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Written Question
Haiti: Politics and Government
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the political and security situation in Haiti; and what action they are taking with international partners to help stabilise the country and end the violence there.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK remains committed to supporting a Haitian-led political solution to the escalating violence in Haiti and supporting the efforts of Caribbean partners to achieve a return to security and stability. The UK government assists Haiti through our financial contributions to UN agencies and the World Bank.

Ensuring the safety and security of people in the neighbouring UK overseas territory of Turks and Caicos Islands is vital and the UK government has increased its support for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to secure their borders. Minister Rutley, as Minister for the Caribbean, attended the Caribbean Heads of Government meeting (CARICOM) in Guyana on 26 February and heard their concerns on the security situation in Haiti.


Written Question
Saudi Arabia: Women
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding the release of imprisoned women activists in that country, particularly (1) Manahel al-Otaibi, and (2) Salma al-Shehab.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi government. The FCDO is closely monitoring both Manahel al-Otaibi and Salma al-Shehab's cases, and the British Embassy in Riyadh will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. I, Minister for the Middle East, regularly raise individual freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, including as recently as 31 January with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.


Written Question
Ukraine: Crimes of Aggression
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the establishment of an International Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, and what assessment they have made of the ways that Tribunal’s processes for ensuring that victims of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine are able to access justice and reparations.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The United Kingdom is a member of the Core Group established by Ukraine to explore options for a tribunal for the crime of aggression. We continue to engage proactively in discussions within the group, including on the form that any tribunal might take.


Written Question
Israel: Foreign Relations
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of (a) existing and (b) enhanced (i) security, (ii) defence, (iii) science and (iv) technology relationships with Israel under the 2030 roadmap.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We enjoy a close strategic partnership with Israel on a wide range of issues. The Memorandum of Understanding we signed in 2021 demonstrated our intent to deepen and expand cooperation across our mutual priorities for our mutual benefit. The subsequent 2030 roadmap outlines how this strategic partnership will continue to serve our collective interests, deepening UK-Israel cooperation across the breadth of our relationship, including science and tech, research and development and security, health, climate and gender.


Written Question
Sri Lanka: Travel Information
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to update the travel advice to Sri Lanka to reflect the security situation in that country.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The safety of British people is the main factor when determining our travel advice for all countries, including Sri Lanka. Our advice is designed to help British people make informed decisions about foreign travel and remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks when travelling abroad. Our travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals. These assessments are made by drawing on expert sources of information available to the government including local knowledge from our embassies and information provided by the local authorities in each country. We will continue to keep Sri Lanka travel advice under close review.


Written Question
Developing Countries: Debts
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of 12 March 2024, Lords Official Report, column 1910, If he will publish a summary of Treasury advice received by his Department on legislation concerning private creditors.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Government recognises the importance of private sector lending to low-income countries. The UK, alongside international partners, expects private creditors to participate in debt restructurings on terms at least as favourable as bilateral (i.e. country) creditors.

At this time, the Government is focused on delivering a market-based (contractual) approach to private sector participation in debt restructuring, which the IMF have found to be largely effective in recent years. As part of this, the UK has led the development of Majority Voting Provisions for private syndicated loans. We engage regularly with the Treasury on this issue.


Written Question
Nigeria: Shell
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, whether his Department has had discussions with Shell on its divestment from its onshore oil operations in Nigeria.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

UK Government officials have had discussions with Shell regarding their divestment from onshore oil operations in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting with representatives from Shell, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner discussed Shell's divestment from onshore oil operations and the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta.


Written Question
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Shell
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, on what dates he has had meetings with Shell on the risks of pollution from oil production in the Niger Delta since 2021; who attended those meetings; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The UK continues to encourage a coordinated effort between the Nigerian Government, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting with representatives from Shell, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner discussed the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta. We do not routinely publish details of meetings with external stakeholders.


Written Question
Gaza: Ceasefires
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, in the context of potential famine.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We want the fighting to stop now. We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.

The UK is also doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible. We recently announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid are being distributed by the World Food Programme on the ground. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza in this crisis. This is in addition to the 150 tonnes of aid the Government announced 13 March.


Written Question
Israel: Arms Trade
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) suspending arms exports to and (b) reviewing trade agreements with Israel.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Government operates a robust and thorough assessment of all licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

The UK's strategic partnership with Israel includes trade. As the Secretary of State for Business and Trade told the House on 7 March, Israel remains a part of the FTA programme, negotiations continue, and she has recently discussed with the Israeli Minister of Economy our existing trading relationship as well as how Israel is managing the challenges of working on an FTA while fighting a war.