Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was for the production of the Growth Gateway Masterclass on Fundraising in Africa.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Two masterclasses have been delivered using a catalytic model to build local capability, provide targeted expertise, mobilise investment, and support inclusive and sustainable growth. The training cost approximately £18,500 and has already delivered strong results, with one participating business securing £2.5 million in investment and others in ongoing discussions with investors.
Supporting economic prosperity, resilience, and partnerships for growth is particularly important in the context of reductions in Official Development Assistance. Africa is the world's fastest growing continent, and as the UK continues to move towards a trade and investment focused partnership, there are clear mutual benefits. Initiatives such as this masterclass support high growth African firms to scale, attract investment, and build lasting commercial links with the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to consider resuming exports of defence equipment to Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 18 September to Question 72496.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting its employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The FCDO offers paternity leave to all eligible staff, providing them with the flexibility to take time off to support their partners and care for their newborns from the very beginning of their employment
As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security's oral contribution of 3 December 2024, Official Report, column 174, whether his Department has conducted any independent visits to Xinjiang to investigate human rights abuses since 5 July.
Answered by Catherine West
This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
We continue to monitor the situation closely, including by conducting independent visits to areas of major concern wherever possible, and supporting reputable NGOs in exposing and reacting to human rights violations.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress UK embassies and consulates are making in securing international business co-operation on tackling climate change.
Answered by James Duddridge
The FCDO has a key role in delivering a successful COP including in securing international business co-operation in tackling climate change. The Foreign Secretary and FCDO Ministers raise climate change in their engagements with businesses, and our diplomatic network are regularly engaging companies across the globe. These efforts to drive action from businesses and investors on climate change are complemented by the work of Nigel Topping, as the UN High Level Action Champion for COP26 and Mark Carney as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.
At the UK co-hosted Climate Ambition Summit in December, a number of leading firms came forward with major pledges. For instance Apple pledged carbon neutrality for its supply chain and products by 2030.At the same summit, the UK launched the Race to Resilience: a campaign which brings together businesses and insurance companies, alongside mayors, community leaders and others, to commit to building resilience to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of 4 billion people who are vulnerable to climate risks.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government is making through international co-operation on achieving net zero carbon emissions.
Answered by James Duddridge
Tackling climate change is a key priority for the UK. The Government is committed to working with countries across the world to unlock their renewable energy potential and support their transition towards net zero emissions.
The Government provides extensive support for countries to tackle emissions and cope with the impacts of climate change. Since 2011, we have supported 66 million people to cope with climate change and avoided 31 million tonnes of emissions thanks to our international climate finance - which we have committed to doubling to £11.6 billion between 2021/22 and 2025/26.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure British Embassies and High Commissions serve sparkling wine produced in Great Britain at their events.
Answered by Nigel Adams
British High Commissions and Embassies serve wine produced in a range of locations, including Great Britain, but we do not centrally hold details of the wine that is served or procured by our Posts overseas. However, I fully support the UK wine industry and will encourage our Posts across the globe to stock UK products.
Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government Wine Cellar has to increase its proportion of English wine purchases.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proportion of English wines purchased for the Government Hospitality wine cellar varies year on year, but generally increases eg. in 2018-19 49% of the wine purchased was English or Welsh. In 2019-20 that proportion increased to 73% of the wine purchased.