Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recent decision by the Zimbabwean government to pay compensation to farmers whose land was confiscated.

We welcome Zimbabwe's recent payments to farmers whose land was confiscated. We understand that 379 farmers covered by the 2020 Global Compensation Deed, which includes some British nationals, have been compensated. There have also been initial payments to farmers covered by Bilateral Investment Protection & Promotion Agreements, such as Germany, Dutch and Swiss nationals. This is in line with commitments made by the Government of Zimbabwe in the Structured Dialogue on Arrears Clearance.