Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has held discussions with her Brazilian counterpart on the UK’s deforestation footprint in that country, and in particular on the production and export of cattle and cattle products to the United Kingdom.
Answered by Vicky Ford
At COP26, Brazil committed to eliminating illegal deforestation by 2028 as well as an 18 metre hectare target for forest restoration by 2030. During my [Minister Ford] visit to Brazil on 12-14 March, I stressed the importance of Brazil implementing these commitments quickly. COP President Alok Sharma did the same during his visit in the same month.
UK ministers and officials regularly engage with the Government, businesses and communities in Brazil on a range of environmental issues including sustainable agriculture, low-carbon growth and tackling deforestation. Our support for sustainable development in Brazil is well known and consistent. In addition, the world-leading due diligence provisions in the UK Environment Act 2021 will help address illegal deforestation across UK supply chains.
We remain committed to working with the Governments of all countries in whose territory the Amazon stands to address these issues.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's guidance entitled, Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3: eligibility for British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening Alumni, published on 13 June 2022, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the limit of 1,500 applicants to that pathway in meeting the needs of those eligible groups.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will build upon the UK's continuing efforts to support those at risk. Through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) over 9,500 eligible Afghan citizens and their family members have been approved for resettlement. The ACRS will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years. Under the third Pathway, up to 1500 people will be referred for resettlement in the first year from three specific cohorts - eligible at-risk Chevening alumni and British Council and Gardaworld contractors. The capacity of the UK to resettle people under this scheme is not unlimited. However, beyond the first year of the third pathway, the Government will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome other groups of Afghans at risk.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take in relation to the three UK registered companies listed in UN document HRC_43_71.
Answered by Amanda Milling
In March 2016, the UK, along with other likeminded states, abstained on the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council which called for the creation of a database of businesses that trade with settlements. The UK strongly opposed this provision. Human rights obligations are directed at states, and not individuals or businesses. We advise British businesses to bear in mind the British Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ultimately it is the decision of an individual or company whether to operate in settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her G7 counterparts on jointly contributing US$600 million annually for water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities in the least developed countries, as called for by WaterAid.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Improving access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services, including in healthcare facilities, is a key global health priority for the FCDO. It forms a core part of the UK's new Ending Preventable Deaths of mothers, babies and children strategy published in December 2021, and is critical to our wider global health objectives.
The UK will continue to work with our international partners, including through the G7, to ensure WASH is included in efforts to prevent the spread of infections including COVID-19, to prevent future pandemics, and to reduce the threat of anti-microbial resistance. We will also continue to pursue these objectives through our membership of the WASH In Healthcare Facilities international taskforce, through our bilateral programming such as our innovative hand hygiene partnership with Unilever, and through our core multilateral funding including to the World Bank and the World Health Organisation.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has plans to expel Russian diplomats from the UK.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We will continue to consider options in concert with our allies. We continue to deliver clear and tough messages directly to Putin's Government, as the FCDO summoning of the Russian Ambassador and the MoD summoning of the Russian Defence Attaché has demonstrated.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what powers the Government has to issue sanctions against companies in third countries that are supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine we have announced an unprecedented package of sanctions to cut off the funding and support for Putin's war machine. UK sanctions apply to any individual or entity in the UK, and to any UK individual or entity globally. The UK's sanctions therefore apply to multinationals' UK operations, as well as any relevant economic activity involving a UK person.