Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the Christian Aramaean communities on the Israel–Lebanon border.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is actively monitoring the Blue Line boundary between Israel and Lebanon, and engaging closely with partners across the region. We are a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and call for places of worship to be respected. Israel and Lebanon have made clear their commitment to freedom of religion, and we encourage both Governments to do all that they can to uphold the values of equality for all enshrined in their laws. Our Embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise issues of religious freedom with the Israeli and Lebanese Governments.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 2760 on Middle East: Armed Forces, how many UK troops were present in (a) Jordan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Oman, (d) Bahrain and (e) Cyprus in each year since 2010.
Answered by James Heappey
Additional time is required to access this information from the MOD archives. I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports by (a) Human Rights Watch and (b) Amnesty International alleging the use of white phosphorus in (i) Lebanon and (ii) Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International alleging the use of white phosphorus in Lebanon and Gaza. HMG will not provide a running commentary on possible violations of International Humanitarian Law. The Government keeps policy regularly under review to ensure it meets our obligations and needs at the time. While it is the responsibility of the parties themselves to ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law, the UK Government is scrupulous in ensuring that its own actions do not in any way assist or support the violation of international law.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 20 November 2023, Official Report, column 4, how many UK troops are in (a) Jordan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Oman, (d) Bahrain and (e) Cyprus as of 21 November 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK maintains a presence in each of these locations
a) There are approximately 30 members of the UK Armed Forces in Jordan.
b) There are approximately 40 members of the UK Armed Forces in Lebanon.
c) There are approximately 1,000 members of the UK Armed Forces in Oman.
d) There are approximately 400 members of the UK Armed Forces in Bahrain.
e) There are approximately 3,000 members of the UK Armed Forces in the Sovereign Base Area on the island of Cyprus.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which countries do not have a resident UK Defence Attache.
Answered by James Heappey
The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK Defence Attaché (DA) is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility. This ensures that we have coverage across the world’s regions.
Country (NRA) | Location of DA |
Angola | Pretoria – South Africa |
Anguilla | Jamaica - Kingston |
Antigua & Barbua | Jamaica - Kingston |
Armenia | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Azerbaijan | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Bahamas | Jamaica - Kingston |
Barbados | Jamaica - Kingston |
Belarus | Ukraine – Kyiv |
Belize | Jamaica - Kingston |
Benin | Accra - Ghana |
Bermuda | USA – Washington DC |
Bolivia | UK – London |
Botswana | Harare - Zimbabwe |
British Virgin Islands | Jamaica - Kingston |
Burkina Faso | Ghana - Accra |
Burundi | Uganda – Kampala |
Cambodia | Singapore |
Cape Verde Islands | UK-London |
Cayman Islands | Jamaica – Kingston |
Congo | UK - London |
Cuba | Mexico – Mexico City |
Djibouti | Ethiopia – Addis Ababa |
Dominica Dominican Republic | Jamaica - Kingston |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kampala - Uganda |
Eritrea | Sana’a - Yemen |
Ecuador | Bogota - Colombia |
Gabon | London |
Grenada | Jamaica - Kingston |
Guinea | Sierra Leone – Freetown |
Guyana | Jamaica - Kingston |
Guatemala | Mexico – Mexico City |
Guinea-Bissau | Senegal - Dakar |
Haiti | Jamaica - Kingston |
Hungary | Croatia - Zagreb |
Iceland | Norway - Oslo |
Ivory Coast | Ghana – Accra |
