Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff hours in his Department were allocated to (a) drafting, (b) reviewing and (c) promoting the LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook; and what estimate he has made of the total cost of this.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works with a range of organisations globally to protect and promote the human rights of the most vulnerable communities. The Legal Guidebook in question was developed by external partners, with no HMG staff time allocated to drafting. A small amount of staff time in our Embassy in Manila was allocated to hosting the launch event, part of HMG's efforts to advocate for human rights-compliant laws and policies around the world.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's news story entitled LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook launched in Philippines for Pride Month, published on 23 June 2025, how many similar foreign LGBTQIA+‑related publications his Department has produced in the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was.
Answered by Catherine West
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office-funded projects and programmes, delivered through external partners, routinely produce a variety of internal and external research, evidence, reports, and toolkits to support UK work on human rights and equality for all, including on LGBT+ rights. Due to the volume of documents produced and the sensitivity of the issues being considered, we do not hold a comprehensive list of similar reports produced across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the past five years.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 of the (a) research, (b) design, (c) publication and (d) distribution of the LGBTQIA+ Legal Guidebook.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office works with a range of organisations globally to protect and promote the human rights of the most vulnerable communities. The guidebook in question was developed by external partners, with no cost to the public purse for research, design and distribution. A small amount of money (£700) was allocated to support publication of the guidebook.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to residents of Fylde constituency who are attempting to evacuate from Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary announced in the House of Commons our first flight departed Tel Aviv on 23 June. Further flights departed on 24 June, 25 June, 26 June, and 29 June.
The situation in the Middle East remains very grave and volatile. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) teams are working around the clock to support British nationals. Our staff have also reinforced this capacity by rapidly deploying specialist staff from London. Across the region FCDO embassy staff are focused on this crisis.
We have updated our travel advice to advise against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), and Royal Air Force flights are departing from Israel to transport vulnerable British nationals and their dependents safely back to the UK. We are working around the clock to secure more flights and bring more people home based upon demand and the prevailing security situation. British nationals should continue to register their presence in Israel and the OPTs to be contacted with further guidance on these flights.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how he plans to align the ODA budget with the UK’s wider foreign policy objectives in (a) regions where development assistance and diplomatic priorities intersect and (b) other regions.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The alleviation of poverty is the foundation of our development work and the primary focus of our Official Development Assistance spend is always to maximise each pound's impact on those living in poverty.
Our development work is also a key part of the UK's foreign policy, delivering both for the UK and for our partners, including through tackling upstream migration, supporting resilience in the world's most vulnerable countries and communities, and mitigating the effects of climate change.
The global challenges we face - a volatile global economy, more humanitarian crises, accelerating impacts of the climate and nature crises and global health risks - demand a new approach to development that reflects the international context and the relationship our partners want, as part of our modern partnership approach.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36190 on Development Aid, what (a) consultation and (b) engagement his Department is having with (i) development experts, (ii) NGOs and (iii) international organisations on the allocation of ODA spending following the Spending Review.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are engaging with partners and stakeholders as we reorient the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget and determine allocations. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ministers and officials continue to meet stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including international development, both in the course of their duties and as part of a commitment to harnessing a wide range of perspectives to inform the FCDO's policy and strategy.
We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and resource allocation processes.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36190 on Development Aid, what criteria his Department uses to asses (a) effectiveness, (b) impact and (c) value for money in Official Development Assistance allocations, in the context of the Spending Review.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation processes, we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all Official Development Assistance (ODA) delivers value for money, with a focus on maximising the impact of our work on those living in poverty to ensure every pound delivers for the UK taxpayer and the people we support. This includes the use of impact assesments.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 strength ties between the UK and (a) Canada, (b) New Zealand, (c) Australia and (d) other Commonwealth countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK-Commonwealth relationships are built on shared values and strategic cooperation. UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will deepen trade ties with Australia and boost prosperity, we remain committed to working together to address shared global challenges. As the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons, the UK and Canada are the closest of allies. We cooperate with New Zealand on security, growth, climate and development. Recently, the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Peters for talks. We are working closely with members to implement CHOGM commitments, including bolstering human rights and democratic governance, tackling impacts of climate change, mobilising trade and investment.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 ensure that international development funding is spent more efficiently.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including effectiveness, impact and value for money.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the International Criminal Court condemning their decision to issue an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In line with this Government's stated commitment to the rule of law, we respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC).