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Written Question
Israel: Foreign Relations
Thursday 19th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list the meetings Ministers in his Department have had with Israeli officials since 7 December 2024.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

FCDO Ministers meet with a wide range of officials, but there have been no official meetings with Israeli officials since 7 December 2024.


Written Question
Syria: Armed Conflict
Thursday 19th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the last Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability strategic assessment was carried out on the situation in Syria.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) strategic assessment is an OFFICIAL SENSITIVE paper that is used to underpin UK national security strategies, as well as UK government policy and programming. We do not publicly comment on the timings of specific JACS assessments.


Written Question
Fuel Oil: Prices
Thursday 19th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on global price fluctuations in heating oil resulting from conflict in the Middle East.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary and I have had no discussions with our international counterparts on global oil price fluctuations caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.


Written Question
Myanmar: Armed Conflict
Wednesday 18th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the conflict in Myanmar.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has provided more than £150 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education and support for civil society and local communities in Myanmar. UK Ministers and officials work with many international partners to address the Myanmar crisis including the EU. G7 Foreign Ministers reiterated their commitment to addressing the Myanmar crisis in their November 2024 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. FCDO officials continue to coordinate with the EU on sanctions, including announcing a joint round of sanctions with Canada in October 2024 which targets the Myanmar military's access to military material, equipment and funds.


Written Question
Nagorno Karabakh: Humanitarian Situation
Wednesday 18th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last had discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains in close contact with the Azerbaijani Government on a wide range of issues, including the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. I spoke with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on 31 October and discussed the situation in the region.


Written Question
Palestinians: Fire and Rescue Services
Tuesday 17th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September to Question 3985 on Palestinians: Fire and Rescue Services, if he will take steps to help ensure the delivery of that donation.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to call on Israel to increase humanitarian and commercial access into the Occupied Palestinian Territories by ensuring all aid crossings are fully operational, including the port of Ashdod. The Foreign Secretary recently spoke to Israeli Officials and raised the urgent need for a rapid increase in aid for those most in need. FCDO officials have raised the matter of this donation directly with the Israeli authorities. At a UK-chaired meeting of the UN Security Council on 12 November, Lord Collins called on Israel to immediately make good on its commitment to flood Gaza with aid. The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed these messages and the urgent need for a resolution at the UN Security Council on 18 November.


Written Question
British Council: Finance
Monday 16th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the British Council has adequate funding to effectively promote (a) Scottish and (b) wider UK (i) education and (ii) arts.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As an Arms Length Body, the British Council is operationally independent. They set out their plans in their Annual Corporate Plan. The Government is committed to a successful British Council that is financially stable. Our funding to the British Council underlines our support. FCDO will provide the British Council with £162.5 million Grant-in-Aid in 2024/25. Funding for 2025/26 will be announced in due course.


Written Question
English Language: Assessments
Monday 16th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to Home Office English Language Testing services on the British Council’s (a) finances and (b) ability to promote Scottish (i) further and (ii) higher education overseas.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

My officials will follow up with the British Council on these points. The British Council is operationally independent from Government; its priorities, programmes and operations are approved by its Board of Trustees.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Renewable Energy
Friday 13th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help to low-income countries pursue green industrialisation pathways.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is committed to helping low income countries pursue green industrialisation pathways by promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development, and supporting industrial decarbonisation.

Examples include raising over £470 million of investment through Manufacturing Africa in Rwanda and Ethiopia, £7 million investment by British International Investment in Planet Solar, using solar power to increase Sierra Leone's power supply by 30%, and support to the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Climate Change
Thursday 12th December 2024

Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his department is taking to help countries disproportionately impacted by climate change implement (a) social and (b) economic adaptation measures.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Since 2011, the UK has supported over 110 million people to adapt to climate change.  We support countries to produce and implement whole-of-society national adaptation plans, have several regional programmes supporting climate-resilient economies, and fund research informing adaptation solutions. UK experts have developed financing models; after Hurricane Beryl this July, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility paid over 76 million dollars to support their recovery. An initial investment in the Resilience and Adaptation Fund currently in development will enable vulnerable households to secure better incomes, assets, and access to food, water and productive land; building their resilience to climate change.