Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he plans to publish the agenda for the European Political Community meeting to be hosted by the UK on 18 July 2024; and whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Hungary on its priorities for the meeting that it will host on 7 November 2024.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The agenda for the Summit will be set out in due course. The UK-hosted meeting will come at an important moment in efforts to galvanise support for Ukraine. It will also focus on how to work together to grapple with the common challenge of illegal migration across the continent, as well as other issues of shared concern. We are consulting with all European Political Community partners including Hungary as the next hosts.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he has taken to prevent the transit of items in circumvention of UK sanctions (a) to and (b) from (i) Russia and (ii) Belarus via third countries.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Along with the EU, US and Japan, the UK has published a list of 50 sensitive technologies and other items Russia is most actively seeking to procure via third countries. Working closely with G7 partners, we have stepped up our engagement with third countries to address circumvention risks, including sending joint delegations to the UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Armenia, to highlight risks and offer technical support. HMG is also setting up the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, which will boost the enforcement and implementation of UK trade sanctions.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the resolution of the House of 27 June 2023 on Repurposing Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential implications for his policies of that resolution; and whether the plans to bring forward such legislation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We continue to work closely with allies to explore all lawful routes by which immobilised Russian sovereign assets can be used to support Ukraine consistent with our respective legal systems and international law. G7 Leaders reaffirmed this on 24 February, instructing relevant ministries to continue their work to that end and report back ahead of the G7 Summit in June. We will keep the House updated on significant developments, as appropriate.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what (a) ambassadorial, (b) high commissioner and (c) deputy head of mission postings in (i) Europe and (ii) North America he plans to (A) announce and (B) appoint in the next seven months.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO has published announcements of changes to HM Ambassadors (HMA), High Commissioners (HC) and Heads of Mission planned for 2024 where His Majesty The King has approved and agrément by the host government has been granted. Details of changes are not published before these processes conclude. Any future HMA, HC and Head of Mission appointments would be announced following appropriate recruitment and approval processes concluding. Deputy head of mission (DHM) appointments are not formally announced.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and what diplomatic support his Department is providing in relation to such discussions.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK welcomes the recent discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the agreed progress on the delimitation of their international border, based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. We encourage both parties to continue their open and constructive dialogue in order to finalise a lasting peace agreement. The UK stands ready to support them in doing so, alongside our international partners.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department providing support to Armenia to assist with refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The UK has provided £1 million to the Red Cross movement to provide life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support to those affected by September's conflict. We also provided further medical assistance to survivors in Armenia in partnership with UK-Med, including medical supplies to the National Centre for Burns and Dermatology. We are liaising with the UN, the Red Cross movement and others to further assess humanitarian need in the region.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many members of staff from the (a) Department for Business and Trade and (b) devolved Administrations are co-located in UK embassies and high commissions in (i) Europe and (ii) North America; and if he will publish a breakdown of those figures by location.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO does not hold the responsibility for reporting on the numbers and location of other government department staff or those from devolved administrations co-located in UK embassies and high commissions. Each government department and devolved administration holds the responsibility to report on their own staff numbers.
Overseas, DBT (Department for Business and Trade) provide expert advice in support of UK exports and investment and the implementation of free trade agreements. DBT play an important role in delivery of HMG international priorities including promoting trade and investment and furthering economic and trade ties.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support people in Wales with incorrectly installed cavity wall insulation.
Answered by Lee Rowley
This is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the (a) growth and (b) development of the creative industries in South Wales.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Government has a clear plan to grow the creative industries by a further £50 billion and add another 1 million jobs by 2030. As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision, we are committed to working with industry and the devolved administrations to ensure our creative industries continue to be the best in the world. As part of this, we invited Creative Wales to become a member of the Creative Industries Council to ensure they are represented in discussions about the UK’s creative industries.
Culture and the creative industries are devolved policy areas. The UK Government has provided opportunities to support Welsh creative businesses through the following programmes:
The UK-wide Film & TV Restart scheme which supported 1,259 individual film and TV productions and £3.06 billion in production expenditure through the pandemic. Wales received £287.5 million – the largest share of funding of any nation after England (c.9%).
The £56 million Creative Clusters programme was announced in the 2018 Sector Deal: and supported R&D across the Cardiff Clwstwr one of 9 first-wave of clusters across the UK. The Clusters programme has generated approximately £252 million of private co-investment, creating or safeguarding over 4000 jobs.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the impact of potential job losses at Tata on the (a) wider supply chains and (b) economy in South Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies
This Government is supporting Tata Steel with £500 million towards building of the electric arc furnace, securing the future of steelmaking at Port Talbot. This will protect 5,000 steel jobs and thousands more in the supply chain. The Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board has been set up to support those affected by Tata Steel’s decarbonisation transition, backed by a £100 million fund. Of that funding, £80 million is provided by the UK Government and £20 million will be provided by Tata.
The Transition Board has commissioned the development of a Local Economic Action Plan to assess the economic impact in South Wales, as well as provide the Transition Board with advice on how to support and grow the local economy. The full impact of Tata Steel’s transition on the wider supply chains and the South Wales economy depends on the outcome of the formal consultation, which remains underway.
This Government acknowledges the need for immediate as well as long-term support, especially in the wake of the announcement on 18 March that Tata Steel UK will cease operation of coke ovens at their Port Talbot site. This decision, while primarily an operational matter for Tata Steel UK, shows again why the UK government is right to step in with one of the largest support packages in our history to secure the future of the Welsh steel industry.