Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK will maintain its contribution to the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 31 July to question 69165.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic pressure his Department has exerted on the El Salvador government to ensure that the human rights of detainees at the Terrorism Confinement Centre in Tecoluca are protected.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK continues to urge the authorities in El Salvador to establish an exit strategy from the current State of Exception and ensure respect for human rights, including ensuring that prisoners are treated in line with international human rights standards and afforded the protections to which they have a right under El Salvador's Constitution. The UK reaffirmed this in its statement during El Salvador's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in January this year, calling on El Salvador to ensure the right to fair trial, with the guarantee of legal representation for defendants, and the release of individuals detained without clear evidence.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to conduct an Equalities Impact Assessment of the potential impact of reductions to Official Development Assistance on (a) disability inclusion and (b) women and girls.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls, and people with disabilities - are an essential part of how we make decisions on ODA allocations.
We plan to publish final Financial Year 2025/26 ODA programme allocations in The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Annual Report & Accounts this summer.
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. We will explore options for updating the Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy following the conclusion of the multi-year Spending Review and resource allocation processes.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
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 help protect the rights of Palestinian minors currently detained by Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The plight of children affected by the war in Gaza is deeply distressing. We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of detainees. The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities. We continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Section 51 of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, what steps his Department has taken to help British Overseas Territories establish a publicly accessible register of the beneficial ownership of companies registered in their jurisdiction.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO has funded an expert NGO, Open Ownership, to provide technical assistance to Overseas Territory governments to establish publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership (PARBO). The UK Government has also provided legal drafting assistance to some OTs and funding to Montserrat for costs associated with implementing their publicly accessible register. I have written to all OT Leaders and Governors including in person meetings over the last few days with the Governments in Anguilla and BVI, setting out my expectations of urgent progress. I was delighted Montserrat launched their PARBO on 11 October.
Since 2023, the UK has held several technical workshops on beneficial ownership with Overseas Territories. The most recent on 31 October 2024, following discussions between officials at the 'UK-OT Illicit Finance Dialogue' held on 07-09 October.
I look forward to further discussions at the Joint Ministerial Council in late November, where this will feature on the agenda.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Foreign Secretary, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help protect women from oppression in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions. Most recently in August the Foreign Secretary stated that the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic setback for Afghanistan. Officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, both bilaterally and with international partners. We are committed that at least 50 per cent of those reached by UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls, and we contribute to a $20 million Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund project that supports civil society, particularly women-led organisations.