Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Egypt on the detention of Tawfik Ghanem.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have not raised Mr Ghanem's specific case directly with the Egyptians, but we regularly raise pre-trial detention cases, restrictions on media freedom and detentions of political activists with Egypt, both in London and Cairo. Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed human rights with the Egyptian Ambassador on 20 February and with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 28 March. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights with FM Shoukry on 29 April.
We also raise human rights issues multilaterally through our Human Rights Council Item 4 Statements and detail our concerns through our Annual Human Rights and Development Reports.
Mentions:
1: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) A generous offer was on the table last week, proposed by Egypt and accepted by Israel. - Speech Link
2: Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con - Life peer) the quickest way to have a sustainable ceasefire is for Hamas to agree to the generous terms which Egypt - Speech Link
3: Baroness Deech (XB - Life peer) My Lords, on the topic of international law, will the Minister remind Egypt of its obligations under - Speech Link
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much humanitarian aid his Department has delivered into Gaza by (a) land crossings, (b) maritime deliveries and (c) airdrops in each month since October 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
With the exception of airdrops, the Ministry of Defence has not delivered humanitarian aid directly into Gaza.
In October one RAF flight delivered 21 tonnes of aid and in November three RAF flights delivered 53 tonnes to Egypt for land crossings. In December RFA Lyme Bay delivered 87 tonnes UK and Cypriot aid into Port Said, Egypt also for land crossings.
In March the RAF airdropped 28 tonnes of aid over Gaza, with a further 36 tonnes between 1-17 April, as part of the Jordanian led mission.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2024 to Question 24720 on Fertilisers: Russia, from which countries have imports of fertiliser increased since March 2022.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
As per the answer of 13 May 2024, UK imports of fertiliser originating from Russia fell 80% in 2023, compared to 2022 import values.
Across a similar period, from March 2022 to February 2023, the value of direct fertiliser imports grew most significantly from the following 10 countries: Egypt, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, USA, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago, France, Lithuania, and Israel. These countries accounted for around 82% of the total increase.
More recent data shows that the largest increases, between March 2023 and February 2024, were from: Egypt, Israel, Morocco, USA, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, China, Canada, Greece, and Nigeria. These countries accounted for around 93% of the total increase for this period.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Egypt in regard to the right of access and freedom of worship in the newly restored and historically significant Ben Ezra Synagogue in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make representations to the government of Egypt concerning the importance of including the Jewish community in official ceremonies related to the Ben Ezra synagogue and similar historical and cultural landmarks in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: A particular challenge for Egypt is the frequency of torture.
May. 03 2024
Source Page: Russia's impact on global food security: UK statement to the OSCEFound: FAO Govern ing and Coordinating bodies of multilateral agencies Denmark Egypt
Written Evidence Dec. 18 2023
Inquiry: The UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North AfricaFound: briefly comment on the Palestinian-israeli conflict and share more details on the situation in Egypt
Apr. 09 2024
Source Page: British International Investment (BII) longitudinal mobilisation study evaluation reports: renewable energy investments and BII-backed fundsFound: ‘Alcazar Energy Egypt Solar 1 SAE’. https://www.bii.co.uk/en/our-impact/direct-header/alcazar-energy-egypt-solar