Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that Russian soldiers are castrating Ukrainian prisoners in prisoner of war camps, what assessment they have made of whether Russian soldiers are repeatedly committing crimes against humanity.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is marked by increasing evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Ukrainian service personnel and civilians, including executions, torture and sexual violence. We are fully committed to holding Russian forces to account for any atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to whether they would grant permission for Vladimir Putin to enter the UK.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has made clear, for the avoidance of any doubt, that President Putin would not be welcome in the UK. FCDO officials re-emphasised this to senior officials at the Russian Embassy in the UK at a face-to-face meeting in early April. The UK sanctioned President Putin and applied an asset freeze shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to offer to give (1) assistance, and (2) drinkable water, to Turkey and Syria following the earthquake of 6 February.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has provided lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance to those in need in Turkey and northwest Syria, committing £43 million in aid. In Syria, the UK provided £4.3 million to the White Helmets for life-saving search and rescue and emergency relief operations. In addition, we provided 242 tonnes of vital relief items to help provide protection against the freezing winter weather conditions. In Turkey, the UK provided: search and rescue capability; specially trained dogs; and treatment to over 19,000 patients by UK medical teams. UK funding has also contributed to restoring the supply of clean water, reaching an estimated 263,000 people.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken following the fires in North America to offer to give assistance, and in particular drinking water, to Canada.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We have been in contact with the Canadian Foreign Minister and Canadian Government officials, offering UK support and our sympathy, following the devastating wildfires. Canada is a close partner of the UK, and we will continue to work together closely and provide support to one another in times of crisis.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the creation of an international funding facility to combat climate change and respond to the loss and damage commitments made at COP27.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
All parties at COP27, including the UK, agreed to establish both new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, and a fund for responding to loss and damage. Parties also agreed to establish a Transitional Committee on operationalisation of the funding arrangements and the fund.
The UK announced at COP27 £5 million of funding for the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage which will bring together and enhance the technical assistance available to developing countries suffering from the worst impacts of climate change.
The UK will constructively engage with the Committee, with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and parties and with civil society to help ensure the funding arrangements, fund and the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage deliver effectively for countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide (1) medical supplies, and (2) aid, to Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
In the last eighteen months the UK has provided nearly £90 million of life-saving aid to communities across Ethiopia affected by crises. This support has provided emergency health supplies for 1 million people. Through the recently announced package of £14 million humanitarian support, funding is expected to reach up to 150,000 people with comprehensive health, water sanitation, hygiene and nutrition services across Ethiopia.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding the UK has contributed to the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact since 2021.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact was agreed during the UK's G7 Presidency and we have provided our share of the $7 billion in humanitarian assistance to the countries one step from famine in 2021. Globally we intend to spend UK humanitarian funding of £3 billion over the next three years. We continue to deliver on our policy commitments in the Compact. For example, in 2021 we partnered with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Germany to co-host the High-Level Event on Anticipatory Action.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 July (HL1116), what steps they will take, together with international partners, to seek restitution from the government of Russia for civilian populations in Ukraine which has resulted in (1) extensive loss of life, and (2) damage to buildings in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Putin alone is responsible for the damage and destruction caused by his illegal war in Ukraine. This requires full and urgent reparation by Russia.
The UK Government is considering all options for seizing assets that could be used to support the people of Ukraine and contribute towards the reconstruction of their country, closely with international partners.
The Foreign Secretary announced (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ukraine-recovery-conference-foreign-secretarys-remarks-4-july-2022) the UK vision for supporting Ukraine's Reconstruction and Development Plan at the Lugano Ukraine Recovery Conference (4-5 July) and the UK's commitment to host next year's 2023 Reconstruction Conference.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Russia pays restitution to Ukraine after the war in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Mr Putin alone is responsible for the damage and destruction caused by his illegal war in Ukraine. His regime must pay for the damage that it has caused. The UK will continue to support efforts to achieve accountability for crimes committed during the illegal invasion, including by the provision of assistance to the International Criminal Court investigation.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with European allies to condemn President Putin’s policy of aggression in Ukraine and the detrimental effect on the people of that country, including injuries and fatalities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary continues to ensure the UK is playing a leading role driving the international response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, regularly meeting and speaking with Foreign Minister counterparts, including our European allies. We are working with international partners to support Ukraine across a range of areas, including: strengthening their military capabilities; providing economic support; sharing expertise and experience on recovery and reconstruction; unlocking routes to export grain from Ukraine; humanitarian support; and investigations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. We will continue to support the Ukrainian Government in the face of this assault on their sovereignty and territorial integrity.