Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the oral statement of 17 April 2024 on the Humanitarian situation in Gaza by the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how his Department called for a wholly independent review of the killing of the World Central Kitchen aid workers; and what (a) guarantees of independence and (b) investigatory powers he has sought.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As the Prime Minister said in his call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on 2 April, the UK was appalled by the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British nationals, in an Israeli airstrike on 1 April. The Prime Minister called for a thorough and transparent investigation into what happened. Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have stressed the importance of effective deconfliction.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to his Department's Freedom of Information response of 20 March 2024 (reference number FOI2023/23127), when his Department was told by the Israeli Foreign Ministry that that there were 80 British national lone soldiers in the Israeli Defence Forces.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The figure given in FOI2023/23127 was provided by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2023. However, this is not the number of British Nationals serving in the IDF, this is the number of British Nationals who immigrated on their own, in order to serve.
The Government does not make its own estimate of the numbers of UK citizens travelling to fight for the Israel Defence Force (IDF).
The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the press release entitled UK to nearly double aid for Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens, published on 28 March 2024, when he expects the full funding for the 2024-25 financial year to be distributed to (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) local responders in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We will provide £89 million to support Sudan over the year ahead, most of which will go towards humanitarian assistance. Budgets have not yet been allocated. However, UK support will continue to be delivered through the UN and other trusted partners including some NGOs. The UK last year provided £23.5 million to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) to provide flexible, muti-sector support and which predominantly provides funding to NGOs, including grassroot organisations and national NGOs; we will continue our support to the SHF this year too. We are also planning to provide support to the National NGO Forum, as well as to the development of a Localisation Strategy at the request of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to (a) the World Bank and (b) other multilateral and regional financial institutions on providing additional funding to the budget for the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 15 April Lord Benyon attended the Sudan Humanitarian Pledging Conference in Paris which was attended by key bilateral and multilateral partners seeking to bring peace to Sudan and support the Sudanese people. We continue to work with international partners to encourage a concerted international effort and sufficient funding to respond to the crisis in Sudan. In 2024-25 the ODA budget for Sudan will increase to £89 million.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to support the appointment of a UN special humanitarian advisor on Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK continues to support UN leadership - through the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) - to respond to the humanitarian crises caused by the conflict in Sudan. The UK will continue to support the UN Country team which remains operational on the ground in Sudan. The UK has nearly doubled bilateral ODA to Sudan for this financial year (2024/25) to £89 million. We also support the role of the Secretary General's Personal Envoy on Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on steps Israel is taking to ensure aid is able to reach citizens in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The British Government has pressed with Israeli counterparts the urgency of getting significantly more aid into Gaza to alleviate the desperate situation.
The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 17 April and met with Israeli counterparts. During his visit he said to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Affairs Minister Katz that we must maintain focus on getting more aid into Gaza and getting hostages out.
On 5th April Israel committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint.
The UK has urged Israel to take these steps for a long time and they are welcome. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.
The British Government has also called on Israel to reform its deconfliction mechanism to ensure the safety of aid workers, and to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals granted, as well as more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.
Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. The UK is playing a leadership role in alleviating that suffering. We are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will publish the (a) minutes, (b) attendee lists, (c) expenses, (d) gifts exchanged and (e) other relevant details of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs' meeting with President Donald Trump on 8 April 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Relevant transparency data relating to the Secretary of State's recent visit to the USA will be published on Gov.uk in line with the usual reporting requirements.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle famine in Tigray.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Across Tigray and other parts of northern Ethiopia, El Nino has caused drought that is affecting 4 million people. According to assessments from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly 1.4 million people in Tigray will need immediate emergency food assistance because of drought. I witnessed firsthand the effects of this during my visit in February 2024. In response, I announced an additional £100 million to fund our Ending Preventable Deaths Programme, which will target three million people across Ethiopia including those who are most at risk in the northern regions. The UK also co-hosted a donor conference in Geneva on 16 April and successfully raised £610 million to meet humanitarian needs in Ethiopia.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his Senegalese counterpart.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Senegal's new Minister for African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Yassine Fall, took office on 11 April. I look forward to discussing our shared priorities with her and the new Senegalese government at the earliest opportunity, following our first UK-Senegal High Level Political Dialogue at which I hosted her predecessor in London in October last year. I also met Senegal's new Minister for Finance and Budget at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings last week.
Asked by: John Cryer (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs will meet with hon. Members to discuss the situation in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary remains fully committed to ongoing engagement with Parliament, including on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. We will consider future briefing sessions for parliamentarians on topical events as needed.