Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication of The UK government’s strategy for international development, what assessment they have made of the case for additional investment in surveillance for malaria and other diseases.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Surveillance is an important aspect of efforts to control malaria and other diseases. UK investments support low and middle-income countries to strengthen their routine disease surveillance systems.
Multilateral investments on routine disease surveillance include the work of the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria. On malaria specifically, we have supported the Global Fund's Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative in response to the emergence of drug-resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong region.
Bilateral programming on disease surveillance includes the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme, the International Health Strengthening Programme and the Fleming Fund.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the UK–EU Joint Consultative Working Group has met; and when it will next meet.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The meetings of the Joint Consultative Working Group (JCWG) are confidential; however, Article 15(5) of the Northern Ireland Protocol provides that it shall meet at least once a month, unless otherwise decided by the EU and the UK by mutual consent.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the work of the UK–EU Joint Consultative Working Group.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Joint Consultative Working Group is established by the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the governance arrangements for the Protocol, though it is not empowered to take any decisions other than to adopt its own rules of procedure. The Government is clear that as those broader governance arrangements do not include any structures for UK or NI representatives to have a say in EU rules, a democratic deficit has been created whereby rules are made and imposed on Northern Ireland with no say in the matter.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce legislation to make supply chain human rights due diligence mandatory.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has consistently supported the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights, which are widely regarded as the authoritative international framework to steer practical action by governments and businesses worldwide on this important agenda, and encourage businesses to voluntarily adopt due diligence approaches to respecting human right. We continue to keep our policy under review. The new Modern Slavery Strategy is due to be published shortly and will set the direction of our modern slavery and global supply chains work for the years to come.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how funding for the Global Fund’s seventh replenishment will advance the priorities of their international development strategy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The new International Development Strategy (IDS) highlights that global health will remain a top priority. We will continue to deliver our health commitments on COVID-19; building strong health systems; promoting a One Health approach; and working towards ending preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children, including through Gavi and the Global Fund. Our support to the Global Fund to address the HIV burden in adolescent girls and young women, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, also contributes to the IDS priority on empowering women and girls. The UK pledged £1.4 billion to the Global Fund's 6th replenishment (2020-2022), making us the 2nd largest donor. We are reviewing the Global Fund's investment case for the 7th replenishment and deciding our precise contribution in line with delivering the new International Development Strategy. The Global Fund will continue to be a key partner for the UK in the shared fight against HIV, TB and malaria.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of the United States, as host of the Global Fund’s seventh replenishment, about the UK’s contribution to that fund; and whether they intend to match the United States by increasing UK funding by one third to reach the replenishment target of $18 billion.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State recently discussed the upcoming 7th replenishment of the Global Fund. The UK has been a committed supporter of the Global Fund, investing over £4.1 billion in the organisation to date. We are the second largest donor to the 6th replenishment, with a pledge of up to £1.4 billion. The UK will continue to make a significant financial and leadership contribution to the Global Fund. We are currently reviewing the Global Fund's 7th replenishment investment case in line with our recently published International Development Strategy and will continue to work with all G7 and G20 members, including the US, to support progress in the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reinstate the overseas aid budget to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains committed to the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 and to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on ODA once the fiscal situation allows. The Government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and, each year over the period, will review and confirm, in accordance with the Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast. The government will determine whether the ODA fiscal tests will be met for 2023-24 at Budget 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations have taken place between the Prime Minister and the First Treasury Counsel in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings have taken place between the First Treasury Counsel and Ministers in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have received from the First Treasury Counsel in relation to the proposed bill on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is a longstanding convention for governments of all parties not to comment on the fact or contents of government legal advice. As the Foreign Secretary set out in the house on 17 May, we are very clear that this legislation is lawful and justified in international law and we have gone further in providing the house with an overview of our legal position. We believe bringing forward further legislation on this issue to be urgent and essential to protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.