Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support LGBT+ people (a) fleeing or (b) seeking to flee Uganda following the passage of the anti-homosexuality bill in that country on 21 March 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I expressed the UK's profound disappointment with the decision of the Parliament of Uganda to pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. This Bill threatens minority rights and risks persecution and discrimination of people across Uganda. The UK Government is alarmed by the increasing criminalisation of LGBT+ people in Uganda and by the amendments to the Bill, including introduction of the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality'. The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country.
Through our High Commission in Kampala, we have raised these issues with the Government of Uganda and are working with members of the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to understand their views and further protect the rights of these vulnerable communities. We will continue to work with the Governments of Commonwealth member states and civil society partners to reform outdated laws and end discrimination and violence against LGBT+ people.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Ugandan Government on the anti-homosexuality bill passed by the Parliament of Uganda on 21 March 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I expressed the UK's profound disappointment with the decision of the Parliament of Uganda to pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. This Bill threatens minority rights and risks persecution and discrimination of people across Uganda. The UK Government is alarmed by the increasing criminalisation of LGBT+ people in Uganda and by the amendments to the Bill, including introduction of the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality'. The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country.
Through our High Commission in Kampala, we have raised these issues with the Government of Uganda and are working with members of the LGBT+ community and human rights defenders to understand their views and further protect the rights of these vulnerable communities. We will continue to work with the Governments of Commonwealth member states and civil society partners to reform outdated laws and end discrimination and violence against LGBT+ people.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) quickest and (b) slowest time was for communicating an asylum decision for an application made in the United Arab Emirates for an Afghan national who is a spouse of another Afghan national already granted asylum in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
There is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to claim asylum or temporary refuge or make a claim for asylum or protection from abroad. Therefore, the information requested does not exist.
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate at-risk people in Afghanistan. To date, nearly 24,500 people have been brought to safety. This includes British Nationals and their families, Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community. The UK continues to welcome eligible Afghans through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect LGBTQ rights internationally.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
LGBT+ rights are human rights. Through our network of over 280 missions, we engage diplomatically and deliver programmes to further our key priorities of tackling violence, reforming laws, championing inclusion and supporting LGBT+ people during crises and conflict. For example, in The Commonwealth, since 2018 we have provided over £13.5 million to build the capacity of grassroots LGBT+ organisation and human rights defenders.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to ensure that (a) UK Overseas Development Assistance and (b) other UK public funding and investment does not benefit organisations campaigning for laws discriminating against LGBT+ people; and whether any instances of such funding benefitting such organisations have occurred in the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
LGBT+ rights are human rights. The UK is committed to championing these rights internationally and supporting those who defend them. We continue to work closely with our international partners and expert civil society organisations to ensure our work is effective and has a lasting impact for LGBT+ people. The FCDO treats equalities issues seriously and we have processes in place to ensure we meet our legal obligations. Any reports of inappropriate activity by partner organisations are investigated and appropriate action taken. For example, in 2021 the FCDO paused funding to the Mental Health Authority in Ghana, following statements made by the Chief Executive Officer regarding LGBT+ people.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much UK (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral Official Development Assistance was spent on (i) LGBT support programmes and (ii) other human rights programmes in Egypt in the 2021 calendar year.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All bilateral and multilateral UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent in Egypt considers human rights, including LGBT and gender rights. Total UK bilateral aid to Egypt was £16.3 million in 2021 as published in November 2022, the 'Statistics on International Development: final UK aid spend 2021' (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-aid-spend-2021). It is not possible to directly track UK ODA core funding to multilateral organisations as it is pooled with other donors. The UK uses data on the destination and sector of UK multilateral ODA based on estimates published by the OECD DAC to produce an imputed figure for each destination country. Figures for multilateral spend in Egypt are not yet available.
Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK. We actively monitor reports of torture and mistreatment in detention of LGBT+ people in Egypt. We regularly raise human rights with the Egyptian Government, which is well aware of our position on LGBT+ rights and we call on the government of Egypt to uphold and protect the rights of everyone in Egypt. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon most recently raised human rights with the Egyptian Ambassador on the 5 December 2022. We will continue to raise these issues with the Egyptian authorities bilaterally and in conjunction with our international partners.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what costs have accrued to his Department for the operation of the Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit in each month of the 2022-23 financial year; how much and what proportion of those costs have been attributed to the official development assistance budget; and how many Afghan people have been resettled in the UK as a result of the work of that Unit in that time period.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit (JACU) was established during Operation PITTING and has effectively co-ordinated case-working on the Afghan resettlement schemes across the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and FCDO, and helped to support eligible individuals overseas.
We do not collect comprehensive data on the profession or minority status of those relocated. Since April 2021, over 22,800 people have been brought to safety from Afghanistan, including over 1,000 people who were campaigners for women's rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.
The FCDO has around 30 staff working on Afghan relocation and resettlement. This includes a dedicated team working on Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathway 3 referrals. We do not hold information on staffing at the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.
Worldwide operating costs incurred by the FCDO on Afghan relocation from 1 April to 31 October 2022 were £11,287,856. These costs were not attributed as Official Development Assistance.
Please refer to the published data on arrivals: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials of (a) his Department, (b) the Ministry of Defence and (c) the Home Office were (i) permanently and (ii) temporarily assigned to work for the Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit as of 1 December 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit (JACU) was established during Operation PITTING and has effectively co-ordinated case-working on the Afghan resettlement schemes across the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and FCDO, and helped to support eligible individuals overseas.
We do not collect comprehensive data on the profession or minority status of those relocated. Since April 2021, over 22,800 people have been brought to safety from Afghanistan, including over 1,000 people who were campaigners for women's rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.
The FCDO has around 30 staff working on Afghan relocation and resettlement. This includes a dedicated team working on Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathway 3 referrals. We do not hold information on staffing at the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.
Worldwide operating costs incurred by the FCDO on Afghan relocation from 1 April to 31 October 2022 were £11,287,856. These costs were not attributed as Official Development Assistance.
Please refer to the published data on arrivals: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 46 on page 15 of the International Development Committee’s Fifth Report of Session 2021-22 entitled Afghanistan: UK support for aid workers and the Afghan people, published on 1 March 2022, in which the Committee welcomed the establishment in October 2021 of the Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit (JACU), if he will make an assessment of the performance of JACU in meeting its objective to take forward the UK’s commitment to resettle individuals and family member who are confirmed to be eligible for resettlement to the UK under the terms of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS); how many cases relating to Afghan aid workers the JACU (a) has taken receipt of and (b) is actively working on; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit (JACU) was established during Operation PITTING and has effectively co-ordinated case-working on the Afghan resettlement schemes across the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and FCDO, and helped to support eligible individuals overseas.
We do not collect comprehensive data on the profession or minority status of those relocated. Since April 2021, over 22,800 people have been brought to safety from Afghanistan, including over 1,000 people who were campaigners for women's rights, human rights defenders, Chevening scholars, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.
The FCDO has around 30 staff working on Afghan relocation and resettlement. This includes a dedicated team working on Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathway 3 referrals. We do not hold information on staffing at the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.
Worldwide operating costs incurred by the FCDO on Afghan relocation from 1 April to 31 October 2022 were £11,287,856. These costs were not attributed as Official Development Assistance.
Please refer to the published data on arrivals: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data/afghan-resettlement-programme-operational-data
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken through (a) international diplomacy, (b) Official Development Assistance, or (c) other means, to support democracy in Myanmar.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their call for democracy. We led a strong international response to the coup, including through the G7 and UN Security Council (UNSC). On 27 July, we secured a UNSC statement condemning the military's execution of pro-democracy activists. We are working continuously to amplify the voices of the National Unity Consultative Council, the National Unity Government (NUG) and other pro-democracy voices, including at the UNSC. To underline this, the then Minister for Asia, Amanda Milling met Dr Zaw Wai Soe, the NUG's Minister for Health and Education, in May and reiterated the UK's support for a return to democracy. The UK remains a significant donor in Myanmar and our development programme is supporting diverse civil society and pro-democracy voices, including women's rights organisations, LGBT+ groups and youth. We are also working to protect civic space, human rights and media freedom.