Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many arms licences have been issued to Israel since (a) 7 October 2023 and (b) the International Court of Justice's order relating to the case of the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel), published on 26 January 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Department for Business and Trade will publish licensing statistics, including for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in line with its usual process.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is providing support to (a) Mozambique and (b) the Southern African Development Community to help restore security in Cabo Delgado.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK provides support to the Armed Forces of Mozambique (FADM) through our Resident Defence Adviser and Defence Section, which opened in July 2023. Our defence cooperation, including professional military education, defence policy and initial training, is delivered under the framework of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding. The UK has not provided support to the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique, although my recent visit to South Africa explored opportunities for doing so.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential economic impact of boycotts of Western brands in the Middle East and North Africa.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Boycotts of Western brands in the Middle East and North Africa are unlikely to have a material impact on the UK economy as a whole.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) the safety of overflying British aircraft of recent Traffic Collision Avoidance System events over air space controlled by Somalia and Somaliland.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety and security of British airlines and the travelling public are a top priority for my Department. Management of airspace is a sovereign responsibility and it is for airlines to take decisions on routings. DfT provide additional advice to UK airlines operating outside of the UK where we deem it necessary
In relation to Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) events within Somali airspace, a high number of TCAS events may indicate an inadequate Air Traffic Control provision within the area but it also means that the protections are working and aircraft are being kept separated. Should an aircraft’s TCAS be unserviceable, then protection is still provided by aircraft with a serviceable TCAS. It is also of note that this airspace is not routinely or regularly used by UK operators.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Africa regarding the increased levels of antisemitism in that country and their relation to the government of South Africa's recent policies and statements, including their position on the conflict in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise that there are heightened tensions around the world due to the conflict in Gaza. Antisemitism has no place in our or any society and we strongly condemn it. We note that President Ramaphosa met with the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and emphasised his government's denunciation of anti-Semitic behaviour towards Jewish people in South Africa. In February, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Ahmad both engaged with Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on the conflict in Gaza.
Asked by: Marie Rimmer (Labour - St Helens South and Whiston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of religious freedom in Mozambique; and if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in that country on religious freedom.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Article 54 of the Constitution of Mozambique provides for the right to practice religion freely and prohibits discrimination based on religion. This is generally upheld in practice but there have been some reports of Mozambican authorities not upholding the constitution. In May 2023, President Nyusi of Mozambique and I discussed UK support for the Government of Mozambique's response to IS-affiliated attacks carried out on civilians in Northern Mozambique. The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) around the world. We work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and it remains an important priority for our work in Africa.
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 flow of finance and weapons to Sudan in breach of international sanctions, and what steps they are taking to limit and prevent that flow.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns any actions that fuel the conflict in Sudan and welcomes the findings of the UN Panel of Experts' report on external support in Darfur. The UK expects all countries to comply with existing UN sanctions and continues to work closely with partners at the UN Security Council to enforce these. On 12 July 2023, the Minister for Development and Africa announced sanctions on six Sudanese entities under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. Our sanctions policy is continually under review.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold separate data on subscriptions. Many decisions are made by the UK's 281 embassies and diplomatic posts overseas or by individual departments in the UK. As a result, comprehensive information on individual titles is not centrally recorded and collating this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Efficiency savings are made on core titles by providing these centrally online as part of library services and by partnering with other Government Departments to obtain best value for money. These are reviewed annually. Over the last three financial years, the titles listed below have been supplied centrally through the FCDO Library.
The breadth of titles reflects the wide range of issues, events, and crises the FCDO's staff around the world need to keep track of to protect the UK's interests at home and overseas.
a] Newspapers
Bloomberg News; China Global South Project; The Daily Telegraph; The Economist; The Financial Times; Le Monde Diplomatique; The Local - Europe & Sweden (from 2022); The New York Times; Nikkei Asia; Politico Pro; PressReader (over 6,000 titles from 130 countries); South China Morning Post (from 2022); The Times & Sunday Times; The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
b] Magazines
The New Statesman (from 2023) and The Spectator. Other titles are also available via PressReader.
c] Online Journals
Africa Confidential; Africa Intelligence (from 2023); Africa Report (from 2023); African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review; American Economic Review; Annual Review of Economics; Arab Digest; British Medical Journal (to January 2022) Borderlex; Diplomat; Economic and Political Weekly; Elsevier/Science Direct (4,000 titles); European Council Studies (to December 2021); Intelligence Online (to September 2021); International Affairs; Jeune Afrique; Journal of Conflict Resolution; Journal of Democracy; Journal of Japanese Studies; Nature; Nature Climate Change; Nature Food (from 2023); Nature Geoscience (to January 2024); NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) Working Paper Series; NK News; Prospect; Quarterly Journal of Economics; Science; Taylor Francis Package (2,500 titles); Wiley Social Science & Humanities package (to January 2022); World Economics and World Politics; World Trade Online (to January 2022).
Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of South Africa's relationship with the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas, and the statements of support for Hamas by former ANC minister Ronnie Kasrils.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are clear with South Africa that Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. The vital elements for a lasting peace include the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
Asked by: Lord Pannick (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s relationship with South Africa, in light of the increasingly close links which that country has formed with Russia and with Iran.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We encourage South Africa to use their available channels, including the BRICS and their G20 Presidency preparations, to urge Russia to end its unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine and to make clear to Iran that Hamas has no role in a long-term political solution which delivers security for both Palestine and Israel.