Khartoum | Egypt - Cairo |
Kosovo | Macedonia - Skopje |
Kyrgyzstan | Kazakhstan – Astana |
Lesotho | South Africa - Pretoria |
Liberia | Sierra Leone - Freetown |
Libya | Libya - Tripoli |
Malawi | Zimbabwe – Harare |
Malta | Rome |
Mauritania | Morocco – Rabat |
Monaco | France – Paris |
Mongolia | Japan – Tokyo |
Montenegro | Tirana – Albania |
Myanmar | Singapore (BDS SEA) |
Montserrat | Jamaica - Kingston |
Mozambique | South Africa – Pretoria |
Panama City | Puerto Rico |
Namibia | South Africa – Pretoria |
Niger | Mali - Bamako |
Papua New Guinea | Australia – Canberra |
Paraguay | Argentina – Buenos Aires |
Peru | Colombia - Bogota |
Rwanda | Uganda – Kampala |
Seychelles | Kenya - Nairobi |
St Kitts & Nevis | Jamaica - Kingston |
St Lucia | Jamaica - Kingston |
St Vincent | Jamaica - Kingston |
Slovakia | Czech Rep - Prague |
Slovenia | Austria – Vienna |
South Sudan | Addis Ababa – Ethiopia |
Switzerland | Vienna - Austria |
Syria | Lebanon |
Tajikistan | Kazakhstan – Astana |
Tanzania | Kenya – Nairobi |
The Gambia | Senegal - Dakar |
Timor-Leste (East Timor) | Indonesia - Jakarta |
Togo | Ghana – Accra |
Tonga | Fiji – Suva |
Trinidad & Tobago | Jamaica - Kingston |
Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan - Tashkent |
Turks & Caicos Islands | Jamaica - Kingston |
Uruguay | Argentina - Buenos Aires |
Vanuatu | Fiji – Suva |
Venezuela | Bogota - Colombia |
Zambia | Zimbabwe - Harare |
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 extent of persecution of Christians in (a) Lebanon and (b) other Middle Eastern countries.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
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 implications for his Department's policies of the United States imposing sanctions on the Lebanese organisation Green Without Borders.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long condemned the destabilising activities of Hizballah and its affiliates, including Green Without Borders, in the region. Hizballah's activities, particularly along the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, pose a grave threat to civilians living in the vicinity, as well as UN peacekeepers in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). At this time of heightened tension in the region, there is an urgent need for calm along the Blue Line. We do not speculate about future UK sanctions designations.
Asked by: Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to African universities and institutions specialising in conflict, in particular in (1) Sudan, (2) South Sudan, (3) Eritrea, and (4) Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Currently we do not provide support to universities in any of the specified countries. Through our recent Strategic Partnership for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme we have provided support to universities in Somaliland, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and provided conflict support to universities in Jordan and Lebanon supporting Syrian refugees. This programme ran from 2016-2022 and focussed on transforming the quality, relevance, scale, access and affordability of higher education systems through mutually beneficial partnerships. A successor programme is currently being developed which will be accepting/encouraging bids from Ethiopia and South Sudan.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded to each country for awarded for the 2023-24 academic year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Chevening operates in over 160 countries and territories. For the 2023-24 academic year, our budget of £57.7 million Official Development Assistance (ODA), £1.6 million non-ODA funding, and additional income of around £13.2 million from tuition fee-waivers and external partners allowed us to offer 1440 awards of which 1383 were from ODA funding and 57 from non-ODA funding. Attached is a table indicating numbers from each eligible country. For countries where we offered fewer than five places we withhold the exact number as this would contravene one of the data protection principles. In this case, Sections 40(2) and 40 (3A)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act apply.
