Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterpart in Mozambique, (b) representatives of the Southern African Development Community and (c) his counterparts in states neighbouring Mozambique on potential support in tackling security threats posed by IS-Mozambique.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa visited Mozambique and met President Nyusi. They discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response to the ongoing IS-Mozambique insurgency in Cabo Delgado, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism, security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date. During the same visit to the region, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met South Africa's Deputy Minister for International Relations & Cooperation to discuss a range of topics including peace and post conflict development in Mozambique. Our UK Special Representative to SADC also regularly engages with SADC missions on peace keeping in the region.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether representatives of (a) India, (b) the Philippines, (c) Indonesia, (d) Nigeria, (e) Ghana and (f) South Africa were invited to the Global Fraud Summit held at Lancaster House from 11-12 March 2024.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The Home Secretary convened the first ever Global Fraud Summit, featuring Ministers and representatives from across 11 countries as well as international institutions to agree a co-ordinated action plan to dismantle international fraud networks. With over 70% of the UK fraud threat having an overseas element, strengthening international collaboration is critical.
The countries included in the summit were those with a similar pattern of victimisation, aiming to develop joint working and share best practice. We are also working bilaterally with a number of countries, including some of the ones listed in the question and have already agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Government which includes a strategic dialogue on online fraud.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2023 to Question 1027 on Military Attachés, if he will publish an updated list of countries without a resident UK Defence Attache.
Answered by James Heappey
The Global Defence Network (GDN) utilises Resident and Non-Resident Defence Attachés (DA), who engage in Defence diplomacy in over three-quarters of the world’s nations. The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK DA is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility.
Country (NRA) | Location of DA |
Angola | Mozambique - Maputo |
Anguilla (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Antigua & Barbuda | Jamaica - Kingston |
Armenia | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Azerbaijan | Georgia – Tbilisi |
Bahamas | Jamaica - Kingston |
Barbados | Jamaica - Kingston |
Belarus | Ukraine – Kyiv |
Belize | Jamaica - Kingston |
Benin | Accra - Ghana |
Bermuda (British overseas territory) | USA – Washington DC |
Botswana | Harare - Zimbabwe |
British Virgin Islands (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Burkina Faso | Ghana - Accra |
Burundi | Uganda – Kampala |
Cambodia | (In process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi |
Cayman Islands (British overseas territory) | Jamaica – Kingston |
Chad | Cameroon - Yaoundé |
Cuba | Mexico – Mexico City |
Djibouti | Ethiopia – Addis Ababa |
Dominica | Jamaica - Kingston |
Dominican Republic | Jamaica - Kingston |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kampala - Uganda |
Eritrea | Sana’a - Yemen (temporarily relocated to Riyadh) |
Ecuador | Bogota - Colombia |
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 |
Laos | (in process of transferring to) Vietnam - Hanoi |
Lesotho | South Africa - Pretoria |
Liberia | Sierra Leone - Freetown |
Luxembourg | Belgium - Brussels |
Malawi | Zimbabwe – Harare |
Mali | Senegal - Dakar |
Malta | Rome - Italy |
Mauritania | Morocco – Rabat |
Monaco | France – Paris |
Mongolia | Japan – Tokyo |
Myanmar | Thailand - Bangkok |
Montserrat (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Namibia | South Africa – Pretoria |
Niger | Cameroon – Yaoundé |
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 - Beirut |
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 (British overseas territory) | Jamaica - Kingston |
Uruguay | Argentina - Buenos Aires |
Vanuatu | Fiji – Suva |
Venezuela | Bogota - Colombia |
Zambia | Zimbabwe - Harare |
Supported by MOD from in the UK |
|
Cape Verdi Islands |
|
Congo |
|
Gabon |
|
Panama |
|
Puerto Rica |
|
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the appointment of Tom Perriello as a temporary US special envoy for Sudan, when they intend to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not currently have plans to appoint a new Special Envoy for Sudan. The Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea spends a significant amount of time on efforts to secure peace in Sudan, working closely with other envoys covering Sudan. Our Ambassador to Khartoum - now based in Addis Ababa - continues to engage with key international partners on achieving the UK's strategic objectives, as do other British Ambassadors in the region. We welcome Tom Perriello's appointment as the United States' new special envoy for Sudan, Minister Mitchell spoke with him on Monday 11th March.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding her Department and its predecessor Department allocated to the (a) Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce, (b) British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, (c) British Chamber of Commerce in Brazil, (d) UK-India Business Council, (e) Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce and (f) British Chamber of Business in Southern Africa in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Department for Business and Trade and the former Department for International Trade have not provided any funding to the Chambers of Commerce requested except for the UK-India Business Council. The funding provided to it is as follows:
