhu Hassan gave a speech on 6 April announcing a task force of experts to assess the domestic situation with regards to COVID-19 in order to advise the Government on how to handle COVID-19 in Tanzania. The UK welcomes these indications of a change in approach. We look forward to discussions with the new Government on where we may be able to offer assistance, as the UK has been concerned that the Government of Tanzania has not released any information on the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths since 29 April 2020. The British High Commission continues to work with international and local partners to encourage a positive response to COVID-19 from the Government of Tanzania, including encouraging them to join COVAX.

As set out in the Integrated Review, the UK will continue to play a leading international role in multilateral governance and use our diplomacy at the UN to defend universal human rights and promote women's economic empowerment. As such our priorities at the Human Rights Council are to continue to hold states that violate human rights to account, to promote girls' education and work to end violence against women and girls, defend freedom of religion or belief, support democratic values, and protect media freedom.

The total spend on centrally commissioned health and disease related research by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office over the last five financial years is as follows:

2016/17 - £84.65 million

2017/18 - £122.08 million

2018/19 - £132.33 million

2019/20 - £155.41 million

2020/21 - Final and audited spend for 2020/21 will be published in our annual report later this year.

We are concerned by the situation in Chad, condemn any effort to seize power by force, and are urging that violence is swiftly brought to an end. The Foreign Secretary and I have called for stability to be restored and a peaceful, inclusive transition to civilian and constitutional rule.

Instability in Chad could have negative implications for the wider region. Chad plays an important role in regional stability and security, for example through its contributions to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the Multinational Joint Task Force, which is combatting the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin.

The UK is not directly involved in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. The UK has previously engaged with the Governments of Uganda and Tanzania in support of the project and provided assistance to UK companies bidding for commercial contracts related to the EACOP, but this ceased when the announcement of our fossil fuel policy change was made in 2020.

The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines, of which the UK is one of the largest bilateral donors. In the Horn of Africa, more than 2.5 million vaccine doses have been received by Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti through the COVAX AMC, to date. At national level, bilateral programming in the Horn has been adapted to respond to COVID-19, and through the regional Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme, the UK has contributed £20 million to the African Union's continental response to COVID-19.

As well as relationships with national governments, the FCDO has also strengthened its engagement with regional bodies, such as the African Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Regional Office. The FCDO is tracking assessments of country preparedness and working at national and regional levels to support efforts to build country capacity to deliver vaccines and monitor vaccine roll-out, ensuring high risk groups are prioritised.

We are deeply concerned by the security and humanitarian situation in North East Nigeria where terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, continue to conduct attacks on local communities. Recent attacks on Damasak in Borno State, in which civilians, humanitarian workers and facilities were targeted, have led to a worsening humanitarian situation, and the displacement of local residents and internally displaced people to Niger or other areas of North East Nigeria. The British High Commissioner in Abuja has publicly condemned the attacks. As the UK Government has repeatedly made clear, humanitarian workers should never be a target.

We are committed to helping Nigeria tackle the threat posed by the terrorist groups in North East Nigeria. We are providing significant humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to support affected communities, including those who have been displaced.

We remain concerned about the impact of the continued fighting in Tigray on the wider stability in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. As I made clear to the Eritrean Ambassador on 16 March, and through joint statements at the Human Rights Council and by the G7 on 2 April, Eritrea's role in the Ethiopian conflict is particularly concerning. There are numerous reports of atrocities involving Eritrean forces, and the presence of Eritrean forces is fuelling insecurity. These forces must leave Ethiopia immediately, in line with the commitment made by Prime Minister Abiy in his announcement on 26 March. We are closely monitoring the situation and are clear that their withdrawal must be swift, unconditional and verifiable. We have yet to see any evidence that Eritrean forces are leaving Tigray and will continue pressing for this commitment to be delivered.

The UK Government is very concerned about the treatment of opposition candidates and their supporters in the run-up to and since the Ugandan elections. We are particularly disturbed by continued reports of people who are missing or arbitrarily detained. This does not provide for an open political landscape within which democracy can flourish and Uganda can prosper.

Our High Commissioner in Kampala has repeatedly raised concerns about opposition supporters going missing or being arbitrarily detained directly with the Ugandan authorities. I [Minister Duddridge] also raised this in my call with the Ugandan Foreign Minister, Sam Kutsea, on 21 April. We have pressed publicly and privately for information on missing persons to be released and due process to be followed. We welcome the Minister for Internal Affairs' recent update to Parliament regarding those currently in detention, but now need to see all those in detention released or charged. As a long-standing partner to Uganda, the UK will continue to press for the rights of all Ugandans to be upheld.

The UK has been consistent in calling for free and unfettered humanitarian access to the 4.5 million people in Tigray in need, with estimates that 80% of the Tigray region has been inaccessible to relief agencies. The fluidity of the context makes it extremely challenging to determine precisely but humanitarian organisations report that huge numbers of people across the region are located in inaccessible locations. The Foreign Secretary raised the need for humanitarian access to Tigray with Prime Minister Abiy during his visit to Ethiopia and pressed for a political dialogue to bring lasting peace to the region. I [Minister Duddridge] re-enforced the urgency of the need for humanitarian access when I [Minister Duddridge] spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February. The presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray is one the main barriers to humanitarian access and they should leave Ethiopia immediately. Humanitarian providers must be protected to ensure they can help those in need.

We continue to work with the UN to promote and monitor access and the delivery of humanitarian support to all those who need it, including to civilians in contested areas. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are delivering support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. A joint humanitarian and political team from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa visited Mekelle on 5 March. They met with the provisional administration of Tigray, Mayor of Mekelle, humanitarian agencies and people displaced by the violence. The Embassy team heard harrowing accounts of human rights violations, the challenges of aid delivery and how some of the £15.4m of UK Aid is helping to support those affected by the Tigray conflict. The Government of Ethiopia must act now to protect its people.

We are deeply concerned at the mounting evidence of human rights abuses and violations in Ethiopia's Tigray region. Since the conflict started, the UK alongside international partners, have consistently called for an end to fighting, and for all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians. We welcome Prime Minister Abiy's statement on 23 March that the perpetrators of human rights atrocities should face justice - whoever they are. We need to see action now to stop further atrocities and to allow for the independent investigation of those that have occurred.

In a joint statement on Ethiopia with 41 other countries at the 46th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), we condemned in the strongest terms the reported killings of civilians. Eritrea's role in the conflict is particularly concerning; there are numerous reports of atrocities involving Eritrean forces, and the presence of Eritrean forces is fuelling insecurity. We welcome the announcement, on 26 March, of their withdrawal and call for this to be immediate and unconditional. We continue to call for independent, international investigations into atrocities reported in Tigray in the multilateral fora, including at the UNHRC, and for the Government of Ethiopia to ensure full access for human rights organisations.

The number of Chagossians supported through funding from the Support Package since 2016 are:

A Written Ministerial Statement issued on 16 November 2016 (www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-11-16/HCWS260/) announced a support package of approximately £40 million over a ten year period. Of this £732,879.49 has been spent to date.

Projects within the geographical areas of Crawley Borough Council and Manchester City Council have received funding from the support package since 2016.

The UK is a leader in global health and the NHS is a key part of our international offer, as one of the first Universal Health Coverage initiatives in the world. The UK draws on the full breadth of expertise in the UK health sector to help strengthen health systems in partner countries, to end preventable deaths and to respond to COVID-19.

In response to the pandemic, the UK has offered its world leading genomics expertise to countries around the world through a New Variant Assessment Platform, led by Public Health England, to identify new variants of the COVID-19 virus. In terms of broader global health security, the UK also works through the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC's) International Health Regulations Strengthening Project and the UK Public Health Rapid Support team, to support partner countries to better prevent, detect and respond to public health emergencies. The UK's clinical and academic expertise is a key part of these efforts. DHSC's Commonwealth Partnership for Antimicrobial Stewardship programme has also created partnerships between NHS volunteers and their counterparts in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, to work to address antimicrobial resistance.

