Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department started using the term Occupied Palestinian Territories in official documentation.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK government has used the term "Occupied Palestinian Territories" regularly since 2007.
It has been the position of the UK Government since 1967 that the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza) are not lawfully part of the State of Israel. In line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We consider that the level of control that Israel retains over these territories amounts to occupation under international law and hence that Israel's presence is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949, to which Israel is a state party.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 58713 on Chagos Islands: Sovereignty, what proportion of the annual cost of the deal each year between 2025-2050 will be paid by (a) his department and (b) the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The payments to Mauritius will be split between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Ministry of Defence. They will be published in the normal manner alongside other departmental spend in the annual accounts.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Answer 55083 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, how much of the cost will come from the budget of (a) his Department and (b) the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to his previous question 56674.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Letter No.1 entitled “Exchange of letters concerning implementation and interpretation of Article 11 of the agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia”, from which budget will the £120m be taken for years four to thirteen of the Agreement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The costs associated with the deal will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to point 3, sub paragraph f of the Exchange of letters concerning implementation and interpretation of Article 11 of the agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, Letter No. 1, what steps he is taking to involve UK businesses in the delivery of projects supported by grant funding from the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Full details of the mechanisms of use for the development framework grant will be agreed between the UK and Mauritius during the implementation period, before the first payment of the grant in year 4 of the Agreement.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Exchange of letters concerning implementation and interpretation of Article 11 of the agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, Letter No. 1, from which budget the £165m be taken from for the first three years of the Agreement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The costs associated with the deal will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The following table includes the number of lost department-issued devices by The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 5 July 2024.
Breakdown of department-issued equipment type | Number of lost items |
Mobile phones | 177 |
Laptops | 27 |
Other electronic devices - please specify (Tablets) | 2 |
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the terms were of the US proposal to enable a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine presented to European leaders at the Paris meeting on 17 April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not share the details of diplomatic discussions. To do so would only benefit Putin. We continue to work closely with the US, Ukraine, and European partners to achieve the shared goal of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of Russian activity in Antarctica on (a) the environment, (b) British interests and (c) international interests.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Antarctic Treaty preserves Antarctica as a place of peace and science. An original Treaty signatory, Russia remains active in Antarctica. The Treaty requires Parties to share advance notice of their plans in Antarctica and all activities are subject to environmental impact assessments. The UK actively scrutinises plans to ensure compliance with the Treaty's robust environmental principles as well as the prohibition on military training and the establishment of military bases. We recognise the growing global interest in Antarctica, including for economic reasons. The Treaty prohibits commercial mining activity and all Parties, including Russia, reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to this ban in 2023. As with other multilateral fora, we have seen Russian State obstructionism in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. We will continue to work with international partners to ensure UK interest, and that of our allies, are protected in the Antarctic, and the integrity of all multilateral organisations is preserved. The UK has longstanding interests in Antarctica, and we will continue to maintain a permanent presence on the continent, allowing us to conduct world-leading science, preserve British heritage, and safeguard our sovereignty of the British Antarctic Territory. I recently established a cross-ministerial polar group to consider cross-cutting questions such as these.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43796 on Greenland: Sovereignty, if he will publish the minutes of his two meetings with Greenland's Foreign Minister.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I met Greenlandic Foreign Minister Motzfeldt at the Arctic Circle Assembly on 18 October 2024 in Iceland, and on 13 January 2025 in London. We discussed a range of bilateral and Arctic issues. We do not publish the minutes of diplomatic meetings.
As per my response to Parliamentary Question 43796, the Foreign Secretary and I have been clear that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the future of their constitutional arrangements is a matter for the people and Government of Greenland, and the Kingdom of Denmark.