Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many Afghan people are being housed in UK hotel funded accommodation in Pakistan under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme as of 18 April 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government looks forward to bringing all remaining eligible individuals to the UK as soon as practicable.
Since Operation Pitting we have welcomed 8,702 Afghans eligible under ARAP, and 2,020 Afghans eligible under ACRS, to the UK via Pakistan.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his Thai counterpart on support for refugees from the conflict in Myanmar.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary discussed the current situation in Myanmar with the Thai Prime Minister and Thai Foreign Minister during his visit to Thailand in March 2024. Discussions covered the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all in need inside Myanmar, and support those fleeing across the border. The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to people displaced by the conflict in Myanmar. Since September 2022, we have provided essential support to more than 85,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to help build a consensus among neighbouring and regional states to end the war in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has used its position as UN Security Council Penholder on Sudan to call multiple meetings to respond to the conflict, call for a ceasefire, and discuss the humanitarian and human rights situation. On 8 March, a UK-drafted UN Security Council Resolution 2724 called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The UK continues to work with a wide range of countries and bodies, including traditional allies, Gulf and African partners, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN, to realise this Resolution and make progress towards a sustained and meaningful peace process.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of work on the new CH-47ER helicopters that will take place in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK value for the Foreign Military Sale of tranche 1 of the Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme, which includes support until 2029, is estimated at 8%, with approximately £151 million to be invested in UK industry.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the delay of the Overseas Funds Regime on the UK's attractiveness to overseas asset managers; and what steps they are taking to mitigate any negative effects.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK’s world-leading asset management sector is the second largest by assets under management, 48% of which are managed on behalf of overseas investors.
The Overseas Funds Regime was legislated for in the Financial Services Act 2021, to create a more streamlined process for overseas investment funds to be sold to UK investors.
On 30th January, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury announced that the Government had found the states in the European Economic Area, including the EU member states, equivalent under the Overseas Funds Regime, in respect of certain retail funds. This followed a detailed assessment of the states’ regulatory regimes.
HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) jointly published a roadmap to equivalence on the 1st of May setting out the key milestones to implement this decision.
Alongside this, the FCA published detailed guidance setting out that funds in scope of the OFR – but without temporary marketing access – will be able to apply to the FCA for recognition from September 2024. The FCA intends to invite funds with temporary marketing access to apply for recognition in tranches between October 2024 and September 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Goldie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it remains their position that foreign and defence policy are aligned, as stated in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published in March 2021, and the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, published in March 2023.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Global Britain in a Competitive Age, The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (IR 2021), set the UK’s overarching national security, foreign, defence and other relevant policy. It was supported by a series of published sub-strategies, including the 2021 Defence Command Paper and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
The IR 2021 foreshadowed the global turbulence of the last two years. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - to whom the UK continues to provide a range of economic, humanitarian and defensive military assistance - to imposing additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus and conflict in the Middle East, the reality is that the world has become more dangerous, with far-reaching consequences for the security and prosperity of the British people.
Integrated Review Refresh 2023 Responding to a More Contested and Volatile World (IRR 2023) set out how the UK will meet that challenge head-on.
IRR 2023 concluded that the broad direction set by IR2021 - which includes the integration of foreign and defence policy - was right and that HMG has made significant progress in delivering against that direction. The Defence Command Paper 2023 provided details on how the UK would respond to the changing context and deliver on the Integrated Review Refresh within its resource envelope, increasing its productivity and focusing on areas that will achieve impact.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they, together with international partners, have had any discussions with the government of Nigeria, and with the authorities in (1) Burkina Faso, (2) Niger, and (3) Mali, to persuade those three counties to re-join the Economic Community of West African States in the interests of the stability and security of West Africa.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK maintains regular dialogue on regional security with the Nigerian Government and the Transitional Authorities in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The Deputy Foreign Minister, spoke to ECOWAS Commission President Touray earlier this year after those three states announced their departure from the organisation. The Deputy National Security Adviser also visited Nigeria in February 2024 and discussed the future of the three states' participation in ECOWAS. The UK continues to encourage all actors to maintain regional engagement in the interest of working together to tackle the shared threat of terrorism and promote stability and prosperity for citizens in the region.
Asked by: Baroness Goldie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reassess the factors which informed the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published in March 2021, and the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, published in March 2023.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office continually assesses the factors that informed the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy 2021 and its Refresh in 2023. Through the National Security Secretariat and COBR structures, the government monitors and analyses the changing global security context, and reviews its strategic direction accordingly through the National Security Council. The government does not have any plans to publish a further Integrated Review at this stage.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to discourage multinational energy companies from engaging in corrupt practices in the oil industry in Libya.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is an important institution in Libya with a vital role to play. It is however vulnerable to malign state actors seeking to benefit from Libya's political instability and capture of Libyan wealth by a small number of well-placed individuals through corrupt practices such as fuel smuggling, which can contribute to regional instability. The UK is therefore supportive of any efforts to investigate corruption and impropriety in the NOC and advocates greater transparency on revenue expenditure. The UK is clear that it will investigate any relevant allegations of corruption falling under the Bribery Act 2010. Overall, the UK believes the only means of addressing these issues sustainably is through a political settlement under UN auspices, which it continues to support, including by encouraging all parties to engage meaningfully.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on food security in (a) Sudan and (b) South Sudan of disruption of the planting season.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Intense conflict and economic decline mean that 17.7 million people in Sudan (37 % of the population) are now experiencing acute food insecurity. This represents the highest percentage of food insecurity immediately after the harvest on record for Sudan. The spread of the conflict to the "breadbasket" state of Jazira meant that food production, grain milling, storage and transportation have been heavily impacted. In South Sudan, agricultural production and coping capacity are extremely limited due to the impact of conflict, flooding, under-investment and lack of infrastructure. The UK is supporting food assistance and livelihoods for some of the most vulnerable people in the two countries, but humanitarian access remains extremely challenging.