Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote and encourage private investment in Ukrainian agri-processing through UK Export Finance and British International Investment.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
At the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced expansion of British International Investment's (BII) remit to support private sector investment in Ukraine. BII has worked with the European Bank of Reconstruction to establish the Ukraine Investment Platform to facilitate co-investment in Ukraine from G7 and European countries including in infrastructure, financial services and agriculture. BII's investment in Ukraine to date includes providing trade finance to local banks to support trade flows of critical goods and supporting a leading Ukrainian agribusiness producer to help it maintain and expand exports to over 70 countries, benefitting more than 2,000 small retail stores and 2,500 farmers. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has made £3.5 billion of financial capacity available to support Ukraine throughout the war, supporting national priority projects for the Government of Ukraine. UKEF's financing has directly enabled Ukraine to access world-class UK defence, infrastructure, and energy capabilities.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have provided financial support to the World Bank's HEAL project in Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
To date, the UK has committed up to £577 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the wider region, including for those who have been forced to flee their homes and are now internally displaced. This funding helps deliver essential services, such as access to food, healthcare, and shelter, through trusted partners working closely with the Government of Ukraine.
The UK has not provided direct funding to the World Bank's Health Enhancement and Lifesaving Ukraine Project, but we work with the World Bank on the delivery of the SPIRIT programme (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation) and other regional initiatives that strengthen social protection and recovery efforts.
Asked by: Lord Touhig (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support the United Kingdom has given to internally displaced people in Ukraine.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
To date, the UK has committed up to £577 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the wider region, including for those who have been forced to flee their homes and are now internally displaced. This funding helps deliver essential services, such as access to food, healthcare, and shelter, through trusted partners working closely with the Government of Ukraine.
The UK has not provided direct funding to the World Bank's Health Enhancement and Lifesaving Ukraine Project, but we work with the World Bank on the delivery of the SPIRIT programme (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation) and other regional initiatives that strengthen social protection and recovery efforts.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when all British Overseas Territories will be required to publish public registers of beneficial ownership.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to my written ministerial statements on 3 July (UIN HLWS774) and 22 July (UIN HLWS884) which provided an update on progress achieved to date and details of next steps. These issues were most recently discussed at the Joint Ministerial Council, where the Minister for the Overseas Territories and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury again reinforced the need for previously agreed deadlines and commitments to be met, and called for prompt action to do so.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Ireland regarding their ability to make a financial contribution towards the protection of undersea cables serving the British Isles from sabotage by Russia.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
At the UK-Ireland Summit on 6 March 2025, the Prime Minister and Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced their commitment to deepen cooperation between the two nations, including in the area of defence. The UK and Ireland continue to discuss how we can improve our cooperation in maritime security, including critical undersea infrastructure.
Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received a request from the government of the Republic of Ireland to provide security support for any events to take place in the Republic of Ireland during its tenure of the upcoming EU Presidency.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
His Majesty's Government has received no such request.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why they decided to revoke the draft Order in Council allowing for an interim administration of the British Virgin Islands; and whether they will publish the assessment that led to that decision.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lord to the statement made to the House on 13 October 2025 (UIN HLWS953). This decision followed a review taking into account a range of factors including public consultations held by the Governor and British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government, a final report from the Governor, and a self‑assessment by the BVI Government, all of which are publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised any concerns regarding the National Security Strategy of the United States of America, dated November, in discussions with that country’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The US remains the UK's most important defence and security ally. The Foreign Secretary met the US Secretary of State in Washington DC on 8 December to discuss cooperation on issues vital to our shared interests and security, and UK ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with their US counterparts on a wide range of areas.
Asked by: Lord Callanan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Exchange of notes constituting an agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America concerning the availability for defence purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory, London, 30 December 1966 on the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, including the term that “The Territory shall remain under United Kingdom sovereignty”.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement was tested at the highest levels of the United States' security establishment, across multiple agencies, and it has been backed by our key allies and international partners, including the US and all our Five Eyes partners. Talks are ongoing to update the UK-US Exchange of Letters on the operation of the Diego Garcia Base. There are no agreements with the Maldives that would impact the operation of the base.
Asked by: Lord Callanan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any extant agreements, notes or exchanges of letters with the government of the Maldives that impact the governance of the British Indian Ocean Territory or the treaty with Mauritius.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The Agreement was tested at the highest levels of the United States' security establishment, across multiple agencies, and it has been backed by our key allies and international partners, including the US and all our Five Eyes partners. Talks are ongoing to update the UK-US Exchange of Letters on the operation of the Diego Garcia Base. There are no agreements with the Maldives that would impact the operation of the base.