We are also drawing on NHS expertise to strengthen health systems through the FCDO's Global Better Health Programme, working with the NHS and Healthcare UK on non-communicable diseases in South East Asia, Latin America and South Africa. In addition, the UK Partnerships for Health Systems programme funds health partnerships between UK NHS and health institutions and their counterparts in lower and middle income countries to improve health workforce and service performance.

(a) The Ministry of Defence, with other government departments, provides support to Mozambique under the UK-Mozambique Defence Memorandum of Understanding agreed in 2019. This includes defence cooperation and is intended to assist the Government of Mozambique in addressing terrorism and promoting respect for human rights. The UK also co-leads, with Ireland, the International Community Crisis Response Taskforce, endorsed by the Government of Mozambique, which provides an important platform for high-level political dialogue and coordination relating to the security situation in Cabo Delgado.

(b) Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Mozambique supports activities in a number of sectors including humanitarian, health, education, water and sanitation, better governance and economic development. Data for the last three years which is available is below. This information is taken from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's National Statistics publication 'Statistics on International Development'. The next report, published in Autumn 2021, will provide a full breakdown of the UK's ODA spend for 2020.

Source: Statistics on International Development, 2019 - tinyurl.com/yh5vl9fz

For the last reporting year available (2019), the UK's bilateral Official Development Assistance to Commonwealth countries was approximately £1.888 billion. This was an increase of over 8% on the previous year. Detail on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending in 2020 is not yet available.   In the autumn, FCDO will publish "Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020". This publication will contain detailed breakdowns including UK bilateral ODA to Commonwealth countries.

The UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Julian Braithwaite, and the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Rita French, regularly hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on ongoing and emerging human rights situations of concern, including with representatives of other governments, international organisations, human rights defenders and other members of civil society.

In addition to discussions with stakeholders, the UK also speaks out publicly against human rights violations and abuses through the Human Rights Council, including during its current (46th) regular session which began on 22 February. On 24 February at an Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Ambassador French delivered the UK's statement expressing concern at the involvement of Eritrean forces in Tigray and at reports of human rights violations and abuses by all those involved in the conflict. The statement called for independent, international investigations into allegations of human rights abuses and violations, to ensure that perpetrators of proven allegations are held to account. On 26 February, in our Item 2 General Debate statement, we called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible for alleged human rights violations during the #EndSARs protests were held to account. The UK also joined a joint statement on Ethiopia with 41 other countries in which we condemned in the strongest terms the reported killings of civilians in Tigray, called on Ethiopia to grant full access to the region for unhindered humanitarian access and assistance and to protect the human rights of all people in the conflict-afflicted zone, and also called for the withdrawal of all Eritrean troops from Ethiopia.

For the last reporting year available (2019), the UK's bilateral Official Development Assistance to Commonwealth countries in Sub-Sahara Africa was approximately £1.173 billion. This was an increase of around 7 per cent on the previous year.

Detail on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending in 2020 is not yet available.   In the autumn, FCDO will publish "Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020". This publication will contain detailed breakdowns including UK bilateral ODA to Commonwealth countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

On 8 March I [Minister Duddridge] publicly expressed the UK's sorrow and passed on condolences to the people of Equatorial Guinea following the tragic explosions in Bata. FCDO officials are in close contact with UK-funded partners including the Red Cross and the UN who are assessing the situation and providing support to those affected. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

As announced last year, the impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The Foreign Secretary has set out seven core priorities for the UK's aid budget, including resolving conflict. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes. No decisions have yet been made on individual budget allocations.

The Foreign Secretary has clearly reiterated our commitment to global humanitarian leadership, including in statements to the House of Commons in February.

The majority of our humanitarian spend goes through UN agencies. Working through and with multilateral agencies such as the UN is particularly important for access in conflict affected countries where many of the most vulnerable and at risk live.

The most protracted, severe food insecure crises are caused by conflict at their root. We need to couple available resources with humanitarian diplomacy, as exemplified by the UK's Famine Call to Action and the appointment of Nick Dyer as the UK's first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs ensuring humanitarian access to affected populations and protection of civilians in conflict. If we achieve these two things we will go a long way to averting famine and the worst of human suffering in crisis.

The combined impact of the coronavirus pandemic, conflict, locust swarms and climate change have left millions of people worldwide facing extreme hunger over the past year. In sub-Saharan Africa 95.5 million people are projected to reach crisis levels of food insecurity by the middle of 2021. The risk of famine is real. Famine is likely already occurring in western Pibor, South Sudan whilst Burkina Faso and north-east Nigeria also face a credible threat of famine.

The UK has responded to this threat by launching our Famine Initiative, pledging £180 million dedicated to tackling food insecurity and to provide aid to more than 7 million vulnerable people in some of the world’s most dangerous places. The first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention has been appointed to drive UK efforts to prevent the immediate risk of famine and address mounting acute food insecurity through mobilising the international community to take strong, concerted and urgent action.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers are currently working with department officials to finalise ODA budget allocations for the next financial year, guided by the seven strategic priorities. Final decisions have not yet been made, including on individual programmes.

The FCDO is in frequent contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat on the full breadth of issues of relevance to Commonwealth member states.

Neither the Foreign Secretary nor any FCDO officials have met with or exchanged correspondence with legal counsel to the parties in relation to the arbitration proceedings at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in each of the last 24 months. FCDO officials and Ministers have regularly engaged with their Mauritian and Maldivian counterparts in diplomatic activity.

According to the available records, the FCDO has spent £5,841,662 on external legal services relating to disputes concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory.

This cost is broken down as follows:

(a) £681,220 in Counsel fees in respect of the arbitral proceedings brought by Mauritius under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea;

(b) £311,942.31 in Counsel fees and £15,173.69 in Government Legal Department (GLD) costs in respect of the advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice;

(c) £4,008,826 in GLD costs, including Counsel fees, in respect of relevant domestic litigation; and

(d) £824,500 as the UK's contribution to the cost of the tribunal established for the arbitral proceedings brought by Mauritius.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office are currently operating on legacy systems, which captures staff data using different criteria. Therefore this information is not held centrally for all staff.

The UN estimates that up to 1.3 million people affected by the conflict need humanitarian assistance, though the lack of free and sustained access makes it extremely challenging to determine the actual impact of the conflict on civilians - an estimated 80% of Tigray region remains beyond the reach of relief agencies.

This is on top of an existing humanitarian caseload of 1 million people in the region. The Foreign Secretary raised the need for humanitarian access to Tigray with Prime Minister Abiy during his recent visit to Ethiopia and pressed for a political dialogue to bring lasting peace to the region. The UK is working closely with humanitarian and development agencies, including the Ethiopian Red Cross, to make sure aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are working hard to deliver support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. The Foreign Secretary visited Gondar, the site of a humanitarian hub in the neighbouring Amhara region on 22 January. He heard how £11.4m of UK Aid is supporting the World Food Programme and NGOs to ensure the delivery of aid to those affected by the conflict.

We are deeply concerned at the mounting evidence of human rights abuses and violations, including allegations of massacres of civilians, attacks on places of worship as well as damage to cultural monuments and artefacts. An ongoing lack of access to the Tigray region and conflicting reporting means that it remains difficult to confirm these reports, but we will continue to work with partners to seek further information. All parties to the conflict must respect human rights and avoid civilian loss of life at all costs. We have raised our concerns with Ethiopian Ministers, making clear the overriding need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to call for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations, and unfettered access to Tigray - points the Foreign Secretary discussed with Prime Minister Abiy in Addis Ababa on 22 January. We also continue to call for the perpetrators of those incidents to be held to account, whoever they may be.

