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: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Azerbaijani counterpart on the (a) closure of the Lachin Corridor and (b) attack on a metallurgical plant under construction in Yeraskh.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has publicly highlighted the importance of re-opening the Lachin corridor and addressing related humanitarian concerns. I [Minister Docherty] visited Baku on 22-23 February to meet with senior representatives of the Azerbaijani government, including Foreign Minister Bayramov, and called for the re-opening of the Lachin corridor in those meetings. In addition, when the Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Docherty] hosted Foreign Minister Bayramov in London for the 5th UK-Azerbaijan Strategic Dialogue on 21-22 June, we welcomed recent progress towards a peaceful settlement in the conflict with Armenia.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current status of peace talks between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, since the opening of an Azerbaijani checkpoint on Hakari Bridge in the Lachin Corridor in April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Shortly after the checkpoint was established in April, the UK Government said at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that this could run counter to ongoing efforts to establish peace and security in the region, which have shown promise in recent weeks. The UK Government welcomes the continued participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in negotiations to work towards settling all outstanding matters between them, and we urge them to continue to build on this momentum towards a settlement. The Minister for Europe Leo Docherty MP underlined our support for negotiations during his visit to Azerbaijan in February, and with Prime Minister Pashinyan on his visit to Armenia in May.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 April (HL Deb, col 464), what assessment they have made of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in international law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's long-standing position has been to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally-recognised borders, which include Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, the UK Government is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh; we welcome the recent participation of Armenia and Azerbaijan in negotiations to work towards settling all outstanding matters between them, and urge them to build on this momentum.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they are making to the government of Azerbaijan regarding that government’s (1) continuing attempts to resolve the status of Nagorno-Karabakh militarily, and (2) failure to respond to His Majesty's Government's calls to respect international calls for a political solution.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's longstanding position is that there is no military solution to this conflict and that Armenia and Azerbaijan must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable peaceful settlement. The Minister for Europe Leo Docherty underlined this message when he visited Baku in February. We welcome the peace talks that took place recently in Washington and Brussels and will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (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 Azerbaijan regarding their imprisonment of prisoners of war and civilians following the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia concluded in September 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government welcomed the most recent return of prisoners of war in November 2022 and return of remains of the deceased in December 2022. In engagements since 2020 with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, UK Government representatives, including successive Ministers for Europe, have urged the parties to prioritise the return of all prisoners of war and the remains of the deceased. We will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the conflict.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Azerbaijan about (1) that government’s artillery, mortar and drone attack on the village of Sotk in Armenia on 11 May, and (2) the continuing blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which has isolated at least four local communities; and whether they will consult the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross about effective remedies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Although we have not specifically raised the 11 May incident in Sotk with the Azerbaijani government, the UK's longstanding position is that there is no military solution to this conflict and that Armenia and Azerbaijan must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable peaceful settlement. The Minister for Europe Leo Docherty underlined this message when he visited Baku in February, and I, [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon], met with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister in Reykjavik on 17 May, where he raised the importance of unfettered access to the Lachin Corridor and encouraged continued negotiations with Armenia. The UK Government will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months. We have called for the reopening of the Lachin corridor through interventions at the OSCE and are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the situation on the ground, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking with international partners to help facilitate the lifting of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has been vocal about the importance of re-opening the Lachin Corridor, including at the United Nations Security Council in New York on 20 December 2022 and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna on 17 January and 27 April 2023. This message was conveyed by the Minister for Europe during his visit to Azerbaijan in February, and was discussed during his visit to Armenia in May. The UK Government will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments in the coming months.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on taking steps to ensure that people affected by blockages along the Lachin corridor are able to access (a) food, (b) medicine and (c) energy.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has been vocal about the importance of re-opening the Lachin Corridor and publicly highlighted humanitarian concerns, including through multilateral fora such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the UN Security Council and we regularly engage with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments, including on humanitarian issues. I [Minister Docherty] discussed the situation in Lachin during my visit to Azerbaijan in February and with Prime Minister Pashinyan on my visit to Armenia in May. The UK has a strong record of supporting humanitarian responses in this region and FCDO officials are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the situation on the ground. Additionally the START FUND, a humanitarian response fund to whom the UK is a significant donor, allocated £350,000 to the region to support those effected by the closure of the Lachin Corridor.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the plans to reply to the letter of 13 April on his visit to Armenia in May from the Hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As noted in my [Minister Docherty] letter to the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham of 13 April, I am due to visit Armenia during the week commencing 22 May, and would welcome the opportunity to meet with him and the wider All Party Parliamentary Group for Armenia in due course.