ODA | Country | Awards made (incl. full/part partner funded awards) |
ODA | AFGHANISTAN | 22 |
ODA | ALBANIA | 11 |
ODA | ALGERIA | 7 |
ODA | ANGOLA / SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE | 15 |
ODA | ARGENTINA | 15 |
ODA | ARMENIA | 5 |
ODA | AZERBAIJAN | 7 |
ODA | BANGLADESH | 21 |
ODA | BELARUS | 7 |
ODA | BELIZE | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | BHUTAN | 5 |
ODA | BOLIVIA | 6 |
ODA | BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA | 6 |
ODA | BOTSWANA | 5 |
ODA | BRAZIL | 46 |
ODA | BURUNDI | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | CAMBODIA | 14 |
ODA | CAMEROON / CHAD / EQUATORIAL GUINEA / GABON | 8 |
ODA | CHINA | 33 |
ODA | COLOMBIA | 14 |
ODA | CONGO, The Democratic Republic Of The/Central African Republic/Republic of Congo | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA | 6 |
ODA | COTE D'IVOIRE | 7 |
ODA | CUBA | 8 |
ODA | DJIBOUTI | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/HAITI | 13 |
ODA | EAST CARIBBEAN ODA (GRENADA, ST LUCIA, DOMINICA, ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA) | 11 |
ODA | EAST TIMOR | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | ECUADOR | 6 |
ODA | EGYPT | 30 |
ODA | EL SALVADOR | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | ERITREA | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | Eswatini | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | ETHIOPIA | 13 |
ODA | GAMBIA | 5 |
ODA | GEORGIA/South Caucasus | 14 |
ODA | GHANA / BENIN / TOGO /BURKINA FASO | 16 |
ODA | GUATEMALA / HONDURAS | 5 |
ODA | GUINEA | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | GUYANA / SURINAME | 5 |
ODA | INDIA | 38 |
ODA | INDONESIA | 43 |
ODA | IRAQ | 18 |
ODA | JAMAICA | 13 |
ODA | JORDAN | 8 |
ODA | KAZAKHSTAN | 9 |
ODA | KENYA | 33 |
ODA | KOSOVO | 8 |
ODA | KYRGYZ REPUBLIC | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | LAOS | 13 |
ODA | LEBANON | 10 |
ODA | LESOTHO | 6 |
ODA | LIBERIA | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | LIBYA | 10 |
ODA | MADAGASCAR/COMOROS | 8 |
ODA | MALAWI | 6 |
ODA | MALAYSIA | 41 |
ODA | MALDIVES | 7 |
ODA | MALI | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | MAURITANIA | 5 |
ODA | MAURITIUS | 7 |
ODA | MEXICO | 34 |
ODA | MOLDOVA | 6 |
ODA | MONGOLIA | 17 |
ODA | MONTENEGRO | 7 |
ODA | MOROCCO | 11 |
ODA | MOZAMBIQUE | 15 |
ODA | MYANMAR | 11 |
ODA | NAMIBIA | 14 |
ODA | NEPAL | 11 |
ODA | NIGER | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | NIGERIA | 39 |
ODA | NORTH MACEDONIA | 6 |
ODA | OVERSEAS TERRITORIES | 12 |
ODA | PACIFIC POOL | 32 |
ODA | PAKISTAN (DOES NOT INCLUDE FELLOWS) | 46 |
ODA | PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES | 11 |
ODA | PANAMA | 5 |
ODA | PARAGUAY | 17 |
ODA | PERU | 11 |
ODA | PHILIPPINES | 23 |
ODA | RWANDA | 8 |
ODA | SAMOA + COOK ISLANDS | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | SENEGAL / CAPE VERDE /GUINEA-BISSAU | 8 |
ODA | SERBIA | 7 |
ODA | SIERRA LEONE | 6 |
ODA | SOMALIA | 17 |
ODA | SOUTH AFRICA | 47 |
ODA | SOUTH SUDAN | 6 |
ODA | SRI LANKA | 10 |
ODA | SUDAN | 14 |
ODA | SYRIA | 15 |
ODA | TAJIKISTAN | Fewer than 5 |
ODA | TANZANIA | 17 |
ODA | THAILAND | 24 |
ODA | TUNISIA | 6 |
ODA | TURKEY | 20 |
ODA | TURKMENISTAN | 6 |
ODA | UGANDA | 21 |
ODA | UKRAINE | 37 |
ODA | UZBEKISTAN | 7 |
ODA | VENEZUELA | 7 |
ODA | VIETNAM | 23 |
ODA | YEMEN | 9 |
ODA | ZAMBIA | 11 |
ODA | ZIMBABWE | 7 |
Non-ODA | AUSTRALIA | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | BAHAMAS | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | BARBADOS (+ ST KITTS AND NEVIS) | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | BRUNEI | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | CANADA | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | CHILE | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | HONG KONG | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | ICELAND | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | ISRAEL | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | JAPAN | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | NEW ZEALAND | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | SEYCHELLES | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | SINGAPORE | 5 |
Non-ODA | SOUTH KOREA | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | TAIWAN | 5 |
Non-ODA | TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO | Fewer than 5 |
Non-ODA | URUGUAY | 10 |
1350 |
Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government who are the Trade Envoys; to which country each Trade Envoy has been assigned; and what is the party affiliation of each Trade Envoy and the length of time in post.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There are currently 36 Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys and information as below.
