Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Maltese counterparts on lifting restrictions on UK citizens vaccinated with AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS COVID Pass as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency, as well as our own medicines regulator, has authorised this vaccine and travel should not be affected. We have confirmed with the Maltese authorities that all vaccines delivered in the UK, regardless of type, batch or location of manufacture, are sufficient for entry into Malta.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
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 that the delivery of covid-19 vaccines via the COVAX facility in Syria are not (a) disrupted and (b) manipulated by the Syrian Government.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK provides £548 million globally to the COVAX initiative which enables equitable access to vaccines. The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to Syria on 22 April, with 203,000 doses via Damascus and 53,800 doses delivered into north west Syria.
The COVAX initiative is led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which works closely with stakeholders, including development partners to ensure robust governance and programme management to deliver the vaccines to those in need. UNICEF is the designated global supply agency for COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX facility and follow rigorous monitoring and reporting measures. The UK is confident that any risks to COVAX vaccine delivery and aid diversion by the regime and other bad actors are mitigated by the efforts of UNICEF and our partners. As such it is crucial that UN Security Council Resolution 2533 on cross-border aid access into north west Syria is renewed.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the 2021-22 reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on (a) the humanitarian response, (b) health, (c) poverty alleviation, (d) food security and nutrition and (e) conflict resolution in Libya.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The FCDO's aid budget has been allocated in line with the UK strategic objectives set out in the Integrated Review, amid the challenging financial climate of COVID. We have prioritised our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world. Allocation decisions took into account a range of factors, including qualitative and quantitative analyses of draft business plans and sectoral analysis of key trends. Impact on beneficiaries of UK aid, supply partners and equalities were all considered.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the 2021-22 Official Development Assistance funding allocation for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
As set out at the International Development Committee last week, budgets would not normally be set out this early in the year. The normal process is for country allocations to be published by the Statistics for International Development. That process will not take place until 2022.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on non-governmental organisations' (a) programming and (b) levels of in-country staff to deliver programmes in (i) Yemen, (ii) Syria, (iii) the Occupied Palestinian Territories, (iv) Lebanon, (v) Turkey, (vi) Egypt, (vii) Iraq, (viii) Libya and (ix) refugee settlements in Europe.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The FCDO has prioritised our reduced Overseas Development Assistance funding in the Middle East and North Africa so that the UK remains a force for good across the region against the challenging financial climate created by COVID-19. We are prioritising essential humanitarian assistance to those worst affected by conflict and COVID-19, notably in Syria and Yemen. We are continuing to focus on education and getting vulnerable girls into school and will also continue to support conflict resolution and stabilisation, open societies. Alongside our current programmes, we will also begin new programming to tackle climate change.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the 2021-22 reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on (a) the humanitarian response, (b) health, (c) poverty alleviation, (d) food security and nutrition and (e) conflict resolution in Turkey.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against the challenging financial climate of COVID. UK Aid will continue to prioritise humanitarian support and conflict resolution as part of its core priorities for poverty reduction. Allocation decisions took into account a range of factors, including qualitative and quantitative analyses of draft business plans and sectoral analysis of key trends.
The UK's contribution to the EU's Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) remains unaffected by the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI, in line with Article 155 of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. The UK will continue to meet direct contribution commitments to the FRIT for the duration of the programme.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the reduction in Official Development Assistance funding on the effectiveness of programmes providing safe passage and support for refugee and displaced persons.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is at the forefront of responding to forced displacement globally and we remain committed to supporting refugees and displaced persons. We continue to champion the principles of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), with its focus on longer term support that enables refugees to find work, access education and other key services, while also benefitting host communities and countries. The UK endorsed the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) in 2018, the first international framework for cooperation on migration. The UK resettled over 20,000 refugees fleeing the brutal conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). This included those requiring urgent medical treatment, survivors of violence, torture, and women and children at risk to safely rebuild their lives in the UK.
Following a thorough review, the FCDO's aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate of COVID. The portfolio agreed by the Foreign Secretary will focus our investment and expertise on issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum strategic coherence, impact, and value for money. FCDO will now work through what this means for individual programmes, in line with the priorities we have outlined.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the 2021-22 Official Development Assistance funding allocation for the United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign Secretary's Statement to Parliament on 21 April 2021 set out preliminary details of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ODA spending plans for Financial Year 2021-2022. We have prioritised our aid to be more strategic and remain a force for good across the world. Following a thorough review, the FCDO's aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate of COVID. The FCDO is now working through what this means for individual partners and programmes, in line with the priorities identified. The funds for individual agencies and programmes will be published on DEVtracker and in Statistics on International Development.
The portfolio agreed by the Foreign Secretary will focus our investment and expertise on issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum strategic coherence, impact, and value for money. The UK will spend more than £10 billion in aid this year, including more than a billion pounds fighting the international causes and consequences of climate change and more than a billion pounds improving global health systems to build back better after the coronavirus pandemic.