Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2024 to Question 24277 on South China Sea: Shipping, how much funding has been provided to maritime training programmes in Southeast Asia in each of the last five financial years.

Prior to November 2022, the FCDO's approach to maritime security in Southeast Asia focussed on diplomatic engagement including legal dialogues. In November 2022, the FCDO launched the Southeast Asia Maritime Security programme funded by the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and spent in total £0.17 million in financial year (FY) 2022-23. In FY 2023-24, the programme invested £0.8 million on capacity and capability building projects with regional partners to strengthen their capacity on maritime law and security. In FY 2024-25, the programme has been allocated up to £3.5 million to continue delivering similar projects through the new Integrated Security Fund (ISF).