Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Lord Mandelson has received, or will receive, a severance payment in relation to his role as UK Ambassador to the USA.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 25 November in response to Question 91398, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
Lord Mandelson's withdrawal was subject to normal HR processes within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions the Minister of State (International Development and Africa) has visited Malawi since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions the Prime Minister has met with his Malawian counterpart since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions she has met with her Malawian counterpart since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions she has visited Malawi since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance was allocated to Malawi in each of the last ten financial years.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of UK ministers' bilateral meetings with overseas counterparts are routinely published on GOV.UK, details of ministerial travel overseas are set out in the Government's quarterly transparency releases, and details of funding allocations for individual countries and programmes can be found using the Development Tracker tool on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Steve Witherden (Labour - Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that mandatory digital ID would not put the population’s personal data at risk of data breaches by hackers and foreign adversaries.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Security is a core principle of the new national digital credential that government is building, and will follow National Cyber Security Centre advice and international best practice.
Data will be federated, not centralised, minimising risks by keeping information securely stored where it already is. Advanced encryption and regular penetration testing will be part of a wider infrastructure to help protect against cyber threats, fraud, and hacking.
The system will comply with GDPR, operate strict legal firewalls, and empower individuals to have more control over what data is shared. All of these elements will help ensure there are robust safeguards to protect personal data from hostile actors.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to help support women and girls affected by female genital mutilation after the conclusion of The Girl Generation-Africa-Led Movement to End FGM initiative in October 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing the rights of women and girls worldwide, including working with local partners to tackle the scourge of female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and other coercive practices. As well as investing up to £35.5 million in the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM programme, which operates in Kenya, Senegal, Somalia and Ethiopia, we also contribute towards the UNICEF/UN Population Fund Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM, which operates in eighteen countries. Allocations of Official Development Assistance funding for future years will be set out in the coming months, including our programmes to protect the rights of women and girls.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the International Committee of the Red Cross on supporting UK businesses abroad who might be considered legitimate targets in conflict zones.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Private Military Security Companies (PMSCs) are subject to extensive regulation and oversight through a mix of legal and voluntary mechanisms, including the requirement to ensure compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The UK also works closely with the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG), which represents the interests of its PMSC members, and works to raise standards across the sector.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a strictly humanitarian mandate, in line with the Geneva Conventions, to provide humanitarian assistance, protect lives, and uphold IHL worldwide. It does not have any role supporting the business activities of PMSCs.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with UK companies on understanding the law of armed combat.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK Private Military Security Companies (PMSCs) are subject to extensive regulation and oversight through a mix of legal and voluntary mechanisms, including the requirement to ensure compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The UK also works closely with the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG), which represents the interests of its PMSC members, and works to raise standards across the sector.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a strictly humanitarian mandate, in line with the Geneva Conventions, to provide humanitarian assistance, protect lives, and uphold IHL worldwide. It does not have any role supporting the business activities of PMSCs.