Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
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 protect the safety of British National (Overseas) visa holders who are required to renew their Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government cannot assist with the renewal of other countries' passports in the UK. As outlined in the UK Government's Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong, the UK has an unwavering commitment to Hong Kong and its people and the Government will continue to take very seriously the safety of our valued Hong Kong community in the UK.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his German counterpart on reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out terror attacks on synagogues in Germany.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs regularly engages with his German opposite on a variety of issues, including security matters, most recently on 5 January for the UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue. Germany is a likeminded and capable security partner with whom we enjoy a strong relationship.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the World Malaria Report 2022 published by the WHO on 8 December, what steps he is taking to support the eradication of malaria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The World Malaria Report 2022 reported that numbers of malaria cases and deaths remained broadly stable in 2021 following an increase in 2020, with 247 million cases and 619,000 deaths. On the 12th December I (Minister Mitchell) gave the keynote speech at the UK Launch of the World Malaria Report. The UK supports the Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 target to end the epidemic of malaria by 2030. Tackling malaria is also closely linked with the UK's ambition to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children given it predominantly impacts pregnant women and children under 5. The UK has pledged £1 billion to the Global Fund's seventh replenishment (2023-2025) which will help save over 1 million lives and avert over 28 million new infections. In addition to this the UK also supports research and development into new tools to address malaria and provides bilateral support to malaria endemic countries to strengthen their health systems.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU on the validity for travel of UK passports with less than six months remaining until their expiry date following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign Secretary speaks regularly to his EU and Non-EU counterparts to promote the interests of British citizens. For travel to the Schengen Area, the passports of third-country nationals must be issued less than 10 years before the date the individual enters and be valid for at least three months after the day they plan to leave the Schengen Area. We encourage UK passport holders to check their passport meets these requirements before they travel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly updates travel advice on passport requirements in line with guidance from HM Passport Office.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Article six of the Schengen Borders Code applies to UK citizens travelling to the EU.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Article 6 of the EU's Schengen Borders Code applies to UK nationals when travelling to Schengen Area Member States. UK nationals legally resident in a Member State are exempt from these checks when travelling to their country of residence.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are in the EU but they are not part of the Schengen Area. UK nationals travelling to these countries can expect similar checks as set out in Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code. We advise UK nationals to check the FCDO's travel advice pages on GOV.UK for the latest information on travel to Europe.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to assist people in central Ukraine, who are not close to a border, to reach safety in neighbouring countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Russian aggression is having a massive human cost, causing death, displacement and destruction of vital civilian infrastructure. As of 30 March, over 4 million people are known to have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR [link: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine]. We must ensure the humanitarian needs of displaced people are met, both within and beyond Ukraine's borders. The UK has committed £394 UK aid to Ukraine and the region during the current crisis, including £220 million of humanitarian assistance and we have deployed humanitarian experts to the region to support those fleeing the violence.
Humanitarian access is a critical part of upholding International Humanitarian Law. Parties to conflict must allow humanitarian supplies in, and facilitate movement of civilians out of cities where fighting is taking place. We are encouraging international partners to speak as one demanding that all parties guarantee full humanitarian access and respect international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will work with allied countries to enforce a green corridor in Ukraine to ensure food and medical supplies reach those areas in central Ukraine that may be at risk of isolation as a result of their geographical distance from neighbouring borders.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Humanitarian access is a critical part of upholding International Humanitarian Law. Parties to conflict must allow humanitarian supplies in, and facilitate movement of civilians out of cities where fighting is taking place. The UK continues to support the UN and the Red Cross in negotiating access, and to call on Russia to uphold its obligation to facilitate full humanitarian access and respect international law.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what bilateral discussions he has with individual EU member states to negotiate an extension to the 180 day limit on visa-free access to the EU for UK visitors.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Government discussed arrangements with the EU for British Citizens travelling to the Schengen Area. Regrettably, the EU consistently maintained that British Citizens will be treated as Third Country Nationals under the Schengen Borders Code from 1 January 2021. This means that British Citizens are able to travel visa-free for short stays for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. This is the standard length of stay that the EU offers to nationals of eligible third countries that offer visa-free travel for EU citizens, in line with existing EU legislation. British Citizens planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. This may require applying for a visa and/or permit.
The UK's Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU confirms that both the UK and EU currently provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals in accordance with their respective laws. The detail of those arrangements is set by domestic law. The Government does not typically enter into bilateral agreements on visa-free travel.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What diplomatic steps he is taking to strengthen UK relations with ASEAN countries.
Answered by Nigel Adams
A strong UK-ASEAN relationship is a critical part of our Indo-Pacific Tilt.
The UK has applied to become a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN. The Foreign Secretary attended the first UK-ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in September to deepen cooperation on Covid-19, building a sustainable economic recovery, climate change and maritime security. The Foreign Secretary and I have engaged counterparts from Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam in recent months.
Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What diplomatic steps he is taking to support peace between Israel and the Palestinian people.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have actively encouraged the parties back to dialogue. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in August and urged Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli PM Netanyahu to renew cooperation, and work towards further confidence-building measures and dialogue. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the recent decision by the Palestinian Authority & the Government of Israel to restore cooperation. We encourage the parties to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise to move towards a lasting solution to the conflict. We also welcomed the announcement, on 13 August, of the suspension of annexation plans. Annexation would have been contrary to international law, counterproductive to peace and a severe blow to prospects for a two-state solution. We hope both of these developments can be used as a step towards direct talks between the two sides. The UK stands ready to support.