Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support international efforts to (a) document and (b) preserve evidence of atrocities committed in (i) El Fasher and (ii) other parts of Sudan; and whether she is providing (A) technical and (B) financial support to organisations engaged in such documentation.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided during the Urgent Question debates on Sudan on 30 October and 5 November.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the current average waiting time for Academic Technology Approval Scheme applications to be processed is.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Most Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applications are straight forward and 98% of applications during the past year were processed within 30 working days. Between 1 January 2025 to 13 November 2025, the Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office received 33,945 ATAS applications. 670 of those applications were delayed beyond 30 working days.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to introduce further targeted sanctions on (a) individuals, (b) entities and (c) businesses involved in sustaining armed conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided during the Urgent Question debates on Sudan on 30 October and 5 November.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 potential implications of her policies of the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by the US.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government does not comment on our partners' decisions on individual designations.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterparts on ongoing reports of (a) abduction and (b) forced marriage of Christian women and girls; and what steps she has taken to protect religious minority women in that country.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government condemns all violence against women and girls, including abduction and forced marriages, across Nigeria. Kidnapping for ransom is sadly a widespread practice in Nigeria, particularly in the Northwest where banditry is prevalent, and communities of all religions and beliefs have been vulnerable. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAKFC) has been established to support cooperation between Nigeria's security and justice agencies. This is already operational and working to reduce the harm to victims and hold those responsible to account. On 11 November, the Minister for International Development and Africa discussed the root causes of insecurity in Nigeria during a meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar. The UK's Forced Marriage Unit provides support to victims and those at risk of forced marriage, and advice to professionals through its public helpline and inbox, including in Nigeria.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 84226 on Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, when he plans to communicate to Parliament the conclusion of the multiyear ODA funding allocation process.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK announced on 11 November that it will invest £850 million in the Global Fund's Eighth Replenishment. This is expected to save up to 1.3 million lives in the countries where the Global Fund works as well as helping to prevent the spread of diseases to the UK. Decisions on multi-year allocations are being worked through and announcements will be made in due course.
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 proportion of UK bilateral aid was spent on tackling violence against women and girls in the 2024-5 financial year.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The requested figures are not yet available, but on the wider issue raised, I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 March 2025 to Question 33985.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to support John Smith Trust fellowship programmes during the Spending Review Period.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are proud to be supporting the John Smith Trust this year to run their excellent fellowship programme in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, supporting leading professionals to take action in their countries on climate change. We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) safe and (b) sustained access for aid agencies in (i) El Fasher and (ii) other conflict-affected regions.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided during the Urgent Question debates on Sudan on 30 October and 5 November.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in territorial control in Sudan on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided during the Urgent Question debates on Sudan on 30 October and 5 November.