FCDO and MOD are working together to deliver supplies of Covid-19 vaccine to posts in Africa and elsewhere in the world from the end of February. This distribution will be aligned to the UK national programme for staff and dependants for whom HMG has duty of care. FCDO staff based in the UK have access to the NHS vaccination programme in the same way as everyone else.

According to the available records, the FCDO has spent £5,841,662 million on external legal services relating to disputes concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory. This includes Government Legal Department costs, as well as counsel fees, in respect of the arbitral proceedings brought by Mauritius under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice, as well as relevant domestic litigation. It also includes the UK's contribution to the cost of the tribunal established for the arbitral proceedings brought by Mauritius.

Neither the Foreign Secretary nor any FCDO officials have met with or exchanged correspondence with the external legal team for the Maldives in relation to their International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) proceedings in the past 24 months.

The Foreign Secretary raised the need for untrammelled humanitarian access to Tigray with President Abiy during his recent visit to Ethiopia. We judge that there are still restrictions to access to around 85% of the Tigray region. In this context we welcome the recent visits to Ethiopia by senior UN officials and hope that they will deliver a sustained step-change in humanitarian access.

We remain concerned about the impact of the continued fighting in Tigray on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and beyond. The UK is working closely with humanitarian organisations to make sure aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are working hard to deliver support in challenging circumstances, including shelter, water and healthcare. The Foreign Secretary announced £11.4m of humanitarian funding to support those affected by the conflict during his visit to Ethiopia where he saw first-hand how UK Aid is supporting the World Food Programme and NGOs to ensure the delivery of aid to those affected by the conflict.

No bilateral financial support has been provided to the Government of Maldives by the UK in the last five years. In addition to supporting civil society, UK funding - including through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) - has provided technical assistance to the Maldivian police and Maldivian Government since 2019. This has included work to increase capabilities on risk and disaster management, to counter extremism, and to improve the security of tourist accommodation. The CSSF has also provided technical support to the media sector and the independent Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances.

Ministers from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly engage with their counterparts in the Government of Maldives. The most recent discussions between the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and the Maldivian Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, took place on 4 February 2021, 18 November 2020 and 23 July 2020. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon also regularly engages with the Maldivian High Commissioner to the UK.

Following the disproportionate response by the Ugandan security services to the protests at the end of November 2020, we took the decision to pause funding of three projects totalling £40,909 which were working directly with the Ugandan security services. These projects include: one delivering human rights training to the Uganda Police Force, a second delivering human rights training to the Uganda Prison Service and a third project, providing training materials to the UPDF to document and investigate conflict-related sexual violence. In addition to the wider UK Overseas Development Assistance review, we are currently reviewing UKAid spend in Uganda, including the permanent status of the above projects.

CDC has no investments in military or state-owned companies in Myanmar and does not directly work with or partner with the government. Over the past two years, CDC has tightened its due diligence process to mitigate the risk of UK funds going to military owned companies.

CDC is reviewing the impact of the 1st February Myanmar coup on its investments in the country.

UK negotiations with the EU have now concluded. During the negotiations, the UK Government made clear to the EU from the outset that our mandate included the UK's Overseas Territories, but the EU maintained it had no mandate to negotiate a future relationship with the Overseas Territories. As a result, tariffs now apply on exports from the Overseas Territories to the EU. The Government is fully committed to working with the Falkland Islands Government to mitigate against the impact of tariffs, as well as taking up the benefits of the UK's independent trade policy.

Regarding assistance to the police and prison service, since 2018, the UK has provided civil society organizations with £55,450, through UK Official Development Assistance, to train the Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prison Service in taking a human rights based approach when working with minority groups. Police officers work through domestic and international human rights legislation, the implications for their work, understanding the right of individual vulnerable groups and understanding their role in promoting human rights. Frontline prison workers are taught about the rights and needs of vulnerable prisoners and helps to change attitudes and practices towards vulnerable persons in detention. To date, over 2000 police and prison staff have been trained under this initiative.

We are deeply concerned at the mounting evidence of human rights abuses and violations. All parties to the conflict must respect human rights and avoid civilian loss of life at all costs. We have raised our concerns with Ethiopian Ministers, making clear the overriding need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to call for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations, and unfettered access to Tigray - points the Foreign Secretary raised with Prime Minister Abiy in Addis Ababa on 22 January. We also continue to call for the perpetrators of those incidents that are proven to be held to account, whoever they may be.

The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in northern Mozambique, and the increasing attacks by groups with links to Islamic extremism. We are working with the Government of Mozambique to address the root drivers of conflict and instability, including through engagement with the Government of Mozambique's regional development authority in Cabo Delgado, and by providing targeted technical assistance under the framework of a Defence Memorandum of Understanding. To date, the UK has provided £19m of humanitarian and development support to internally displaced people in northeast Mozambique through UN agencies, ensuring displaced people have access to food, shelter and basic healthcare.

The UK has provided £7.8 million to support the Government of Malawi's Covid-19 response. The UK's support commenced in March 2020, before Malawi's first reported Covid-19 case. This funding has been instrumental in supporting both preparedness and response. Early UK funding helped to establish initial testing capacity and has continued to supply essential resources to the central laboratory. Through UNICEF we have provided support to district teams for contact tracing, isolation monitoring and better data management. By training more than 5,000 health workers, this improved both testing and surveillance capacity. UK funding also helped increase treatment capacity through supporting the establishment of eight emergency treatment units as well as the procurement of medical and laboratory supplies. We helped establish a new oxygen plant at Malawi's national referral hospital in Lilongwe, with a capacity of 800 litres per minute, and we enabled the provision of 174 portable oxygen concentrators for distribution to more remote areas.

The Malawian Government applied to the COVAX facility (which is co-led by the World Health Organisation, The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi) in December for vaccines for up to 20% of the population, targeted towards health and social care workers, vulnerable people with comorbidities, and those over 60 years of age.

UK support has also extended beyond the health sector, including the provision of PPE to keep border staff safe and technical support to allow the fast-tracking of essential goods at Malawi's key border posts. Our support to public communications has helped to reach more than 10 million Malawians, increasing their awareness and understanding of Covid-19, and dispelling myths, rumours and stigma.

The emergence of new genetic variants of concern highlight the critical importance of a coordinated global response to COVID-19. We are aware that B.1.351 / 501Y.V2 variant has been identified in 31 countries, including many countries across southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Variant B.1.351 may spread more easily than previous variants, making it harder to control. Investigations are ongoing into the potential of variant B.1.351 for re-infection and vaccine or therapeutics efficacy. Limited genetic sequencing capacity in many countries in Africa limits our ability to fully understand the epidemiology and changes in the virus within the region.

The UK will offer its world leading expertise in genomics to identify new variants of coronavirus to countries who do not have the resources to do so. Countries will be offered UK capacity to analyse new strains of the virus through the launch of the New Variant Assessment Platform which will be led by Public Health England working with NHS Test and Trace and academic partners as well as the World Health Organization's SARS-CoV-2 Global Laboratory Working Group.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) National Statistics publication - 'Statistics on International Development' will provide a full breakdown of UK Official Development Assistance spend for the previous calendar year. The Statistics for International Development published in Autumn 2021 will provide a full breakdown of the UK's ODA spend for 2020.

The UK Government is concerned about the security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the wake of presidential and legislative elections. The CAR Government has implemented a 15 day state of emergency in response to violence throughout the electoral period, and we have updated UK travel advice for CAR to advise against all travel across the country. Continued clashes between armed groups and the CAR Government are exacerbating an already serious humanitarian situation leading to loss of life, increased population displacement and greater levels of food insecurity. We have repeatedly called on all parties to cease violence and engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue. I [Mr Duddridge] reiterated this in my [Mr Duddridge] tweet of 21 January and expressed our sadness at the deaths of civilians and UN peacekeepers.

The UK contributes approximately £40 million annually to the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) which continues to provide security and patrol areas across the country. The UK is also contributing £21.5 million towards the humanitarian effort in 2020/2021, delivering emergency health, nutrition, food security and livelihoods support to a million Central Africans.

