Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee’s report entitled Famine Review Committee: Gaza Strip, March 2024 – Conclusions and Recommendations, published on 18 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible. We recently announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid are being distributed by the World Food Programme on the ground. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza in this crisis. This follows 750 tonnes of UK funded food aid arriving in Gaza in December, delivered through the World Food Programme, followed by a second delivery of 315 tonnes in January.
We are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has sought recent legal advice on the Israeli government's compliance with (a) international law and (b) the International Court of Justice’s decision in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) in the context of trends in the level of food insecurity in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law. We act in accordance with that advice. We are clear that as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has to make sure that humanitarian aid including food, water and shelter is available to people in Gaza.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will seek legal advice on the potential implications for his policies of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee’s report entitled Famine Review Committee: Gaza Strip, March 2024 – Conclusions and Recommendations, published on 18 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is also doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible. We recently announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid are being distributed by the World Food Programme on the ground. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza in this crisis. This follows 750 tonnes of UK funded food aid arriving in Gaza in December, delivered through the World Food Programme and a second delivery of 315 tonnes in January.
We and our partners are stepping up efforts to get aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
Israel must take action to allow more aid into Gaza, including scaling up the Jordan corridor, opening a crossing in northern Gaza (Karni, Erez or a new crossing point), fully opening Ashdod Port for aid delivery and increasing screening capacity at Kerem Shalom and Nitzana to seven days a week and extended hours.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, on what dates he has had meetings with Shell on the risks of pollution from oil production in the Niger Delta since 2021; who attended those meetings; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK continues to encourage a coordinated effort between the Nigerian Government, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting with representatives from Shell, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner discussed the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta. We do not routinely publish details of meetings with external stakeholders.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, whether his Department has had discussions with Shell on its divestment from its onshore oil operations in Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
UK Government officials have had discussions with Shell regarding their divestment from onshore oil operations in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting with representatives from Shell, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner discussed Shell's divestment from onshore oil operations and the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, what steps his Department is taking to support the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project; and whether his Department has provided any financial support to the project.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
HMG does not provide direct financial support to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP). We have previously made recommendations to HYPREP around improved governance and transparency. Officials have encouraged HYPREP to ensure it is thorough, well managed and delivers for local communities.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15265 on Shell: Nigeria, what initiatives his Department is supporting to help tackle oil pollution in the Niger Delta in areas not covered by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK continues to encourage a coordinated effort between the Nigerian Government, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Nigeria. The UK has also supported Nigeria to improve their ability to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, including with use of satellite data, and to strengthen the regulations governing oil and gas facilities and infrastructure that will help reduce emissions. The UK government is supporting Nigeria in meeting its ambitious climate change objectives set by its Nationally Determined Contributions and commitment to net-zero by 2060.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his Qatari counterpart on the case of Manuel Guerrero; and what steps he is taking to ensure Mr Guerrero has access to medical treatment.
Answered by David Rutley
Supporting the welfare of British nationals detained overseas is a priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and where there are concerns that an individual's needs are not being met, with their consent, we will raise this with the relevant authorities. Without consent, we are unable to provide comment on consular cases in line with relevant UK data protection legislation, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/personal-information-charter.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16084 on L3Harris: Export Controls, what the nature of his Department's assessments are of Israel's (a) capability and (b) commitment to International Humanitarian Law.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We have previously assessed that Israel is committed and capable of complying with International Humanitarian Law. We regularly review our assessment.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 27 February 2024 on Israel and Gaza, Official Report, column 163, if he will provide a response to the queries raised by the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion in relation to licences for L3Harris.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
We have a robust arms export licensing regime, and all exports are regularly assessed against clear criteria. We regularly publish data on export licensing decisions.
We regularly review Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law. We act in accordance with that.