Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia about the death of reporter Ryan Evans.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We remain deeply saddened by the death of Mr Ryan Evans in Ukraine in 2024 following a Russian strike. The UK Government continues to support efforts to ensure accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine. This includes supporting the independent investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the situation in Ukraine, as well as providing assistance to Ukrainian domestic investigations and prosecutions of core international crimes.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are permanently resident in Greenland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
There is no general requirement for British travellers or residents to register with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) when they go overseas, and the FCDO does not therefore collect data on the number in each location.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are being held in detention without justification by the Government of Iran; and what representations they have made to the Government of Iran on their behalf.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
In recent years, the Government has worked on a number of cases of British nationals and British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, where those detainees or their families have requested consular support. The UK has not historically published either the number of live cases, or the details of each one.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel over the past four weeks to press them on the need to reconsider the effect of their policies on the health, welfare and survival of the residents of Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We have made repeated representations to the Government of Israel over the past month on humanitarian access, protection of healthcare, and protection of civilians, including in the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary's meetings on 10th September with President Herzog.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the cost in the year to date of their contribution by way of donation of food, or money to purchase food, to alleviate starvation in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
On 21 July, the UK announced £60 million in humanitarian aid this financial year, with a further £15 million of humanitarian support announced on 1 September, to support the provision of healthcare, food and water. All allocations of our Humanitarian Programme are available publicly on Development Tracker. We call for Israel to immediately allow the unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza, enabling food, medical supplies and fuel to reach those in desperate need.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government in which UK embassies overseas staff are appointed at the request of (1) the Scottish government, (2) the Welsh government, and (3) the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Officials from the Devolved Governments are based in various locations. They are commonly - but not always - based within the UK mission.
There are officials from all three Devolved Governments in Washington, Brussels and Beijing.
Scottish Government officials are also based in Berlin, Copenhagen, Dubin, Paris and Ottawa. Welsh Government officials are in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chonqing, Shanghai, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Dubai, Dublin, Doha, Paris and Tokyo.
Staff employed by devolved trade and investment promotion agencies - Invest Northern Ireland, and Scottish Development International - are located in over 20 and 30 locations respectively. Again, these are often based within the UK mission.
Officials are appointed by the sponsoring Devolved Government, or relevant agency.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the deportation of Afghan women back to Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK has a longstanding and close relationship with Pakistan. We engage regularly with the Government of Pakistan to advance key priorities and interests, including on human rights and adherence to international law. Whilst we respect Pakistan's sovereign right to control its borders, the UK, alongside the international and donor community, is urging Pakistan to do so in accordance with their international obligations. On 16 May, the UK's Special Representative for Afghanistan raised the need for safe and dignified returns of Afghans with Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the statement made by the Security Intelligence Service Director-General of New Zealand on 7 March, what discussions they have had with the government of New Zealand about China signing strategic deals with Pacific nations linking economic and security cooperation.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK engages with the Government of New Zealand at both ministerial and official level across a wide range of regional and global issues. This includes any developments relating to economic and security cooperation in the Pacific region.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announcements regarding the reduction in Official Development Assistance, which countries or humanitarian organisations will be exempted from cuts to aid.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). He has been clear that the government will continue to play a key humanitarian role, including in Ukraine, in Gaza and in Sudan. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact and value for money.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve economic ties between the UK and Argentina.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We have a growing economic and trading relationship with Argentina. Bilateral trade surpassed £2 billion in 2023 and there are over 120 UK subsidiaries operating in Argentina across various sectors including food and drink, agricultural technology, financial services and transport. The Foreign Secretary had a productive meeting with President Milei at the World Economic Forum in January and with Foreign Minister Mondino at the G20 in February. We continue to work with the Milei administration to deepen our economic relationship in areas of mutual interest, taking advantage of opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment.