Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of UK Official Development Assistance was spent on British International Investment in the financial year 2022-23.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As the Minister for Development, I set out FCDO Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for financial years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 30th March 2023. The FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023, due to be published later this year, will include full breakdowns of financial years 2022/2023 spend and 2023-2024 plans.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will expand the Women and Girls strategy to include provisions on menstrual health and hygiene.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), girls' education, and women's empowerment are all central commitments in the International Women and Girls Strategy.
Menstrual health and hygiene are a critical component of SRHR, and fundamental to women and girls' health, education and dignity. The FCDO already works to respond to this pressing need, through water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, as well as some focused on SRHR. For example, since 2019, the FCDO has supported the Government of Mozambique to deliver 28 inclusive, resilient school sanitation blocks that include integrated menstrual hygiene management facilities.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of funding provided by his Department for education projects for girls in Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict women and girls' access to education, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions and public statements, most recently on 13 January 2023. The Government continues to support the delivery of education, including through bilateral and multilateral contributions to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), UN partners, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education. Ministers and officials are engaging regularly with Afghan women, including those working on education and we are considering remote learning interventions, including online platforms.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
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 adequacy of funding for educational online learning platforms in Afghanistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government has repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict women and girls' access to education, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions and public statements, most recently on 13 January 2023. The Government continues to support the delivery of education, including through bilateral and multilateral contributions to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), UN partners, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education. Ministers and officials are engaging regularly with Afghan women, including those working on education and we are considering remote learning interventions, including online platforms.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress he has made on securing the release of UK joint nationals who are arbitrarily detained in Iran.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO provides consular support to the families of dual British nationals detained in Iran when they request our support. It remains in Iran's gift to release any British National who has been unfairly detained and we urge the Government of Iran to stop its practice of unfairly detaining British and other foreign nationals. We will continue to work with like-minded partners to that end.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department has provided to British Citizens attempting to leave the Tigray region.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Since the beginning of the conflict on 4 November 2020, we have advised British Nationals to leave Tigray. There have been opportunities to leave during that time including four convoys organised by the UN during the initial stages of the conflict which we supported. In the period from January to June 2021, Ethiopian Airlines flights were operating between Mekele and Addis Ababa. We are aware of several British Nationals who chose not leave at that time. Those flights and routes out were curtailed when the conflict escalated in the summer of 2021. We have not been able to secure a safe route out of Tigray since that time. We are currently working with partners to explore possible routes out. We will also continue to be at the forefront of the international effort to de-escalate the conflict and alleviate suffering, and welcome the humanitarian ceasefire announced by both sides on 24 March.