Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the decision of Finland to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK was appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned.
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General. We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.
Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16878 on UNRWA: Finance, what assurances he has sought directly from UNRWA; and what his criteria are to resume funding of UNRWA.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.
We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion, not least because UNRWA has a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has received the interim report of the (a) UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and (b) Independent Review Group.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.
We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again. We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion - not least because UNRWA have a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a replacement to the Committee on Arms Export Controls.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Parliamentary scrutiny is a matter for the House. In January 2024, the Business and Trade Committee (BTC) became the Parliamentary scrutiny committee with oversight of arms export controls, a role formerly carried out by the Committees on Arms Exports Controls (CAEC). The Government is committed to keeping the BTC updated on export controls.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what account of ongoing geopolitical fragility his Department takes in considering applications for licences for the export of arms to states in sensitive areas.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework for export licence applications and require us to think hard about the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. We consider a range of factors, including examining the political and security conditions in the destination country, the nature of the equipment to be exported, the organisation or unit which will ultimately be the user of the equipment, and all available information about how similar equipment has been used in the past and how it is likely to be used in the future. We can and do respond quickly and flexibly to changing or fluid international situations. We take the principles of responsible export control set out in the Criteria incredibly seriously.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what account of the risk of atrocity crimes being committed by states his Department takes in considering applications for licences for the export of arms to such states.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 2, covering respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination, as well as respect by that country for international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the risk of a state not complying with orders from international courts in the decision process for the grant of an arms licence.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world. Licence applications are assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a scrutiny body within his Department that is tasked with assessing the consequences of individual arms licences on the Government's international legal obligations.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government takes its defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most robust export controls in the world. We examine each new application on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Criteria maintain the UK's high standards on counter proliferation and give effect to the UK's international obligations and commitments.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department (a) makes an assessment of the potential impact on observance of international humanitarian law and (b) communicates that assessment to the Department for Business and Trade before the grant of an arms licence.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government operates a robust and thorough assessment of licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria. The FCDO advises DBT on the situation in country and the risks this poses with respect to the UK's export control responsibilities and specifically on criterion two which includes respect by that country for international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of displacement of the Wiwa indigenous peoples in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Supporting the Colombian Government in its commitment to secure a broad and lasting peace will remain an important priority of this Government. At the UN Security Council on 11 January, Our Ambassador urged the Colombian Government to take further steps to protect vulnerable groups including indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities most affected by conflict. Through the UK's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) which has provided £79 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Colombia and prioritise funding interventions to help protect indigenous communities, including through the OHCHR (UN Human Rights Office).