Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the safety of Christian (a) clergy and (b) communities (i) in Kachin, Myanmar and (ii) around the world.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities, including the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith.
We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. We are committed to supporting ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar and we continue to raise our concerns over discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in international fora, including through our co-sponsorship of a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar in April.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to the resolution of the House of 27 June 2023 on Repurposing Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential implications for his policies of that resolution; and whether the plans to bring forward such legislation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work closely with allies to explore all lawful routes by which immobilised Russian sovereign assets can be used to support Ukraine consistent with our respective legal systems and international law. G7 Leaders reaffirmed this on 24 February, instructing relevant ministries to continue their work to that end and report back ahead of the G7 Summit in June. We will keep the House updated on significant developments, as appropriate.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of gold purchased by the Chinese government on the risk of a conflict in Taiwan.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not comment on speculation. More generally, our position on the Taiwan Strait has not changed - the UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will take steps to increase third-party (a) monitoring and (b) auditing of UK (i) aid and (ii) financial guarantees to Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Since Russia's full-scale invasion, the FCDO has extensively used third party monitoring in Ukraine to deliver seven rounds of monitoring, using in-person field-visits and remote phone-surveys for its ODA programming. For loan guarantees, the FCDO uses its Contingent Liability Risk Management Framework to actively monitor and assess risks across its guarantee portfolio, which is regularly reviewed, including drawing from external audits. Going forward, FCDO has plans to expand third party monitoring and other assurance processes in Ukraine, which will be covered in the department's response to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact's rapid review of UK aid to Ukraine.
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: 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: 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: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the use of RAF Gibraltar, in the context of negotiations with the EU on the Gibraltar-Spain border.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Secretary of State for Defence has engaged with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on RAF Gibraltar and the EU Negotiations on several occasions. The Ministry of Defence continues to engage with other Government Departments throughout the negotiation process to ensure that the UK remains able to operate to, through and from Gibraltar without interruption or external interference.