Country | Trade Envoy | Date of PM Appointment | ||
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN | ||||
Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina | Mark Menzies MP (Con) | September 2016 & September 2017 for Argentina | ||
Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica | Baroness Hooper of Liverpool (Con) | October 2020 | ||
Brazil | Marco Longhi MP (Con) | August 2021 | ||
AFRICA | ||||
Algeria | Lord Risby of Haverhill (Con) | November 2012 | ||
Uganda & Rwanda (watching brief for DRC) | Lord Popat (Con) | January 2016 | ||
Egypt and Cameroon | Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP (DUP) | January 2016 & August 2021 for Cameroon | ||
Nigeria | Helen Grant MP (Con) | October 2020 | ||
Kenya | Theo Clarke MP (Con) | Reappointed May 2023 | ||
South Africa & Mauritius | Andrew Selous MP(Con) | September 2017 & January 2023 for Mauritius | ||
Tanzania | Lord Walney (Non-Affiliated) | August 2021 | ||
Ghana | Baroness Hoey (Non-Affiliated) | August 2021 | ||
Tunisia & Libya | Yvonne Fovargue MP (Lab) | March 2022 | ||
Angola, Zambia & Ethiopia | Laurence Robertson MP (Con) | Reappointed March 2023 | ||
MIDDLE EAST | ||||
Israel | Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated) | October 2020 | ||
Iran | Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Con) | January 2016 | ||
Lebanon | Lord Risby of Haverhill (Con) | August 2019 | ||
Iraq | Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con) | January 2014 | ||
Jordan, Kuwait & Palestine Territories | Baroness Morris of Bolton (Con) | November 2012 | ||
UAE | Gareth Thompson MP (Con) | March 2023 | ||
| ||||
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan | Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con) | April 2016 & Kazakhstan July 2017 | ||
Mongolia | Daniel Kawczynski MP (Con) | October 2020 | ||
Ukraine | Baroness Meyer (Con) | October 2020 | ||
Turkey | Lord Hutton (Lab) | May 2022 | ||
EUROPE | ||||
Switzerland & Liechtenstein | Sir Stephen Timms MP (Lab) | August 2021 | ||
Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) | Martin Vickers MP (Con) | October 2020 | ||
APAC | ||||
Australia | Lord Botham (Crossbench) | August 2021 | ||
Taiwan | Lord Faulkner (Lab) | January 2016 | ||
Japan | Greg Clark MP (Con) | May 2022 | ||
Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei & Vietnam | Mark Garnier MP (Con) | October 2020 & for Vietnam January 2023 | ||
Singapore | Lord Sarfraz (Con) | January 2022 | ||
Republic of Korea | Sir John Whittingdale (Con) | May 2022 | ||
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines & ASEAN | Richard Graham MP (Con) | Reappointed March 2023 | ||
Cambodia & Laos | Heather Wheeler MP (Con) | Reappointed March 2023 | ||
New Zealand | David Mundell MP (Con) | Reappointed March 2023 | ||
SOUTH ASIA | ||||
Bangladesh | Rushanara Ali MP (Lab) | March 2016 | ||
Sri Lanka | Lord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch (Crossbench) | October 2020 | ||
North America | ||||
Canada | Dame Maria Miller MP (Con) | May 2022 | ||
USA (specific focus on driving trade promotion with existing MOU states) | Sir Conor Burns MP (Con) | May 2023 |