The UK was the first donor to support the Government of Malawi's Covid-19 response in March 2020, and we have provided a total of £7.8 million. That funding has helped to improve testing, screening and health services at points of entry to the country. It increased treatment capacity through supporting the establishment of eight emergency treatment units as well as the procurement of medical and laboratory supplies. That includes PPE which, combined with training for health workers, ensured safe and continuous delivery of other essential health services. Our funding also assisted with the establishment of a new oxygen plant at Malawi's national referral hospital in Lilongwe, and the provision of 174 portable oxygen concentrators for distribution to remoter areas. The oxygen plant was opened in December 2020 and has a peak capacity of 800 litres per minute.

The UK has also facilitated PPE provision and technical support at Malawi's border posts, which is helping to keep border staff safe and allowing the fast-tracking of essential goods. Our support to public health communications has helped to reach more than 10 million Malawians, increasing their awareness and understanding of Covid-19, and dispelling myths, rumours and stigma.

I [Minister Duddridge] welcome the High Court of Uganda's decision of 25 January that the detention of Robert Kyagulanyi was unconstitutional and unlawful and their order for security personnel to vacate his premises. This is a positive step towards removing the restrictions on political freedoms of Kyagulanyi. When Kyagulanyi was under de facto house arrest, external visitors were not permitted to visit him or his family. However, I [Minister Duddridge] tweeted on 19 January about this unacceptable treatment and our High Commissioner in Kampala pressed the Ugandan authorities to end these unacceptable restrictions on Robert Kyagulanyi's liberty. The High Commissioner continues to meet political actors from all parties and has offered a meeting to Robert Kyagulanyi at the earliest opportunity.

I welcome the High Court of Uganda's decision of 25 January that the detention of Robert Kyagulanyi was unconstitutional and unlawful and their order for security personnel to vacate his premises. The treatment of Robert Kyagulanyi has been unacceptable and I expressed my concerns about this in a tweet on 19 January. The British High Commission Kampala continues to press the Ugandan authorities to end all of these unacceptable restrictions on Robert Kyagulanyi's liberty.

We are concerned that the Government of Tanzania has not released any information on the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths since 29 April 2020. The British High Commission in Dar es Salaam continues to engage with the Government of Tanzania to encourage greater transparency. We are supporting measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to protect those living in and visiting Tanzania. This has included using radio stations to put out messages on hand-washing and social distancing, through our sanitation and hygiene campaign managed by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The FCDO continues to advise against non-essential travel to Tanzania as part of our global travel advisory during the pandemic. All travel advice is under constant review, in consultation with Public Health England, the National Travel Health Network and Centre and our overseas Posts.

The Government recognises that a healthy ocean is vital to life and livelihoods on Earth. Ocean conservation and protection of marine biodiversity is particularly important for building resilience and adapting to the impacts of climate change, as well as supporting mitigation.

That is why we are leading efforts to secure international agreement to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 (30by30) as part of the new Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework is due to be agreed at the next meeting of the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2021.

To support this ambition the UK has set up and leads the Global Ocean Alliance and has joined the High Ambition Coalition as Ocean Co-Chair. The UK is also pushing for other ambitious and transformative targets as part of the new post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Marine biodiversity priorities include targets on ecosystem restoration, pollution reduction, sustainable use of biodiversity, reform and elimination of harmful subsidies and nature-based solutions.

We are also playing a leading role in negotiations for a new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement). This would enable, in particular, the designation of Marine Protected Areas in the high seas - essential to implementing the 30 by 30 target. The final round of negotiations is planned for August and the UK wants to see an ambitious agreement concluded this year.

We have committed to establishing a new £500 million Blue Planet Fund using ODA to support developing countries protect the marine environment and reduce poverty. This will contribute to the UK's commitment to spend at least £3 billion of international climate finance to protect and restore nature and biodiversity over the next 5 years.

Through the £25 million Blue Belt programme, we have protected over 4 million square kilometres of ocean around our Overseas Territories, ranging from the Southern Ocean to the tropics.

Tackling climate change itself is vital for ocean health. As COP26 Presidency we are pushing for ambitious and accelerated action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The UK Government takes the global emergence of new variants of Sars-COV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, extremely seriously. While the FCDO is not funding stand-alone surveillance programmes on the new variants, our core support to existing research programmes is helping to provide critical new knowledge on the new variants. This includes additional funding of £23 million, right from the start of the pandemic, to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) which included work on the development of a sequencing assay for surveillance. FIND are also testing whether new mutations are of concern for routine diagnostics.

Through our support to the Joint Initiative on Research for Epidemic Preparedness of up to £30 million, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, the FCDO is supporting the Africa Centre for Disease Control for diagnostics support and training for countries, which includes sequencing. The FCDO is also providing up to £20 million to the African Union COVID-19 response through the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme, which includes support to genomic surveillance, including sequencing reagents, and machines. The FCDO also provides core support of £8.3 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) R&D Blueprint Programme which recently convened an international meeting of scientists around the globe to discuss critical knowledge gaps related to the new variants.

In response to COVID-19 the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) quickly pivoted all of its investment activities to help tackle the economic and healthcare impacts of the pandemic in Africa and South Asia. Since April 2020 100% of CDC's new investment commitments have been approved under its COVID-19 investment response strategy.

This investment response strategy consists of three pillars. First, to preserve the positive development impact of its current investee businesses affected by the crisis by providing additional finance and technical support. Second, to strengthen economic resilience by providing systemic liquidity to keep economies functioning and making targeted investments to increase access to healthcare and basic services. Third, to help rebuild economies and ensure their recovery is sustainable and inclusive by providing long-term patient capital in a counter-cyclical way.

More information on CDC's response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on its website - https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/covid-19-response/.

The Commission of Inquiry has been established by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands rather than the UK Government. The Governor's decision has the full support of UK Ministers.

The Governor has established the Commission's Terms of Reference as:

• to establish whether there is information that corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty in relation to officials, whether statutory, elected or public may have taken place in recent years;
• if there is such information, to consider the conditions which allowed that corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty to take place and whether they may still exist;
• if appropriate, to make independent recommendations with a view to improving the standards of governance, to give the people of the Virgin Islands confidence that government is working in a fair, transparent and proper manner;
• if appropriate, to make independent recommendations with a view to improving the operation of the agencies of law enforcement and justice;
• should the Commissioner at any time consider that a change to these terms of reference would be beneficial to public welfare in achieving the objectives of the Inquiry, to inform the then Governor of the Virgin Islands at the first opportunity; and
• to prepare and submit a written report to the then Governor of the Virgin Islands within six (6) months from the commencement of the Inquiry, making all such recommendations as seem fit provided that the Governor may extend the period for submission of the report to a period no longer than 9 months from the date of the Inquiry.

It will be for the Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, to determine how best to carry out these Terms.

The UK is committed to improving access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other essential health commodities in low- and lower-middle income countries. This includes both strengthening country health systems, and ensuring that new vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics are appropriate for settings such as rural areas, with limited health services and infrastructure. The UK's £1.65 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance over five years includes support to strengthen vaccine supply chains and improve cold chain technologies. Our support to public-private partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) includes developing stable vaccines that can be distributed through immunisation cold chains or without refrigeration.

