Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of the British Embassy in Tokyo.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As part of our worldwide programme to modernise our diplomatic estate, we are planning significant re-investment in our Tokyo compound. This will ensure our Embassy office is modern and sustainable, and fit for purpose for supporting the enduring and strong partnership between the UK and Japan.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Russia about the future of the NATO–Russia Council.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK fully supports NATO's offer of a NATO-Russia Council first made in February 2020, regrets that Russia is currently choosing not to accept it and encourages Russia to do so. All Allies support a dual-track approach to Russia of strengthened deterrence and defence, alongside dialogue. This was most recently affirmed by Allied Leaders when they met in Brussels for the June 2021 NATO Summit. HMG continues to support NATO's openness to periodic, focused and meaningful dialogue with Russia, but there can be no return to business as usual until Russia ceases its aggressive actions and returns to compliance with its obligations under international law. At any NATO-Russia Council, discussion of Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea should be the first item on the agenda.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the International Seabed Authority about the environmental implications of proposals for deep sea mining off Nauru.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Nauru has notified the International Seabed Authority of its intention to apply for approval of a plan of work for deep sea mining exploitation under the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UK recognises the growing pressure to extract deep sea resources, and is deeply concerned about the potential impacts of mining activities on the fragile marine environment. We therefore continue to press for the very highest environmental standards to be agreed and activated by the International Seabed Authority. Until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impacts on deep sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations in place, the UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to UNESCO about the future status of the Great Barrier Reef.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK has co-signed a letter to UNESCO Director-General to underscore the importance of a transparent process and consultative decision making in interactions with member states.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had this year with the government of Zimbabwe about pension arrears owed to former Crown servants; and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
While we have received repeated assurances from the Government of Zimbabwe that they will resume payment of pensions when the economic situation allows, we remain concerned. The Government of Zimbabwe is facing an array of challenges economically, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Regrettably, we therefore do not see these pensions being paid in the near future. We will, however, continue to raise the matter with the Government of Zimbabwe and the UK's Ambassador to Harare raised the issue with senior Ministry of Finance officials on 2 June.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future funding of the Voluntary Service Overseas.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce our aid budget.
We are now working through the implications of these changes for all individual programmes and partners, including Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).
Volunteers and volunteering organisations like VSO make an important contribution. We have offered VSO a short-term funding extension for the Volunteering for Development programme, while the review process continues.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - 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 Zimbabwe about pension arrears owed to former Crown servants; and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
While we have received repeated assurances from the Zimbabwean Government that they will resume payment of pensions when the economic situation allows, we remain concerned. The Zimbabwean Government is facing an array of challenges economically. Regrettably, we therefore do not see these pensions being paid in the near future. We will, however, continue to raise the matter with the Government of Zimbabwe and the UK's Ambassador to Harare will press to discuss the issue with the Minister of Finance as soon as possible.