Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has hade of the decision by the authorities in Hong Kong to suspend direct elections for District Councillors in the context of China's obligations under the Sino-British agreement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are monitoring the proposals announced on 2 May by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong regarding District Council elections as they are put to Legislative Council. Changes to electoral rules in Hong Kong since 2021 have eroded the ability of Hong Kongers to be represented legitimately at all levels of government. We have made clear with our G7 partners our serious issues over the erosion of democratic elements in Hong Kong's electoral system. We will continue to bring together our international partners, to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out violations of their rights and freedoms, and to hold China to the international obligations it freely agreed to.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average cost to his Department has been of answering written Parliamentary questions in the 2022-23 Parliamentary session.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold this level of detail on resources used to answer Written Parliamentary Questions in its central records. There is, however, a Disproportionate Cost Threshold which is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2022) published on 14 November 2022.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average cost of answering a written parliamentary question submitted to his Department was in 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold this level of detail on resources used to answer Written Parliamentary Questions in its central records. There is, however, a Disproportionate Cost Threshold which is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2022) published on 14 November 2022.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse was of answering written parliamentary questions submitted to his Department in 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold this level of detail on resources used to answer Written Parliamentary Questions in its central records. There is, however, a Disproportionate Cost Threshold which is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2022) published on 14 November 2022.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
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 implications for his policies of the arrest of the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions in March 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have been clear that the deliberate targeting of pro-democracy and civil society figures under the National Security Law is unacceptable. The freedom to join and form trade unions is explicitly guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which China willingly entered into. However, NGOs, trade unions and human rights organisations not supportive of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments' agenda have been forced to disband or leave. We will call out China's actions, when it breaks its international obligations, and continue to raise areas of disagreement with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. The Foreign Secretary last did so with former Foreign Minister Wang Yi and at the UN Human Rights Council in February.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
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 reported Chinese militarisation of islands in the Bay of Bengal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
HMG are aware of reports concerning alleged militarisation of islands in the Bay of Bengal and we continue to monitor the situation closely. The UK fully believes in a free and open Indo Pacific and is working with partners in the region to support freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to appoint a new Special Representative for Climate Change.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since 2011 we have supported over 95 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, provided over 58 million people with improved access to clean energy and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Whilst an immediate successor to the Special Representative has not been appointed, our resource and senior representation within the FCDO on climate and environment has grown significantly since the creation of the FCDO. We now have an Energy, Climate and Environment Director, as well as an Additional Energy Director, five deputy directors and an engaged overseas network on climate, energy and environment issues. Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and to the Foreign Secretary.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on coordinated action against the junta in Myanmar with his international counterparts in that region.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to working closely with international partners to coordinate robust action against the Myanmar military. We acknowledge and highlight the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality, reaffirming the regional bloc's strong leadership on the response to the Myanmar crisis. The UK led the UN Security Council Resolution adopted on 21 December 2022 demands an end to violence and urges immediate action by the military regime to fully implement the ASEAN Five Point Consensus and release all those arbitrarily detained.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the UK's malaria science sector to preventing, diagnosing and treating malaria; and what steps his Department is taking to support that sector.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK's malaria science sector has made significant contributions to the development of antimalarial drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools. We continue to support the sector through our research and development investments. This includes support to the Liverpool-based Innovative Vector Control Consortium to develop novel bed-nets and to Oxford university to develop a new generation of antimalarial medicines to tackle the threat posed by emerging drug resistance. In collaboration with UK Research and Innovation we have also funded a study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to evaluate the role of malaria vaccines when deployed in combination with seasonal administration of antimalarials.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
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 implications for his policies of the level of Chinese support for the junta in Myanmar.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK closely monitors the role of all countries engaging on Myanmar, including regional actors such as China. The UK is committed to ending the crisis in Myanmar. We will continue to raise these issues on the international stage, including at the UN Security Council, where we are the pen-holder. Most recently on 21 December 2022 the UK coordinated a landmark UN Security Council Resolution on Myanmar which urged immediate action by the military regime to fully implement the ASEAN Five Point Consensus.