Asked by: Chris Webb (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the value of the Government grant-in-aid to the British Council was in each financial year from 2004–05 to 2024–25; and what assessment she has made of the real-terms change in value over that period.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The level of grant funding provided in each financial year from 2004-05 to 2024-25 can most readily be found in the British Council's archive of annual reports and accounts. No assessment is currently available of the real-terms change in the value of those grants over the period in question.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has had discussions with the Venezuelan Government on the operation of UK oil companies in Venezuela.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government's engagement with the Venezuelan authorities is limited and is conducted in line with UK policy. Where necessary, this may include discussions to protect British commercial interests.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) cultural and (b) arts related projects have received UK foreign aid funding in the last year.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Hon Member can find details of all projects funded through Official Development Assistance on the Development Tracker website.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her international counterparts on the provision of support to Cuba in the context of sanctions imposed on Cuba by the US on 29 January 2026.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to follow developments in Cuba closely, including the impact of the 29 January US executive order. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials engage regularly with UN agencies operating in Cuba, including the UN Children's Fund, the World Food Programme and UN Development Programme, as part of our broader commitment to humanitarian and development assistance. The UK also contributes to global humanitarian financing mechanisms such as the Central Emergency Response Fund and other pooled funds which can provide support where needs arise.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Nicaragua.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 September 2025 in response to Question 74711.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 111266.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member's questions. The questions were answered on 27 February.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 111265.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member's questions. The questions were answered on 27 February.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 110949.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the Hon Member's questions. The questions were answered on 27 February.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s Building Refugee Resilience and Inclusion in Turkey programme, what the purpose was of the transaction made to Royal Residence for £7,484 dated 25 September 2024 with the IATI Activity ID of GB-GOV-1-400052-406.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is working with Turkey to help it manage the challenges of hosting approximately 2.3 million refugees, the majority of whom have fled conflict and persecution in Syria. The February 2023 earthquakes near the Turkish-Syrian border had a devastating impact on refugee communities, killing thousands and destroying much of the temporary accommodation in which they had been staying.
The Building Refugee Resilience and Inclusion in Turkey programme helps to ensure refugees receive humanitarian assistance, decent livelihoods and education, and aims to prevent onward movement into Western Europe. The programme also helps Syrian refugees make informed decisions about voluntarily returning to their own country when conditions allow.
Proposed programme activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's development partnership objectives and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Official Development Assistance programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives and for their delivery on time and on budget. The programme undergoes regular monitoring and is rigorously reviewed annually to assess performance against its targets and objectives.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s ‘Building Refugee Resilience and Inclusion in Turkey,’ programme, what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of the funding spent on this programme so far.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is working with Turkey to help it manage the challenges of hosting approximately 2.3 million refugees, the majority of whom have fled conflict and persecution in Syria. The February 2023 earthquakes near the Turkish-Syrian border had a devastating impact on refugee communities, killing thousands and destroying much of the temporary accommodation in which they had been staying.
The Building Refugee Resilience and Inclusion in Turkey programme helps to ensure refugees receive humanitarian assistance, decent livelihoods and education, and aims to prevent onward movement into Western Europe. The programme also helps Syrian refugees make informed decisions about voluntarily returning to their own country when conditions allow.
Proposed programme activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's development partnership objectives and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Official Development Assistance programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives and for their delivery on time and on budget. The programme undergoes regular monitoring and is rigorously reviewed annually to assess performance against its targets and objectives.