Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals are detained in (a) Russia and (b) Belarus; and what consular support is provided to them.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO is currently aware of fewer than 5 British nationals detained in Russia, and are providing consular assistance. According to our records, there are currently no British nationals detained in Belarus. However, British nationals are not obliged to inform the FCDO of their detention. We provide tailored consular assistance in line with our public guidance, found on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/arrested-or-detained-abroad), which sets out the support British nationals can expect to receive. This can include meeting with the detainee; offering support to their family; providing a list of English-speaking lawyers and basic information about the local system in the form of our local prisoner pack; facilitating the transfer of funds for prison comforts; and raising concerns with the local authorities where the detainee is not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help improve the UK's (a) awareness of and (b) responses to hybrid threats.
Answered by James Heappey
State or hybrid threats prevent a real and evolving risk to the UK which can manifest in a wide range of forms. The activities of Ministry of Defence to counter state threats are fully integrated with HMG's overall approach, which is co-ordinated by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. The Ministry of Defence is investing significant time, resources and personnel to improve our capacity and capability to respond. We are enhancing integration across Defence and wider Government, as well as with allies, partners, and industry to respond to these threats effectively. We will continue to improve our understanding of current and potential threats, learn and share lessons in combatting them, and identify areas for cooperation, deconfliction and burden-sharing.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US on (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) military support for Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are in constant contact with our international partners to ensure Ukraine receives the diplomatic, military and humanitarian support it needs. The Foreign Secretary held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reaffirm international cooperation and support for Ukraine during his visit to Washington on 6-7 December last year and spoke again most recently on 7 March. The Foreign Secretary also set out the high level of UK ambition at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January and at the Munich Security Conference in February. We continue to work with US counterparts to deepen and strengthen our mutual priorities.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps the Government is taking to help (a) expand and (b) support existing marine protected areas across the UK Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Overseas Territories (OTs) are an integral and richly biodiverse part of the British family. Since 2016, the Government has worked to assist the OTs with managing their Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and sustainable management frameworks through the FCDO's Blue Belt Programme, which provides support, training and technical expertise to protect species and habitats within their waters. The Programme exemplifies what we can achieve in partnership with the OTs, supports the protection of over 4.4 million square kilometres of ocean, and also provides remote surveillance which ensures vessel and fishing activity within these MPAs remains compliant.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to close loopholes in the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to use sanctions to bear down on Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Last month, a new package of over 50 UK designations targeted Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions on its war machine and major revenue sources. Earlier this month, we delivered new legislation to bring about a coordinated ban on Russian diamond exports. With partners, we have strengthened the Oil Price Cap (OPC) mechanism and added new items to the Common High Priority (CHP) list. We are preparing to bolster our existing powers to target malign Russian shipping activity. We continue to strengthen sanctions enforcement, with the creation of the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) and a new unit within the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) to licence and enforce the OPC.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) expand, (b) strengthen and (c) protect Marine Protected Areas in the UK's Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Each UK Government department has a nominated Minster with responsibility for the Overseas Territories (OTs). The Government engages on marine protection with the OTs through the Blue Belt programme which is an FCDO funded initiative delivered in close collaboration with DEFRA. The programme has supported the OTs since 2016 with the creation, protection and enforcement of their Marine Protected Areas, protecting over 4.4 million square kilometres of ocean habitats and species.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on their responsibilities to the overseas territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister for Overseas Territories, I [Minister Rutley] regularly meet Ministers across Government on priority areas of work progressed by their departments, and on issues requiring cross departmental collaboration. This includes recent meetings with Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Ministry of Defence.
Each UK Government Department has nominated a Minister with responsibility for the OTs, in support of the long-standing position that each Department should engage and support the OTs in their areas of responsibility. These Ministers meet quarterly as a Ministerial Group chaired by myself, as the FCDO Minister for the Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for policing in Cardiff in recognition of its capital city status.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 31st January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £18.4 billion in 2024-25, an increase of up to £842.9 million when compared to 2023-24.
South Wales Police will receive up to £399.9 million in 2024-25, an increase of up to £24.4 million compared to 2023-24.
The Government has previously carefully considered requests for additional funding from South Wales Police.
The Home Office will continue to work with South Wales Police to assess its pressures and any capital city funding requirements as part of the wider review of police funding.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of performance on the Great Western mainline to South Wales.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Improving performance on the Great Western Main Line is a high priority for Network Rail and my Department. I have met the Chief Executive of Network Rail multiple times to discuss this issue and it is clear to both of us that current performance is not meeting the standards of reliability that passengers deserve. Last week Network Rail launched its £140m Thames Valley Recovery Plan, which focusses on improving performance over the next 18 months.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on the provision of relief lines to allow additional capacity on the South Wales mainline in South Wales.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The government is investing in an enhancement of the Relief Lines between the Severn Tunnel and Cardiff. The proposed increase in line speed and capacity would improve the performance of existing passenger and freight trains and enable the operation of additional local services as set out in the recommendations of Lord Burns’ South East Wales Transport Commission. The Full Business Case for this scheme is on target to be delivered by the end of the year.