While voting in Uganda's recent Presidential elections has concluded, significant concerns remain unaddressed including the treatment of opposition candidates in the run-up to and since the elections, as well as the shut-off of the internet during the elections. This does not suggest an open political landscape, within which democracy can flourish. Following the arrest of opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, and subsequent violence in November, I [Minister Duddridge] tweeted my concerns on 20 November and called for the authorities to respect the rights of all Ugandans to express their views in a peaceful manner. I [Minister Duddridge] outlined in my tweet on 13 January the UK view that the elections should be free, fair and transparent, having raised this with the Ugandan High Commission on 12 January. Staff at the British High Commission observed the conduct of the elections and I [Minister Duddridge] would like to also commend the Ugandan media for their reporting on the elections. As I [Minister Duddridge] and the British High Commissioner stated in our tweets on 14 January, we are concerned that the recent internet shutdown in Uganda impacted the transparency of the elections and broader freedom of expression. Following the Presidential election results on 16 January, I [Minister Duddridge] set out in a statement our significant concerns about the overall political climate surrounding the elections and have urged the Government of Uganda to meet its international human rights commitments. The treatment of opposition figures post-election including Robert Kyagulanyi is unacceptable and I [Minister Duddridge] expressed my concerns about this in my tweet on 19 January. Political freedoms are vital for democracy to prevail and the UK will continue to make representations on this issue to the Ugandan authorities.

While voting in Uganda's recent Presidential elections has concluded, significant concerns remain unaddressed including the treatment of opposition candidates in the run-up to and since the elections, as well as the shut-off of the internet during the elections. This does not suggest an open political landscape, within which democracy can flourish. Following the arrest of opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, and subsequent violence in November, I [Minister Duddridge] tweeted my concerns on 20 November and called for the authorities to respect the rights of all Ugandans to express their views in a peaceful manner. I [Minister Duddridge] outlined in my tweet on 13 January the UK view that the elections should be free, fair and transparent, having raised this with the Ugandan High Commission on 12 January. Staff at the British High Commission observed the conduct of the elections and I [Minister Duddridge] would like to also commend the Ugandan media for their reporting on the elections. As I [Minister Duddridge] and the British High Commissioner stated in our tweets on 14 January, we are concerned that the recent internet shutdown in Uganda impacted the transparency of the elections and broader freedom of expression. Following the Presidential election results on 16 January, I [Minister Duddridge] set out in a statement our significant concerns about the overall political climate surrounding the elections and have urged the Government of Uganda to meet its international human rights commitments. The treatment of opposition figures post-election including Robert Kyagulanyi is unacceptable and I [Minister Duddridge] expressed my concerns about this in my tweet on 19 January. Political freedoms are vital for democracy to prevail and the UK will continue to make representations on this issue to the Ugandan authorities.

Infectious disease surveillance is critical for global health security. The UK supports global efforts to strengthen surveillance through multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

At the country and regional levels, our country-based health system strengthening programmes, the International Health Regulations Strengthening Project, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme, support improvements in surveillance capacity in the Africa region. This includes working with the African Union's Centres for Disease Control and WHO's Africa Regional Office. The UK also supports low and middle-income countries through the Fleming Fund to improve surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

The UK reports Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend using standard OECD Development Assistance Committee codes, which do not track how much ODA is spent on disease surveillance specifically.

Infectious disease surveillance is critical for global health security. The UK supports global efforts to strengthen surveillance through multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

At the country and regional levels, our country-based health system strengthening programmes, the International Health Regulations Strengthening Project, the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme, support improvements in surveillance capacity in the Africa region. This includes working with the African Union's Centres for Disease Control and WHO's Africa Regional Office. The UK also supports low and middle-income countries through the Fleming Fund to improve surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

The UK reports Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend using standard OECD Development Assistance Committee codes, which do not track how much ODA is spent on disease surveillance specifically.

The UK Government is concerned about the growing levels of food insecurity in South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Northern Nigeria. Across six counties in South Sudan there are an estimated 105,000 people in famine-like conditions, and in western Pibor the UN assesses a famine is likely occurring. Across South Sudan as a whole, around 60% of the country is facing acute food insecurity. In Burkina Faso, there is a risk of famine, with over 250,000 people currently in an emergency phase of acute food insecurity. In North-East Nigeria, 1.2 million people are currently experiencing acute food insecurity.

In September, the Foreign Secretary launched a global call to action to tackle the increasing threat of famine. This is a top FCDO priority. Since then, both I (Minister Duddridge) and the UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer, have seen first-hand the challenges facing famine affected communities. We jointly visited South Sudan in October 2020, and Special Envoy Nick Dyer also visited North-East Nigeria in November. Since the call to action, we have pledged a total of £166 million to tackle food insecurity and the threat of famine, including the recent announcement for £47 million in December.

It is clear that the conflict in Tigray has had significant consequences and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, internally and externally, as well as adversely impacting upon those that were already in need of humanitarian assistance. As of 15 January, 57,500 people have sought refuge in Sudan. We are extremely concerned that humanitarian agencies, including the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), still do not have access to refugee camps in northern Tigray, who have been without aid for many weeks. The UK continues to call for sustained, free and unfettered access to enable the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance. We are saddened by further reports from Tigray of massacres of civilians, sexual violence, and attacks on humanitarian facilities. Protection of civilians must be a top priority. Independent investigations into allegations of human rights violations are critical.

The UK is working closely with humanitarian organisations to make sure aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting. UK humanitarian staff visited Gondar in neighbouring Amhara region this week to see response coordination. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are working hard to deliver support in challenging circumstances, including shelter, water and healthcare.

During the electoral period in Uganda, the UK had urged that the elections should be free, fair, credible and transparent as I [Minister Duddridge] outlined in my tweet on 13 January, so as to respect the rights of all Ugandans to express their views in a peaceful manner. I [Minister Duddridge] have also raised the importance of transparent elections directly with the Ugandan High Commission on 12 January and will continue to do so. Staff at the British High Commission observed the conduct of the elections and will monitor all events closely. As I [Minister Duddridge] and the British High Commissioner stated in our tweets on 14 January, we are concerned that the recent internet shutdown in Uganda impacted the transparency of the elections and broader freedom of expression. We called for the Government of Uganda to resume services immediately and understand the shutdown has now been lifted as of 18 January. Following the Presidential election results on 16 January, I issued a statement expressing my concerns about the overall political climate in the run up to the elections and during the electoral process as well as urging the Government of Uganda to meet international human rights commitments.

The UK Overseas Territories are custodians of internationally important habitats and species. As small island and coastal communities, climate change and biodiversity loss will have a profound impact upon them. The UK and Overseas Territories have a proud history of taking ambitious action on the environment, as demonstrated by the world-leading Blue Belt programme. Working with the Overseas Territories, we have successfully protected 60% of UK waters, which includes 4.3 million square kilometres of protection around the Overseas Territories. Building on this success in 2019, the UK launched the Global Ocean Alliance, calling for at least 30% of the global ocean to be protected by 2030.

At the recent Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council, territory leaders pledged to work with the UK to secure an ambitious agreement to tackle climate change at COP26. By the time of the Summit, each territory government will have endeavoured to communicate their plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation, which will contribute towards global carbon emission reductions. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy plans to consult with the territories on the extension of the Paris Agreement and the UK's Nationally Determined Contribution to cover their emissions.

In his statement to the House on 26 November 2020, the Foreign Secretary noted that the UK will maintain our position as a world leader, including by investing in the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB & Malaria. The UK is the second largest donor to the current replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Global health is a high priority for the Government. To maximise the Government's strategic focus in the use of ODA this year, the Foreign Secretary will run a short cross-Government process to review, appraise and finalise all of the UK's ODA allocations across all departments. It is the Government's intention to conclude this process as soon as possible, with the outcome communicated to the departments concerned. We will maintain our position as a world leader, investing in the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, COVAX, the Global Fund for Aids, TB and Malaria, and the International Finance Facility for Immunisation.

The UK remains a world leader in efforts to end the AIDS epidemic, including through our investment in the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

In 2018 alone the Global Fund provided 18.9 million people with antiretroviral therapy. This investment is complemented by a wider portfolio of programmes and research, including our 20-year agreement with Unitaid. Unitaid's work has enabled great advancements in HIV diagnostics and treatment at affordable costs, such as reducing the price of portable advanced HIV tests to less than $4, and developing long-acting injectable antiretroviral treatments for HIV.

