Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO are unable to confirm these details in line with paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code which states: "The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority."
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to collaborate with the People’s Republic of China on climate change.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to working with China on climate change, as part of the "engage" pillar of our policy towards China. China is the largest emitter of carbon and the largest investor in sustainable energy. The choices that China makes will be critical to our collective ability to tackle climate change.
The UK and China have over a decade of engagement on climate and clean energy, including our bilateral Clean Energy Partnership and UK-China Energy Dialogue. Climate has been a regular subject on the agenda for high-level bilateral engagement, including when we hosted COP26 and when the former Foreign Secretary visited Beijing in August 2023.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many ministerial there have been to the People’s Republic of China in the last twelve months.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Beijing in August 2023 and had bilateral meetings with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng. Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment, DBT, visited Beijing and Shanghai in September 2023. He attended China's International Fair for Investment and Trade where the UK was guest of honour. In her capacity as then-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey visited Beijing and Shanghai in November 2023. During her visit, Dr Coffey met Chinese counterparts to discuss UK agri-food exports and global biodiversity ahead of COP28.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much official development assistance his Department plans to provide to Ukraine in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The total UK military, humanitarian and economic support committed to Ukraine since the invasion now amounts to almost £12 billion. In 2023/24 the FCDO plans to provide £223.3 million of Official Development Assistance for Ukraine, with a focus on providing support for life-saving humanitarian assistance, energy resilience and early recovery and reconstruction. This includes an uplift of £18m in aid announced by the Prime Minister when he was in Kyiv on the 12th January. For 2024/25 the FCDO currently has an indicative allocation of £155 million of Official Development Assistance, as set out in its 2022-23 Annual report and accounts. We will update the House once the Ukraine allocation has been finalised.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the adequacy of aid to Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
On his 12 January visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine as he announced increased UK military funding of £2.5 billion for next financial year and signed an historic UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation. We are in constant contact with international partners ensuring Ukraine receives the diplomatic support it needs. The Foreign Secretary set out the high level of UK ambition with counterparts at several recent meetings, including during NATO and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe gatherings in November, as well as during December travel to Washington, Paris, Rome, Amman and Cairo. He did so again this week at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the increase in Chinese aerial incursions and military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. China's continued military flights near Taiwan are part of an ongoing pattern of escalatory activity and are not conducive to peace and stability. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, including increased Chinese assertiveness towards Taiwan. We have restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside our G7 partners.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We have restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside our G7 partners.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many discussions he had with his counterpart in the People’s Republic of China in the final quarter of 2023.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary had a phone call with Foreign Minister and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi on 5 December 2023. During the conversation, the Foreign Secretary and Wang Yi discussed the UK-China relationship, the situation in Israel and Gaza and Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Russia’s escalating air attacks on Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Russia's latest bombardment has come at vast cost - and significantly depleted their stockpiles - with limited strategic military effect. We deplore the recent attacks which have resulted in over 90 civilian casualties, including children. We are sending hundreds more air defence missiles to restock highly effective British-developed air defence systems, to protect civilians and infrastructure from Putin's barbaric bombing campaign. On 12 January, the Prime Minister announced £2.5 billion in military support for 2024/25. This includes £200 million to procure and produce thousands of military drones, giving Ukraine cutting edge, battle-tested capabilities to defend their citizens. We also announced a further £18 million in aid for Ukraine, including for humanitarian aid on the frontline and to fortify Ukraine's energy infrastructure against further Russian attacks.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he has taken to help prevent the supply of Iranian drones to Russia.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK strongly condemns Iran's provision of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, which have been used to kill Ukrainian civilians and attack critical infrastructure. We continue to expose this desperate alliance and hold Iran to account for its support of Russia's illegal war, including by providing evidence at the UN. Since October 2022, we have sanctioned 24 Iranian individuals and entities involved in the manufacture and transfer of UAVs, adding to our existing extensive sanctions on the Iranian drone programme. In December 2023, the new Iran sanctions regime came into force, including new trade restrictions on components used by Iran to manufacture UAVs.