Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister’s announcement on 23 April of an increase in defence spending to a new baseline of 2.5 per cent GDP by 2030 differs from the pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030 given by the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, at the NATO summit in Madrid in June 2022; and whether a spending review will be required.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Prime Minister's announcement is for a fully funded commitment to reach 2.5% of GDP in financial year (FY)2030-31. It is supported by a commitment not to increase borrowing or debt.
The current spending review period concludes at the end of FY2024-25, and a future Spending Review will formalise spending plans for the following period.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to the Prime Minister of Israel.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister last spoke to the Israeli Prime Minister on 30 April 2024.
They discussed the current hostage negotiations, the importance of getting much more aid into Gaza, including via vital land routes, and Israel's commitment to achieving this. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK's support for Israel's security and made clear that our focus is on de-escalation, which is essential and in everyone's interest.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Independent Review Group on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, published on 22 April; and what assessment they have made of the implications of the findings in that report on the UK's funding of UNRWA.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the events that took place on 7 October in Israel are appalling, which is why we took decisive action to pause future funding to the organisation.
The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration of Catherine Colonna's final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing UN Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation into these allegations.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent reports by the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Human Rights Watch, what discussions they have had with the government of Rwanda concerning (1) whether that government are providing logistical support to the M23 rebels to operate inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and (2) whether Rwandan troops are reinforcing or fighting alongside the M23.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to raise the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the governments of DRC and Rwanda to urge for an end to the violence, human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups including M23. On 9 April, the Prime Minister met with President Kagame and underlined the importance of a political process to resolve the situation. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) also raised this issue with President Kagame during his visit to Rwanda on 6 April. We continue to emphasise to all parties that recent mediation efforts of the Angola-led Luanda peace process should be followed with further tangible action.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what diplomatic steps the Foreign Secretary is taking to help de-escalate hostilities between Israel and Iran in order to prevent a wider Middle East war.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemned in the strongest terms Iran's direct attack against Israel on 13 April. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners. We are working urgently with our allies to deescalate the situation.
The Foreign Secretary spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 14 April and called for Iran to take immediate action to de-escalate, including by restraining their aligned militia groups and immediately releasing the MSC Aries and her crew. Furthermore, the UK announced new sanctions on Iran on 18 April, and in coordination with the US, targeted those who have enabled Iran's destabilising regional activity.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the G7 Summit which will be held in Borgo Egnazia from 13 to 15 June.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The G7 is a critical forum for the UK to engage like-minded partners on complex global challenges and for delivering on the interests of the British people on the global stage.
At the 2024 G7 Leaders Summit, The Prime Minister will be focused on strengthening our collective security, including by maintaining unwavering G7 resolve to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion, and aligning responses to ongoing geopolitical challenges, including in the Middle East. We will also look to work closely with the G7 to strengthen our economic security.
The UK will also ensure that the G7 can play its part in ensuring an effective response to the defining global challenges, including migration, climate change, development and the risks posed by emerging critical technologies such as frontier Artificial Intelligence.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Lebanese authorities regarding the abduction and death of Pascal Suleiman, a senior member of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, on 9 April.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to Lebanon's stability, security, and prosperity and as such we are in close contact with the Lebanese government. During Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon's most recent call with Foreign Minister Bou Habib on 18 April, he offered condolences for the tragic death of Pascal Sleiman. We are clear about the need for a thorough, transparent investigation so that those responsible can be brought to justice. In the wake of Mr Sleiman's death, we have been calling for calm and restraint, and urging Lebanon's political leaders to do likewise.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they, together with international partners, have had any discussions with the government of Nigeria, and with the authorities in (1) Burkina Faso, (2) Niger, and (3) Mali, to persuade those three counties to re-join the Economic Community of West African States in the interests of the stability and security of West Africa.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK maintains regular dialogue on regional security with the Nigerian Government and the Transitional Authorities in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. The Deputy Foreign Minister, spoke to ECOWAS Commission President Touray earlier this year after those three states announced their departure from the organisation. The Deputy National Security Adviser also visited Nigeria in February 2024 and discussed the future of the three states' participation in ECOWAS. The UK continues to encourage all actors to maintain regional engagement in the interest of working together to tackle the shared threat of terrorism and promote stability and prosperity for citizens in the region.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring the spread of non-native flatworms in the UK, particularly the New Zealand flatworm; what assessment they have made of any recent increases in the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK; and what steps they are taking (1) to combat the spread of non-native flatworms, and (2) to advise the public.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No recent assessment has been made of the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK. While some data on New Zealand flatworms (Arthurdendyus triangulates) is collected this is not sufficiently systematic to support a full assessment.
We encourage the public to submit sightings with photographs to iRecord (which can be found at irecord.org.uk) such that the species can be accurately identified. The record is then uploaded to the biological records centre and will improve our understanding of the distribution of the species.
We have developed a Horticulture Pathway Action Plan (PAP) (copy attached) which aims to prevent and manage the risk posed by species such as the New Zealand flatworm using measures such as raising public awareness, minimizing the contamination of goods, commodities, vehicles and equipment by invasive non-native species, and ensuring appropriate border checks. An action within this document specific to flatworms is to establish a task-and-finish group to review existing guidance and develop new guidance on flatworms. We are due to consult on the PAPs later this year, and following the conclusion of that exercise, the actions such as this one in the PAPs will commence.
In addition, Invasive Species Week is coming up and will take place from the 20th to 26th May 2024. This is an annual week of awareness raising and events to help prevent the spread, and reduce the harmful impacts, of invasive non-native plants and animals.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Fabian Society report When I'm 64: A strategy to tackle poverty before state pension age, published on 17 April, which found that the number of people aged between 60 and the state pension age living in poverty increased by 140 per cent between 2010 and 2022, how many people currently aged over 60 and not yet eligible for the state pension are living in poverty.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, 20% (0.9m) of individuals aged over 60 and not yet eligible for the state pension were living in absolute poverty after housing costs.
Statistics on the number of individuals living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication at Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab). The latest available data with age breakdowns can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 are for the financial period 2022/23.