We are also the second largest government supporter of product development research to improve the health of the most vulnerable in the poorest countries. This support includes funding to the International Partnership for Microbicides, which is developing women-initiated HIV prevention methods. One of the most advanced products is a one-month Dapivirine vaginal ring, which has recently received World Health Organisation prequalification.

• a) FCDO bilateral funding on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research over the last five years was as follows:

£23 million in 2015

£17 million in 2016

£13 million in 2017

£11 million in 2018

£9 million in 2019

• b) FCDO multilateral funding on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, research over the last five years was as follows:

£65 million in 2015

£15 million in 2016

£199 million in 2017

£190 million in 2018

£232 million in 2019

The UK Government is fully committed to supporting the Overseas Territories. The end of the transition period affects each territory in different ways. We will continue to work with the territories to understand funding needs and the right balance of OT and UK spending in support of these needs.

The World Food Programme (WFP) remains one of the UK's most important humanitarian partners. We are part of the agency's governance system, the Executive Board, and in 2019 we were the agency's 3rd largest government donor.

Our partnership is particularly important in the context of the FCDO Famine Initiative, given the agency's mandate in food security and food assistance, and increasing global need. The essential work of WFP is more crucial now than ever.

WFP publishes a breakdown of each donor's funding on their website, accessible at https://www.wfp.org/funding.

The UK places great importance on the work of UN Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Bodies and institutions. While members of Treaty Monitoring Bodies are nominated by a State Party, they serve on their respective committees as independent experts. In 2010, Patrick Thornberry was elected to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In 2012, Diane Mulligan was elected to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Sir Nigel Rodley was elected to the Human Rights Committee; and Sir Malcolm Evans was elected to the Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture. In 2016, Sir Malcolm Evans was again elected to the Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture. The UK was elected to the UN Human Rights Council in 2013, 2016 and 2020.

The Statistics on International Development (SID) National Statistics report, published on the GOV.UK website, provides an overview of all official UK spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). UK bilateral aid to the countries listed is detailed in a specific SID table - "Table A4a: Total UK Bilateral ODA by country - Africa". UK multilateral aid to the countries listed is detailed in "Table A10: Imputed UK Share of Multilateral Net ODA by Country". Details of multilateral aid by country are currently only available up to the year 2018.

UK ODA figures for 2020 will be published in Autumn 2021, via Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2020.

The Stabilisation Unit (SU) is a cross-government unit that provides expertise to build stability, prevent conflict and meet security challenges internationally. The SU was hosted on a DFID platform until September 2020, when it became part of FCDO. Stabilisation Unit staff numbers employed on a full and part time basis from 2015 to 2020 are as follows:

*Note:

• Staff from other Government departments, serving military, police and secondees make up the totality of SU staff numbers.
• The figures presented are not in the public domain, but are not considered sensitive.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs does not hold centrally a record of the number of times Offical Development Assistance funded projects have been assessed according to the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance and how many of these have been approved by Ministers.

CDC has published its complete portfolio of energy investments as held at 31 December 2019, with details including the start date of each investment and the total amount committed - https://assets.cdcgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/11174306/Fossil-Fuels-and-Renewables-portfolio-as-at-31-December-2019-pdf.pdf.

For future investments, CDC has published its fossil fuel policy to align with the Government's new approach.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

Revised ODA allocations for 2020/21 will be published by HM Treasury at Autumn Budget.

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We regularly raise our concerns about the use of the death penalty with the Bahraini authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels. The Government of Bahrain is well aware of the UK's opposition to use of the death penalty.

Recent discussions with the Chinese authorities in China on human rights have focused on the situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, which the Foreign Secretary has raised directly with his Chinese counterpart. However, we have urged the Chinese authorities on many occasions to reduce their use of capital punishment, in line with global trends. The UK Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle.

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. This is especially the case for juveniles and for crimes other than the most serious. This is in line with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights. We regularly raise our concerns about use of the death penalty with the Saudi Arabian authorities. We utilise a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and British Embassy officials in Riyadh. I raised the death penalty with Dr Awwad al Awwad, President of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission during my virtual visit in July. The Minister for human rights, Lord Ahmad, raised the death penalty in a call with Dr Awwad in June and raised a range of human rights concerns during his visit last September. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights during his visit in March this year. In February, the Saudi Deputy Justice Minister, HE Abdullah Al Sulaimi, visited the UK. My predecessor raised the death penalty with him, as did our officials. The UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia raised the death penalty with Dr Awwad al Awwad in February.

It remains a long-standing policy of the United Kingdom to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. The Government of Iraq is well aware of our position on this issue, which officials have regularly reiterated in the past 12 months, both in direct discussions and in multilateral fora such as the UN Human Rights Council.

It remains a long-standing policy of the United Kingdom to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We continue to make our position clear to the Egyptian authorities, including in our Advanced Questions to Egypt during its Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in November 2019.

As I said in the House on 11 May, I had been an optimist on Zimbabwe post-Mugabe, but things are bleak across the political, economic, social and humanitarian fronts.

The UK is particularly concerned about the challenging human rights situation. I spoke to the Zimbabwean Foreign Minister on 8 June and expressed my deep concern regarding recent reports of the abduction and torture of Cecilia Chimbiri, Netsai Marowa, and Joana Mamombe. I urged the Foreign Minister to ensure the Government of Zimbabwe makes concrete progress on human rights, including investigations into violations.

It is vital that the Zimbabwean authorities adhere to their international human rights obligations and respect their Constitution, which prohibits enforced disappearances and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This was reiterated in a joint local statement issued on 20 May by the UK alongside other partners, including Ambassadors from the European Union, France, Germany and the United States of America. The UK will continue to monitor developments in Zimbabwe closely and call for the Government of Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights.

The UK Government is concerned by the deteriorating human rights and political environment in Guinea and the demonstrations that have led to violence in recent months. On 27 February, I set out the UK Government's deep concern over the violence and civilian deaths, following the announcement of legislative elections in Guinea and in the lead up to the referendum on the constitution. The elections and referendum were then postponed until 22 March. We urge the Government of Guinea to respect democratic institutions and all forms of human rights, including the right to peaceful protest. It was deeply saddening that there was a further loss of life on the day the election and referendum were held in Guinea. The UK has urged the Government of Guinea to ensure that all deaths are properly investigated. We encourage all parties, the Government and the Opposition, to engage in constructive dialogue, refrain from violence and protect democracy.

We continue to raise our concerns with representatives of the Government of Guinea, through our Ambassador in Conakry, on civic and political issues including the importance of respect for the rule of law, and the need for elections to be free and fair. The UK will continue to work with the Government of Guinea, international partners and regional institutions both to support Guinea's democracy and stability and to improve the day-to-day lives of all Guineans.

The elections took place against the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working with the Government of Guinea to support them in their own response to COVID-19. To support the people of Guinea, we are funding a programme of mass media communications to increase the public's awareness and understanding of the pandemic, and we have offered the Government of Guinea technical assistance in responding to the economic impacts of COVID-19.

The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of terrorist violence in Burkina Faso and the tragic consequences for the population. The number of displaced people due to instability continues to rise. As of April this year, over 800,000 people were recorded as displaced in Burkina Faso. The UK condemns the violence and is committed to working with all partners, including the G5 Sahel countries, to support those most in need and tackle the long-term drivers of instability in the region. In February, I attended the first meeting of the Sahel Alliance General Assembly and G5 Leaders' Summit, where I reaffirmed the UK's commitment to improved security and increased development in the Sahel.

We are also deeply concerned by reports of abuses and violations of human rights in Burkina Faso, including by armed groups and the Burkinabe security forces. We welcome the Government of Burkina Faso's commitment to investigate recent abuses and hold those responsible to account.

The UK is supporting the security response across the Sahel region, including in Burkina Faso, through non-combat assistance to the French-led counter-terrorism mission Operation BARKHANE, in the form of three CH47 chinook helicopters. The UK is committed to helping the G5 Sahel Joint Force reach full operational capability. Bilateral funding has gone towards the provision of non-lethal military equipment and support for the human rights compliance framework. The UK is also supporting Burkina Faso by providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis. Over £23 million of UK humanitarian aid will go to Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2021, including to help tackle food insecurity and treat acute malnutrition. We are also funding a number of programmes that help provide access to education in emergencies and support women's sexual and reproductive health.

The UK Government is firmly committed to supporting the Falkland Islands and all of the Overseas Territories in dealing with Covid-19. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development are leading a cross-Whitehall effort to provide bespoke support to the Territories. For the Falkland Islands specifically, the UK has procured and transported medical supplies, ventilators and oxygen generation facilities, as well as the necessary equipment to develop an on-island testing capability. This has been supported by facilitating access to UK medical expertise through Public Health England. To support the Falkland civilian population and the British military base on the islands, a military clinical team of six personnel has also been sent to the main hospital on the islands.

Economic management is devolved to the Falkland Island Government, who have put various measures in place to support their economy through the crisis. Fishing has been mostly unaffected thanks to the conclusion of the season before the peak of the virus, and the Falkland Island Government has offered to buy any unsold wool this year at pre-crisis prices. In addition, a local business support package has been put in place, modelled on the UK package.

I am in regular contact with the political leaders of the Falkland Islands to understand the impact the virus is having on both public health and the economy, to ensure they are receiving support from the UK where needed.

We are seeking a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU and want to have the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours. We have been engaging closely with the Falkland Islands on their interests in these negotiations and have been representing these robustly in negotiations.

The UK notes irregularities reported by observers during the elections in Burundi on 20 May and remains concerned by reports of violence against political party members during the electoral period. Election day itself was broadly peaceful, which we have welcomed. We have taken note of the provisional presidential and parliamentary results and await the outcome of legal challenge by the opposition. We continue to call on all parties to resolve electoral disputes through legal mechanisms and to ensure a peaceful post-electoral environment.

The UK Government, along with international partners, is monitoring the arrest of Mubarak Bala closely. The Nigerian authorities are yet to confirm the charges against Mr Bala. I raised Mr Bala's case with the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs during our call on 21 May. Our High Commission in Abuja is discussing the case with the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Police.

The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Rehman Chishti MP, is also personally looking into Mr Bala's case on an urgent basis, and has raised this matter with international counterparts. On 6 May, Mr Chishti spoke with the Chief Executive of Humanists UK and stressed the UK's engagement on this case. The Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, also discussed Mr Bala's case with the Chief Executive on 20 May.

We will continue to stress the importance of a transparent investigation that respects Mr Bala's human rights, the rule of law, and the Nigerian constitutional right to freedom of religion or belief. Defending freedom of religion or belief for all remains a UK policy priority and we will continue to use our voice internationally to protect this human right, championed by Mr Chishti.

The UK Government is concerned about the recent changes in Ethiopia's status determination procedures for asylum seekers. We have sought a dialogue with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) on its changes so that we can discuss how they will be delivered and the implications for those fleeing from Eritrea and elsewhere. Through our £170 million refugee and migration programme in Ethiopia (2016-2023), the UK is a leading donor to the refugee response in Ethiopia and plays a proactive role in the coordination of the refugee response alongside UN agencies, other donors and the GoE.

We are aware of reports that at least 20 Muslim males, including local businessmen, religious teachers and community leaders, were arrested in Mendefera and Adi Quala on 28 November by Eritrean security forces. It is difficult for diplomatic staff to verify such reports given the lack of free media reporting in Eritrea and Eritrean Government restrictions on internal travel by diplomats.

Eritrea remains a priority country for the FCO in our annual human rights reporting, and we will continue to monitor the situation there. We regularly raise our concerns about human rights in Eritrea with their Government and in international fora. On 26 February, the UK's International Ambassador for Human Rights delivered a statement during the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council expressing concern at continuing human rights abuses; she welcomed Eritrean acceptance of Universal Periodic Review recommendations with an offer to support their implementation, and called for the UN Special Rapporteur to be allowed to visit Eritrea.

During visits to Eritrea, the FCO's Head of East Africa Department, in November 2019, and the Home Office International Director, in February 2020, both raised human rights issues with senior members of the Eritrean government, including Freedom of Expression and National Service. In April our Ambassador in Asmara raised the prospect of releasing prisoners given their increasing risk of infection from Covid-19 with the President's chief political adviser, Yemane Gebreab.

In response to the covid-19 pandemic, as of 29 April we have temporarily withdrawn 95 FCO staff, and 235 staff from other Government Departments, from Posts in our Africa network, where the risk warrants it. These staff are continuing to work remotely from outside the country of their deployment, either supporting Post or carrying out wider COVID-19 work. Posts continue to carry out essential work, including providing 24/7 consular assistance and support to British people overseas.

The UK Government is firmly committed to supporting the Overseas Territories in dealing with Covid-19. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development are leading a cross Whitehall effort, working closely with the Overseas Territories governments. The Minister for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development is in regular contact with the political leaders and Governors of the Territories. The impact of the pandemic in the Territories varies, and our support is being calibrated accordingly.

In the areas where it is needed, we are providing support to strengthen territories' public health systems, through provision of essential medical supplies, equipment and personnel. We are also working with partners to maintain lifeline transport routes. The Government has organised flights to enable British nationals to return to the UK from the Overseas Territories, and to enable a number of?British nationals in the UK to return to their?homes?in the territories. The flights also carried medical equipment to the territories.

Just as the UK is doing, we are looking to Overseas Territories to make full use of their financial resources in order to address the needs of their people. Requests for further support to complement comprehensive local economic response plans are being considered on a needs basis. In the Territories which are in receipt of financial assistance from DFID, the UK Government will continue to provide the support needed to ensure delivery of essential services and to protect their economies.

On 9 April, the UK and other UN member states participated in the UN Human Rights Council's first ever virtual conversation with Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Discussion focused on the human rights implications of the COVID-19 crisis; both the immediate impact of the response on human rights around the world, and the social and economic consequences, including the prospect of greater inequality. The UK stressed the importance of ensuring that measures to tackle the crisis be proportionate, time-bound, transparent and regularly reviewed. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the UK Mission to the UN in Geneva has continued to engage regularly with the High Commissioner and with other senior leaders in her office. The UK supports all efforts by the UN to minimise long-term damage to global economies, societies, politics and freedoms.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its guidance on Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) in 2017 by written ministerial statement. Since then, information on its implementation has been included in the FCO's Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. Information on the number of programmes that have drawn on the OSJA guidance and a more detailed breakdown of assessments identifying specific forms of human rights risks, is not held centrally nor readily available. Any technical assistance we provide is kept under regular review to ensure it is in line with international standards, and fully complies with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its guidance on Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) in 2017 by written ministerial statement. Since then, information on its implementation has been included in the FCO's annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. Information on the number of programmes that have drawn on the OSJA guidance and a more detailed breakdown of assessments identifying specific forms of human rights risks, is not held centrally nor readily available. Any technical assistance we provide is kept under regular review to ensure it is in line with international standards, and fully complies with our human rights obligations and the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process.

We are deeply concerned by the recent reported attacks on civilian and military personnel across Africa by Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. It continues to be our assessment that these groups represent a serious threat to security and stability in Africa, including in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are monitoring closely the risk that militants could seek to take advantage of this unprecedented global health challenge to carry out terrorist attacks. We continue to keep our Travel Advice under close review, to ensure that we are giving British Nationals still in Africa the best possible advice about the threat.

The British Government is working with the airline industry and host governments across the world to help bring back British travellers to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary on 30 March - with up to £75 million available for special charter flights to priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers. We have run 21 charter flights from Africa from seven different countries which include Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return home.

