Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many requests for consular support were made to each British Embassy or Consulate in 2023; and how many of those were responded to by officials within a period of 24 hours.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our consular staff endeavour to give appropriate and tailored assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK who need support. In 2023, in addition to long running cases, we provided support to around 22,000 British nationals, see breakdown by Post in the table below. The FCDO reports publicly on consular delivery through the FCDO Outcome Delivery Plan [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-commonwealth-development-office-outcome-delivery-plan]. Publishing our transparency data is currently on hold while we embed a new Case Management system.
COUNTRY | 2023 |
Afghanistan | 22 |
Albania | 63 |
Algeria | 23 |
Angola | |
Argentina | 34 |
Armenia | 8 |
Australia | 414 |
Austria | 92 |
Azerbaijan | 12 |
Bahrain | 48 |
Barbados | 113 |
Belarus | 6 |
Belgium | 152 |
Bolivia | 12 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 12 |
Botswana | 15 |
Brazil | 88 |
Bulgaria | 166 |
Cambodia | 112 |
Cameroon | 30 |
Canada | 181 |
Chile | 21 |
China | 143 |
Colombia | 73 |
Congo (Democratic Republic) | 22 |
Costa Rica | 39 |
Croatia | 114 |
Cuba | 29 |
Cyprus | 441 |
Czechia | 141 |
Denmark | 88 |
Dominican Republic | 67 |
Ecuador | 13 |
Egypt | 383 |
Estonia | 19 |
Ethiopia | 104 |
Fiji | 21 |
Finland | 49 |
France | 1027 |
Georgia | 27 |
Germany | 662 |
Ghana | 85 |
Greece | 936 |
Guatemala | 43 |
Guinea | |
Guyana | 17 |
Hong Kong SAR | 110 |
Hungary | 131 |
Iceland | 17 |
India | 360 |
Indonesia | 196 |
Iraq | 46 |
Ireland | 104 |
Israel | 39 |
Italy | 411 |
Ivory Coast | |
Jamaica | 179 |
Japan | 167 |
Jerusalem | 61 |
Jordan | 71 |
Kazakhstan | 14 |
Kenya | 146 |
Kuwait | 30 |
Kyrgyzstan | |
Laos | 29 |
Latvia | 20 |
Lebanon | 34 |
Liberia | |
Lithuania | 23 |
Luxembourg | 10 |
Madagascar | |
Malawi | |
Malaysia | 138 |
Malta | 106 |
Mauritius | 14 |
Mexico | 207 |
Moldova | 13 |
Mongolia | 6 |
Montenegro | 33 |
Morocco | 222 |
Myanmar (Burma) | 8 |
Namibia | 9 |
Nepal | 21 |
Netherlands | 287 |
New Zealand | 127 |
Nigeria | 74 |
Norway | 149 |
Oman | 50 |
Pakistan | 376 |
Panama | 17 |
Paraguay | |
Peru | 58 |
Philippines | 283 |
Poland | 242 |
Portugal | 524 |
Qatar | 96 |
Romania | 89 |
Russia | 28 |
Rwanda | 7 |
Saudi Arabia | 166 |
Senegal | 21 |
Serbia | 29 |
Seychelles | 11 |
Sierra Leone | 15 |
Singapore | 105 |
Slovakia | 38 |
Slovenia | 17 |
South Africa | 195 |
South Korea | 40 |
Spain | 4143 |
Sri Lanka | 86 |
St Lucia | 21 |
Sudan | 34 |
Sweden | 110 |
Switzerland | 157 |
Taiwan | 22 |
Tajikistan | 6 |
Tanzania | 36 |
Thailand | 1383 |
The Gambia | 48 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 40 |
Tunisia | 75 |
Turkey | 947 |
Uganda | 52 |
Ukraine | 56 |
United Arab Emirates | 658 |
United States | 1649 |
Uruguay | 10 |
Uzbekistan | 8 |
Venezuela | |
Vietnam | 188 |
Zambia | 22 |
Zimbabwe | 26 |
NB We do not publish data where figures are 5 or below to comply with GDPR
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which electricity interconnector projects (a) have received approval and (b) are awaiting approval; and what the megawatt capacity is of each proposed project.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Ofgem is responsible for awarding regulatory approval to electricity interconnector projects in Great Britain. There are two main routes to regulatory approval, through the awarding of a cap and floor regime, or a merchant route. Including both routes, Ofgem has given approval to the following projects:
Ofgem is assessing a selection of projects that applied for regulatory approval through the third cap and floor application window. These results are interim and are being consulted upon. The final decision will be made in summer 2024 by Ofgem. The projects that are awaiting final regulatory decisions are:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many electricity interconnectors are operational; and what the megawatt capacity is per interconnector.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Great Britain currently has nine operational interconnectors, listed alongside their deployed capacity:
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) location is of and (b) deployment levels are at each NATO (i) owned and (ii) operated sites.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area.
The table below shows the number of UK personnel posted to NATO Peacetime Establishment locations, with personnel in 39 NATO locations in 19 countries all over Europe and the Continental US, and the UK has proportional workforce equity at all locations.
Country | Location | UK Fill |
| Country | Location | UK Fill |
Belgium | Brussels | 50 |
| Netherlands | Brunssum | 110 |
Mons | 170 |
| Norway | Stavanger | 30 | |
Bulgaria | Sofia | ~ |
| Poland | Bydgoszcz | ~ |
Estonia | Tallin | ~ |
| Elblag | ~ | |
France | Lille | 10 |
| Szczecin | ~ | |
Germany | Geilenkirchen | 10 |
| Portugal | Lisbon | 10 |
Munster | 10 |
| Oeiras | ~ | ||
Oberammergau | ~ |
| Romania | Bucharest | ~ | |
Ramstein | 70 |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | ~ | |
Uedem | 20 |
| Spain | Torrejon | 20 | |
Ulm | 20 |
| Valencia | ~ | ||
Wesel | 30 |
| Türkiye | Istanbul | 10 | |
Greece | Thessaloniki | ~ |
| Izmir | 30 | |
Italy | Milan | 20 |
| UK | Blandford | 50 |
Naples | 120 |
| Molesworth | 10 | ||
Poggio | 20 |
| Northwood | 60 | ||
Sigonella | ~ |
| Yeovilton | ~ | ||
Latvia | Adazi | ~ |
| USA | Norfolk | 50 |
| Riga | ~ |
| Tampa | ~ |
"~" denotes a number less than or equal to 5.
Data have been rounded to 10 and therefore totals may not always equal the sum of the parts.
Asked by: Baroness Janke (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the recent decisions by the governments of Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands suspending the licensing of arms and military equipment to Israel, whether they will review the United Kingdom’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and suspend the licensing of arms and military equipment to Israel.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world.
The Government continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza, and if extant licences are found to be no longer consistent with the UK Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (the SELC), then those licences can be revoked, suspended or amended.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled New Amphibious Transport Ships better suited for war conditions, published by the Dutch Ministry of Defence on 6 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the joint procurement of a littoral strike platform with the UK on the Royal Navy’s plans to acquire this capability through the Multi-Role Support Ship programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability.
The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions the Government has had with the government of the Netherlands on the future Littoral Strike Platform.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Multi-Role Support Ship Programme is currently in its pre-concept phase, which has included the exploration of opportunities to collaborate with the Netherlands on common design options, interoperability, and equipment commonality. The focus is on determining the requirement and on setting the programme up for success, with work ongoing to ensure affordability.
The UK continues to have a strong and enduring relationship with the amphibious forces of the Netherlands, and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands last year reaffirmed that commitment. The intent will be collaborate and co-operate across the amphibious and littoral domains, both in developing equipment capability, interoperability and exploiting training opportunities to mutual benefit.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of contributions by each country is to the International Fund for Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
To date seven countries have contributed £896 million to the International Fund for Ukraine. These contributions are set out in the following table:
Country | Contribution in £million |
Denmark | 133 |
Iceland | 3 |
Lithuania | 5 |
Netherlands | 110 |
Norway | 119 |
Sweden | 26 |
UK | 500 |
Australia and New Zealand have recently announced their intention to contribute 50 million Australian dollars and 6.5 million New Zealand dollars to the International Fund for Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley of Knighton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Treasury has made any assessment of the economic effect of post-Brexit arrangements for the music industry, including the altered ability of British artists to tour and perform in Europe.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are committed to supporting and promoting a thriving live music industry and ensuring the continued growth of this vital and vibrant sector. The music industry is one of the UK's greatest success stories, producing an extraordinary level of talent recognised and respected the world over.
Since the UK’s exit from the EU, the vast majority of Member States have clarified arrangements or introduced easements to allow visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for some short-term touring. This includes most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It also includes Spain, which changed its position following engagement from the UK Government and industry.
The Government works closely with the sector and continue to engage with the few remaining Member States to improve arrangements or clarify guidance.
The Government is committed to supporting the UK's brilliant artists to adapt to the new arrangements as part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision, that is why we announced that funding for the Music Exports Growth Scheme (MEGS) will be tripled to £3.2 million over the next two years. This will enable touring artists to break into new international markets.
The Government also provides generous support for orchestras to tour through orchestra tax relief, which currently has a rate of 50%. At Spring Budget 2024, the Government announced that orchestras will permanently receive a rate of 45% from 1 April 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have held with EU countries regarding the introduction of safety and security declaration requirements for EU imports on 31 October, and what were the contents of any such discussions.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government officials engage regularly with officials from EU Member States to discuss new customs-related requirements, including safety and security declarations. This has included official visits to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland with further engagement planned for Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany in 2024. Baroness Neville-Rolfe visited Belgium to discuss import controls with the Belgian Government and industry in early February 2024. Partners have been extremely helpful in communicating these requirements using their own stakeholder communication channels, and providing suggestions for further guidance that could be helpful. More formal communication of these changes to EU Member States took place in the Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin, the minutes of which can be found on gov.uk.