Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing UK contributions to Global Fund programmes that help tackle (a) AIDS, (b) tuberculosis, and (c) malaria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Global Fund is a high-performing organisation that, with partners, has saved 50 million lives to date. The Global Fund has contributed to a reduction in the mortality of AIDS, TB and malaria by over half since 2002 and plays a key role in ending the preventable deaths of the three diseases.
The UK is a co-founder of the Global Fund and its third-largest donor historically, investing over £4.4 billion to date. At the seventh replenishment pledging conference, the UK committed to remain a strong supporter of the Global Fund. Ministers are carefully assessing the case for the quantum of the UK's funding and will announce our pledge in the coming weeks.
The Government continues to support the innovation in science and technology to combat these diseases though further investments in research and development. We have invested around £400 million in Product Development Partnerships which have led to the development on the dapivirine HIV prevention vaginal ring and the world's first child-friendly antimalarial drug. Our commitments to UNITAID and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium also support innovations in the fight against the three diseases.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of contributing to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Global Fund is a high-performing organisation that, with partners, has saved 50 million lives to date. The Global Fund has contributed to a reduction in the mortality of AIDS, TB and malaria by over half since 2002 and plays a key role in ending the preventable deaths of the three diseases.
The UK is a co-founder of the Global Fund and its third-largest donor historically, investing over £4.4 billion to date. At the seventh replenishment pledging conference, the UK committed to remain a strong supporter of the Global Fund and to announce our pledge in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help support the human rights of Iranians during the current protests in that country.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
On Monday 10 October, the UK announced sanctions on Iran's so-called Morality Police and two of its leaders. The UK also imposed sanctions on five other leading officials for committing serious human rights violations in Iran. The Foreign Secretary said in a statement on 10 October, these sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities, we will hold Iran account for its repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence inflicted on its own people. We have joined 52 other countries in a joint Human Rights Council statement urging restraint and accountability from Iranian law enforcement.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) international and (b) Iranian counterparts on human rights in Iran following recent protests in that country.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK has joined the international community in clear condemnation of Iran's response to the protests. In his statement on 3 October, the Foreign Secretary underlined how the UK is working with our partners to hold Iran to account, including via Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. On 3 October, the Foreign Secretary instructed the FCDO to summon Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK to condemn the violent crackdown on protests following Mahsa Amini's death. We continue to raise our concerns at every opportunity, with the Iranian Embassy in London and via our Ambassador in Tehran.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help achieve peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government continues to work with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments to encourage them to engage with the appropriate international processes, including talks led by the EU, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and all other related issues. Against the background of renewed hostilities and loss of life, I spoke to Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov on 15 and 17 September respectively to stress the importance of regional stability and negotiations without pre-conditions. His Majesty's Ambassadors in Yerevan and Baku have taken similar steps, in close coordination with partners.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years.
Answered by Vicky Ford
FCDO consultancy spend in 2020-21 was £2.7 million. Total FCO plus DFID spend for years 2019-20, 2018-19, and 2017-18 was £3.0 million, £2.6 milion and £1.3 million respectively. Consultancy spend for 2021-22 will be reported in the FCDO's annual report and accounts, which will be published shortly.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on UK (a) GDP and (b) financial services.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy and public finances. The latest forecasts from the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) were published on 23 March 2022, which used a range of external studies to predict the long-term impacts on UK GDP:
https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2022/
The latest monthly data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that UK goods exports to the EU reached their highest value (in current prices) since records began in January 1997.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide a breakdown of the £286 million of foreign aid pledged by the Government to be sent to Afghanistan in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
A full breakdown of the UK's £286 million contribution to Afghanistan in financial year 2021/22 is included as an annex in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 28 April 2022.
Discussions with our partners to determine contributions in 2022/23 are ongoing, but we will continue to provide significant support to partners, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in addition to a variety of other UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations. Full details on financial allocations for this year will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) flights and (b) rail journeys staff in her Department undertook between London and Glasgow in each of the last three years.
Answered by Vicky Ford
FCDO staff travel between our offices in London and Glasgow on a regular and routine basis for their official duties. Where travel is unavoidable, all staff travelling within the UK and between England and Eurostar destinations should travel by train by default. Where necessary, UK domestic air travel is by exception only with approval granted by deputy director level or above.
Domestic flight numbers and rail mileage are published annually within the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts (from page 57), more detailed data regarding specific journey numbers between London and Glasgow is not readily available as it could only be disaggregated with significant work/time.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the findings in Human Rights Watch's 4 March 2022 publication, The UK Sees no Evil in Bahrain’s Detention of Children, that were critical of the Government statements on Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children, if the Government will make it its policy to (a) confirm its opposition to Bahrain’s Restorative Justice Law for Children and (b) make representations to the Government of Bahrain calling for the immediate release of six children detained in Bahrain who had their detention renewed on 6 March 2022.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK takes account of a wide variety of sources when assessing its policies. We continue to believe that Bahrain's Restorative Justice Law for Children provides greater protections for children's rights than the law it replaces, and is consistent with Article 37 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. We welcome its entry into force and continue to support the Government of Bahrain's efforts to ensure the law is fully and effectively implemented. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.