Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had on progress on the introduction of public registers of beneficial ownership in the (a) Crown Dependencies and (b) Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 14 March 2024, the FCDO co-hosted, with the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government, the inaugural UK-OT Joint Ministerial Dialogue on Illicit Finance. We discussed, among other areas, beneficial ownership transparency. I [Minister Rutley] re-stated the UK's expectation that access for those with a legitimate interest, including media and civil society, will be established by the end of 2024 as an interim step to full public accessibility. Overseas Territory Governments re-affirmed the commitments outlined in the Statement that I laid in December (HCWS150). The Home Office continue to lead engagement with the Crown Dependencies.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department has undertaken contingency planning with the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean for steps to be taken in the event of a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to the safety and security of all British Overseas Territories. Since the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Haiti we have worked closely, with other international partners, to continue to strengthen the resilience of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in responding to the risk of illegal migration. In March, the Foreign Secretary set out the support we are providing to TCI to secure its borders and we have funded a visit by a team of experts from the Home Office and Ministry of Defence to recommend further measures. We have also funded asylum training across the Overseas Territories and are working with the Home Office to bolster capabilities further.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional support for measures to support (a) stability and (b) reconstruction in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting a Haitian-led political solution to the escalating violence in the country, and commends the efforts of Caribbean partners to work towards a return to security and stability. It is clear that the climate of insecurity is driving Haiti's humanitarian needs, and we hope that deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti, to which the Foreign Secretary announced a £5 million ODA contribution on 9 April, will improve this. We are also working closely with partners, including the UN mission in Haiti (BINUH).
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department is taking steps to support NGOs operating in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to support Haiti through our contributions to UN agencies, multi donor, pooled NGO funds, and institutions such as the World Bank Group, who are active in addressing Haiti's significant humanitarian challenges. We are also supporting the UN mission in Haiti (BINUH) to strengthen their presence in the country in order to create the conditions under which NGOs can operate and deliver services to the Haitian people.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support survivors and (b) help prevent the further use of rape as a weapon of war in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, there has been a significant escalation of gender-based violence (GBV) in Sudan. The UK has pivoted our programme delivery to focus more on care for rape survivors. We have also integrated consideration of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) into the humanitarian system, making use of Women's Centres, mobile clinics and internally displaced persons' gathering points, for community engagement and service provision. We continue to call on both warring parties to abide by their responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law to protect civilians, including from CRSV, as well as to grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to allow the provision of, and access to, lifesaving assistance including comprehensive GBV services.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of sanctions on businesses that support the (a) Sudanese Armed Forces and (b) Rapid Support Forces on the flow of weapons used in the conflict.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 15 April, a year after the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, the UK imposed new sanctions targeting three businesses linked with financing the warring parties. Those businesses will have their assets frozen and their financial freedom severely limited, impacting both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Our sanctions policy is continually under review.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with regional partners on the humanitarian situation in Haiti.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to work with our international partners to build a coordinated and coherent response so international support can reach people in need. I [Minister Rutley] have engaged significantly on this issue, discussing it with regional and international partners over many months. I most recently engaged with Caribbean partners during my attendance at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Guyana on 26 February, where I discussed concerns about - and options to respond to - the security situation in Haiti with interlocuters. The difficult security situation within Haiti has impeded humanitarian access and we will continue to work with our international partners to build a coordinated and coherent response so international support can reach people in need. It is clear that the climate of insecurity is driving Haiti's humanitarian needs, and we hope that deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti, to which the Foreign Secretary announced a £5 million ODA contribution on 9 April, will improve this.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan; and what diplomatic support his Department is providing in relation to such discussions.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK welcomes the recent discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the agreed progress on the delimitation of their international border, based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. We encourage both parties to continue their open and constructive dialogue in order to finalise a lasting peace agreement. The UK stands ready to support them in doing so, alongside our international partners.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department providing support to Armenia to assist with refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK has provided £1 million to the Red Cross movement to provide life-saving medication, healthcare and other essential support to those affected by September's conflict. We also provided further medical assistance to survivors in Armenia in partnership with UK-Med, including medical supplies to the National Centre for Burns and Dermatology. We are liaising with the UN, the Red Cross movement and others to further assess humanitarian need in the region.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many staff in his Department were based in the Republic of India as of 15 April 2024.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO currently has between 40-49 staff, as at the end of March 2024, working in India.