Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of overseas resort destinations imposing measures to prevent people from countries that their government has designated covid-19 green light from coming into contact with people from countries that their government has designated as amber or red light.
Answered by Nigel Adams
FCDO travel advice provides guidance on COVID and non-COVID risks abroad. It aims to inform British nationals of the risks of travelling to a country so that they can make informed decisions about travelling. It is aimed at British nationals, wherever they live, not just those living in the UK. The amount of information the FCDO can provide varies from place to place. For some parts of the world we may be able to offer very detailed advice; for others we may not. We cannot give tailored advice for individual itineraries.
The FCDO currently advises against all but essential travel to many countries and territories on the basis of COVID risks. Whether travel is essential or not is a personal decision; individuals should make an informed decision on whether or not to travel based on their personal circumstances, judgement of the risks, relevant legislation or regulations where they are resident and the entry requirements of their destination country.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Commonwealth nations with the roll-out of the covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to rapid and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has been instrumental in supporting the establishment of the COVAX Facility, the international initiative managed by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, which provides equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for 190 economies. High and upper-middle-income Commonwealth countries can access the self-financing window of the COVAX Facility. Low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries are eligible for support from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX AMC, and is among its largest bilateral donors. Our commitment will contribute to the supply of 1 billion doses in up to 92 developing countries in 2021, including Commonwealth nations, vaccinating up to 500 million people. We work closely with COVAX partners, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the World Bank to ensure that countries have the support they need to introduce COVID-19 vaccines. The AMC aims to start deliveries in the first quarter of 2021.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made in securing a reciprocal tourist travel mobility agreement with the EU.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has discussed mobility arrangements across a number of areas as part of negotiations on our future relationship with the EU.
The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This will apply from the end of the transition period to all UK nationals travelling to and within the Schengen area for purposes such as tourism.
This is the standard length of stay that the EU provides to the nationals of eligible third countries that offer visa-free travel access for EU citizens, in line with existing EU legislation.
As things stand, stays beyond the EU's 90/180 day visa-free allocation from 1 January 2021 onwards will be for individual Member States to decide and implement through domestic entry rules and visa arrangements for non-EU citizens. UK nationals will need to discuss the specifics of their situation with the relevant Member State authorities and should be prepared to provide any extra documentation that may be required.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to people in high-risk health categories on travelling abroad during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice aims to provide relevant and up-to-date guidance to help British people make informed decisions about foreign travel and stay safe while overseas. No two trips or traveller are the same; our advice represents an objective assessment of the level of risk that British people generally will face in another country. People planning travel at this time, in particular those who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19, should consult the latest FCO travel advice for their destination, alongside expert travel health advice from the National Travel Health Network and Centre on the TravelHealthPro website. They may wish to consider discussing their travel plans with a health professional to help them make a decision that is right for them.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which Minister is leading on the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy; and which senior officials are working on that review.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Prime Minister is leading on the Integrated Review with the National Security Council, with support from a cross-Whitehall team and a small team in Downing Street. On the Civil Service side, the National Security Advisor is leading on the Integrated Review, with support from the Deputy National Security Advisor.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when (a) he and (b) Ministers from his Department next plan to meet with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are in regular contact with the Pakistani High Commissioner and his staff. They are key to furthering the good relations between the UK and Pakistan in a wide range of areas, including security cooperation, anti-corruption, and bilateral trade.