Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 18833 on UNRWA: Finance, how much funding he has allocated to UNWRA for the financial year 2024-25; what his criteria are to resume funding; what discussions he is having on resuming funding; and whether he has undertaken an impact assessment on the pausing of funding.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have paused any future funding of UNRWA.
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.
Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities. We trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air. UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to deliver vital supplies.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 19633 on Gaza: Humanitarian Aid, if he will publish a detailed plan on the alternative routes the UK has planned for ensuring aid gets into Gaza; and what contingencies he has in place should aid not be delivered.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 5 April, Israel committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza. The UK has urged Israel to take these steps for a long time and they are welcome. We are working to get aid through these new humanitarian routes as soon as possible.
To date, UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to deliver vital supplies.
We continue to call for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 to Question 19634 on Hamas: UNRWA, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the interim report on UNRWA neutrality policies and system.
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 has a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2024 Question 19633 on Gaza: Humanitarian Aid, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the additional border crossings; and whether he has sought assurances from Israel on compliance with opening a crossing in northern Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Palestinians are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis.
The British Government have pressed Israeli counterparts to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.
On 5th April Israel committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting to Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint.
The UK has urged Israel to take these steps for a long time and they are welcome. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many additional skilled workers will be needed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government’s policy and spending ambitions will support up to 480,000 jobs in 2030, with over 80,000 green jobs currently being supported or in the pipeline across the UK as a result of new government policies and spending.
We have not made an assessment of the number of additional skilled workers needed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of how many heat pumps will be installed by 2028 at the current rate of deployment.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government remains fully committed to supporting heat pumps and aims to grow the market to 600,000 installations per year by 2028. The Micro Generation Certification Scheme (MCS) estimate that around 40,400 heat pumps were installed in 2023, however new build and installations not using Government funding are not generally recorded by MCS.
Deployment will accelerate with Government support through measures including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Heat Training Grant to support installers, and the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, which the Government plans to bring in in 2025. The Future Homes Standard will drive installations for new build homes.