Year | Spend |
2013 (October-March inclusive) | £441,344.54 |
2014 | £3,428,243.20 |
2015 | £2,269,682.03 |
2016 | £1,955,098.94 |
2017 | £1,499,191.33 |
2018 | £1,311,455.20 |
2019 | £1,059,669.00 |
2020 | £828,695.00 |
2021 | £1,115,025.00 |
2022 | £270,835.00 |
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential security implications for Christian minorities in Sub-Saharan Africa of the withdrawal of French troops from that region.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is appalled by the attacks against churches, mosques and local communities in Burkina Faso that took place in late February. As Lord Ahmad said on 26 February, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is a fundamental right and must be protected, and those responsible for these heinous attacks must be held to account. We routinely discuss security challenges with the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso and continue to work with partners in the region to promote stability.
The UK is monitoring the threat from terrorist groups in the Sahel and has proscribed the Al-Qaeda associated group Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). We assess that the terrorist threat in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso will likely increase as a result of ongoing instability as will the risk of atrocities against people of all faiths by jihadist armed groups. We do not believe that the withdrawal of French troops alone will have direct implications on the safety of Christian minorities due to the often remote regions where these attacks take place, and the multitude of local factors that influence conflict dynamics in Sahel.
The UK signed up to the UN Security Council statement condemning the terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso which was issued on 29 February 2024, and also continues to provide vital humanitarian aid in the Sahel to support those affected by conflict.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the government of Rwanda is supporting the M23 militia and its incursions into and occupation of Congolese territory; what recent discussions they have had with the governments of France and the United States regarding this issue; and what, if any, representations they have made to the government of Rwanda.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is alarmed by further escalations of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and continue to raise this with DRC and Rwandan governments at every appropriate moment. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) met with President Kagame and Foreign Minister Biruta during his visit to Rwanda in late August, where he encouraged de-escalation and emphasised the need for a peaceful political solution. The UK continues to work closely with likeminded countries; our Great Lakes Envoy is currently on a UN-led trip to the region alongside French and US counterparts and will continue to encourage a return to regional political processes over military solutions.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with international counterparts on (a) the security situation in Cabo Delgado and (b) its impact on regional stability.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is reaching up to 100,000 of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado province with emergency shelter, food and protection services. We are also working to address the underlying causes of the conflict by improving access to basic services, supporting development, building peace and resilience to shocks. In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met President Nyusi and discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism and security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department is providing support to (a) Mozambique and (b) regional partners in relation to the (i) humanitarian and (ii) security situation in Cabo Delgado.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is reaching up to 100,000 of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado province with emergency shelter, food and protection services. We are also working to address the underlying causes of the conflict by improving access to basic services, supporting development, building peace and resilience to shocks. In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met President Nyusi and discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism and security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he is taking steps with international partners to support displaced people in Cabo Delgado.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is reaching up to 100,000 of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado province with emergency shelter, food and protection services. We are also working to address the underlying causes of the conflict by improving access to basic services, supporting development, building peace and resilience to shocks. In May 2023, the Minister of State for Development and Africa met President Nyusi and discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response, including through new programmes aimed at building local resilience to violent extremism and security and human rights training that has been delivered to over 200 Armed Forces personnel to date.