The Chancellor has made clear that he will extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme if necessary. The Government will keep the length of the scheme under review, engaging with businesses and representatives. There are a variety of factors that will need to be considered, including public health guidance and the longer-term economic recovery.

The Government’s decision on when and how to close down the CJRS will be based on all available evidence. The Government will ensure the approach is coherent with any necessary non-pharmaceutical interventions, while also considering the status of the economy, the affordability of the scheme, and the need to provide certainty to employers and employees.

The UK government is applying the Barnett formula in the normal way to the additional funding for charities announced by the Chancellor.

The devolved administrations are receiving £60 million as a result of funding provided to the National Lottery Communities Fund from the charities pot. This means £30m for the Scottish Government, £18m for the Welsh Government and £10m for the Northern Ireland Executive, as confirmed on the day of the announcement.

Further Barnett allocations will be provided in relation to the £360m direct grant pot. The UK government has agreed to provide Hospices UK with up to £200m from this pot to support hospices in England. The devolved administrations will therefore receive up to £38m in Barnett consequentials on this element of the pot. This means up to £19m for the Scottish Government, £12m for the Welsh Government and £7m for the Northern Ireland Executive. Further consequentials are dependent on the final proposals funded from this pot so will be communicated shortly.

The UK government has so far announced almost £7 billion in Covid-19 Barnett consequentials to the devolved administrations to support people, business and public services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK government is applying the Barnett formula in the normal way to the additional funding for charities announced by the Chancellor.

The devolved administrations are receiving £60 million as a result of funding provided to the National Lottery Communities Fund from the charities pot. This means £30m for the Scottish Government, £18m for the Welsh Government and £10m for the Northern Ireland Executive, as confirmed on the day of the announcement.

Further Barnett allocations will be provided in relation to the £360m direct grant pot. The UK government has agreed to provide Hospices UK with up to £200m from this pot to support hospices in England. The devolved administrations will therefore receive up to £38m in Barnett consequentials on this element of the pot. This means up to £19m for the Scottish Government, £12m for the Welsh Government and £7m for the Northern Ireland Executive. Further consequentials are dependent on the final proposals funded from this pot so will be communicated shortly.

The UK government has so far announced almost £7 billion in Covid-19 Barnett consequentials to the devolved administrations to support people, business and public services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters, including whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.

The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.

The Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.

The Departments Official Development Assistance spend in each of the last two years is published at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/department/HO we have recently updated that to include spend dating back to 2015/2016. It may take until June 12 for the update to be reflected on the website.

On 28 May 2020, the Home Office published additional statistics relating to Covid-19 and the immigration system here. This contains information on the impact of COVID-19 on passenger arrivals, and includes data on the number of passengers arriving in the UK by air routes only.

The Home Office is due to publish the next quarterly Immigration Statistics on 27 August 2020. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Currently the Home Office does not have a dedicated Director of Official Development Assistance (ODA). The ODA work falls under the remit of the International Directorate, and the International Director.

A new role of Director of Official Development Assistance has been created, and the vacancy is live on the Civil Service jobs website. The closing deadline for this application is 17^th June.

The role is to build and lead a new ODA Directorate for the Home Office and enact transformative change to focus the Department’s activities on strategic upstream interventions.

Border Force does not hold the detailed data requested.

The responses to UIN 41463 was answered on 26th May 2020 and UIN 41464 was answered 28th May 2020.

The Home Office does not routinely collect number of Passengers and crew members arriving at the UK Border at this level of detail.

The Immigration Statistics publication on the 21 May included data on total passenger arrivals, up to the end of March 2020. In addition, on 28 May, the Home Office published an ad hoc statistical release ‘Statistics relating to Covid-19 and the immigration system, May 2020’, which provided further information on the number of arrivals to the UK up to the end of April 2020.

I have been asked by the Department for Transport to respond to this question

Monitoring of flight traffic conducted by Eurocontrol shows that between 01 January 2020 and 30 April 2020 there were 14,225 aircraft arrivals at UK airports. An estimated categorisation of these aircraft arrivals based on Eurocontrol’s identification rules are provided in the table below. This data source does not provide information about the aircrafts’ point of departure or information about passengers or crew on board.

Information on passenger numbers are officially collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and received from applicable UK airports in adherence to statistical regulation (EC) 437/2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air. However, this data collection relates to commercial aircraft movements only.

The Home Office is due to publish the next quarterly Immigration Statistics on 21 May. In addition, an ad hoc statistical release ‘Statistics relating to Covid-19 and the immigration system, May 2020’ will be published on the 28 May.

On 23 March, SAGE advised that the effect of closing borders would have a negligible effect on spread of COVID-19, based on the fact that numbers of cases arriving from other countries were estimated to be insignificant in comparison with domestic cases, comprising approximately 0.5% of total domestic cases. The Home Office and SAGE have been keeping these figures under review. The numbers of passengers arriving in the UK are extremely small, and as such, there is uncertainty in any estimate at such a low level; however, we are confident that the percentage remains under 0.5% of total domestic cases.

The modelling in question was done by SAGE. The Home Office cannot provide information on when SAGE advised (a) COBR, (b) the Prime Minister, (c) the Secretary of State for Health and (d) the Secretary of State for Transport.

The Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser is a participant in SAGE and regularly updates Home Office ministers on all aspects of SAGE relating to their departmental interests.

Scientific evidence from SAGE will continue to be published by Government Office for Science in due course.

The Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser is a participant in SAGE and regularly updates Home Office ministers on all aspects of SAGE relating to their departmental interests.

The Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser participates in SAGE and regularly updates Home Office ministers and officials on all aspects of SAGE relating to their departmental interests.

The next Quarterly Immigration Statistics will be published on 21st May and Home Office statisticians are considering the additional information that can be provided as part of this national statistics publication, including data relating to the impact of Covid-19.

The health of those in asylum accommodation and immigration removal centres (IRC) is of the utmost importance.

The Accommodation providers recognise the challenge of managing COVID 19 within our accommodation estate and are working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on how their guidance on social distancing and self-isolation is properly applied, while ensuring that people can continue to access essential services.

Any individual who has symptoms is able to be tested for covid 19. We do not currently publish figures in relation to the testing of asylum accommodation staff and our service users for Covid-19.

All immigration removal centres have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. The Home Office is working closely with NHS England health and justice teams and regional commissioning teams to support their planning and delivery of healthcare services, including testing, in immigration removal centres during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Provisional management information indicates that as of 21 June, there have been 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across our detention supplier, healthcare and escorting staff. All of whom have now recovered. In addition, there have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in detained individuals. A third individual was identified but after his release from detention had been agreed. Whilst in the IRC the individual was in isolation. He was released as there was no immediate prospect of removal.

As of 26 June, no other detained individuals have tested positive for COVID-19.

Border Force are unable to provide the arrival data requested, as it would require a manual review of thousands of records and this would be cost prohibitive.

Border Force are not responsible for making any medical assessments or medical interventions when dealing with individuals at the border.

Our approach to tackling coronavirus is and has always been driven by the latest scientific and medical advice, and procedures at the border have been strictly following the latest PHE guidance throughout.

In line with that advice, no changes have been required at the UK border.

To bolster public health measures already in place, passengers at airports are provided with information on symptoms and the social distancing processes.

Border Force continues to work collaboratively with devolved administrations, including Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England, to support the COVID 19 response.

The attached table shows at column C the number of Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration employees who have been recorded as beginning a period of sickness absence due to COVID-19 symptoms.

Column D shows the number of employees recorded as beginning a period of isolation at home on paid special leave either because a member of their household has COVID-19 symptoms or because the employee themselves is vulnerable / extremely vulnerable to infection.

We do not hold data centrally on those employees who have mild symptoms and are well enough to continue to work from home, or who are isolating at home but are able to work from home and therefore do not need to take paid special leave.

We do not hold data centrally on the outcomes of COVID-19 testing of our employees.