Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his policy to assume responsibility for mediating Iran’s withdrawal from Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are not conducting freedom of navigation operations around these islands. However, we keep operations in the Gulf under constant review. The UK supports the United Arab Emirates' call to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa - through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter.
The UK is dedicated to defending freedom of navigation in the Gulf, which is crucial for the global trading system and world economy, with the deployment of HMS DIAMOND in support of our current footprint in the region. We are proud to be partnering with other members of the international community to uphold the rules based approach.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic steps the Foreign Secretary is taking to help de-escalate hostilities between Israel and Iran in order to prevent a wider Middle East war.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners. We are working urgently with our allies to deescalate the situation.
The Foreign Secretary spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 14 April and called for Iran to take immediate action to de-escalate, including by restraining their aligned militia groups and immediately releasing the MSC Aries and her crew. Furthermore, the UK announced new sanctions on Iran on 18 April, and in coordination with the US, targeted those who have enabled Iran's destabilising regional activity.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to flood affected areas in East Africa; and whether small farmers will be (a) consulted and (b) involved in both short and longer term responses.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Heavy rains continue to have a significant impact across East Africa, with over 350,000 people displaced in Kenya and Tanzania, many of them rural farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted by flooding. The UK is working with humanitarian partners to respond to this latest phase of flooding, including through our contributions to the Start Fund which has allocated support to Tanzania. The UK is also developing long term assistance for community recovery, including working with small farmers, through new and existing partnerships. In Kenya in response to previous to El Niño-related flooding the UK allocated £3.7 million in emergency support.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Government's policy on deporting migrants to Rwanda; and whether any international counterparts have raised concerns about that policy.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
FCDO Ministers and officials engage regularly with other governments and international organisations on a range of issues, including illegal migration. The recent passing of the Safety of Rwanda Act is an important step forward in the UK's innovative efforts to tackle illegal migration. As such, the policy has received widespread international attention. A number of other countries are also exploring similar models of relocating migrants to safe third countries to process their asylum claims. As the UK courts have confirmed, this approach is compliant with the UK's obligations under international law.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what estimate his Department has made of the value of assets and entities held in the UK by supporters and enablers of the Israeli settler movement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO has not made such an estimate.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishes information on assets frozen in the UK within its Annual Review. This document is available from GOV.UK.
The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence. On 3 May, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions on extremist groups and individuals for inciting and perpetrating settler violence in the West Bank. The measures impose financial restrictions on the entities and individuals, and travel restrictions on the individuals.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department has issued recent guidance to British High Commissioners on their responsibility to not interfere in the domestic political affairs of the countries to which they are appointed.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
British High Commissioners' sole aim is to support positive relations and UK interests. The UK does not interfere in the domestic political affairs of other nation states.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his policy to recognise Emirati sovereignty of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are not conducting freedom of navigation operations around these islands. However, we keep operations in the Gulf under constant review. The UK supports the United Arab Emirates' call to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands - Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa - through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter.
The UK is dedicated to defending freedom of navigation in the Gulf, which is crucial for the global trading system and world economy, with the deployment of HMS DIAMOND in support of our current footprint in the region. We are proud to be partnering with other members of the international community to uphold the rules based approach.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK's strategic, long-term approach to supporting security in the Middle East.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security as well as the security of all our regional partners and we are still working with our allies to deescalate the situation.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has (a) made an assessment of the adequacy of resources available to the BBC World Service in advance of the next Spending Review and (b) had recent discussions with the BBC on the potential impact of its resourcing decisions on the UK's soft power.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The World Service is two-thirds funded by the Licence Fee, with the remainder provided by government. The FCDO is providing £283 million to the World Service over the current Spending Review (SR) period, plus an exceptional uplift of £20 million as part of the Integrated Review Refresh (2023). Government funding for the World Service after 2024-25 will be determined as part of the next SR. The BBC is operationally independent and therefore responsible for setting its own budgets.
The FCDO engages regularly with the BBC at all levels. The Foreign Secretary meets the BBC Chair annually to discuss World Service performance and progress towards targets. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-02-01/HLWS232]
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on reports of the alleged use of using phosphorous munitions in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We continue to call on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians.
The situation in Gaza is desperate and we are continuing to support a deal which would secure a pause in the fighting.