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 Democratic People's Republic of Korea ammunitions to Russia.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) export and Russia's procurement of DPRK ballistic missiles, and Russia's decision to use DPRK-supplied missiles in recent attacks against Ukraine. The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. It also violates multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), which Russia itself voted for, and highlights Putin's desperation and isolation on the global stage. On 12 January, the UK issued a joint statement with other Foreign Ministers calling for all UN Member States to condemn Russia and the DPRK's UNSCR violations. The DPRK is subject to a robust sanctions regime and the UK will continue to work with our partners to influence and to hold the DPRK to account for supporting Russia's illegal war in 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, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Venezuela on the border dispute with Guyana in the last three months.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government does not recognise the legitimacy of the Maduro regime. The recent steps taken by Venezuela with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana are unjustified and should cease. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The statement by Venezuela in St Vincent confirming that it will refrain from the use of force and any further escalation is welcome and it must be followed by concrete actions. We will continue to work with our partners in the region and internationally to ensure respect for Guyana's sovereignty. I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for the Guyanese people on this vital issue.
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 his Department spent on temporary agency staff in each of the past ten years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Total temporary agency staff spend for those financial years are in the table below. This information is published in FCDO's Annual Report & Accounts and can be found online.
YEAR | £m |
FY2013 | 7.68 |
FY2014 | 8.10 |
FY2015 | 5.56 |
FY2016 | 5.03 |
FY2017 | 6.34 |
FY2018 | 4.09 |
FY2019 | 6.66 |
FY2020 | 12.01 |
FY2021 | 25.68 |
FY2022 | 39.58 |
FY2023 | 12.43 |
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 his Department has spent on external consultancy fees in each of the last ten years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO consultancy spend in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-2023 was £2.7 million, £1.4 million and £3.9 million respectively. Total FCO plus DFID spend for years 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2015-16 was £3.0 million, £2.6 milion, £1.3 million, £3.3 million and £2.6 million respectively.
The FCDO's E-sourcing system only goes back to 2016 so we are unable to provide data between 2012-13 and 2014-2015.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when he last held discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on the case of Alaa Abdel Fattah.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian Government and have been consistently clear in our calls for his release, whilst continuing to press the need for urgent consular access. The Prime Minister raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 20 October. The former Foreign Secretary has raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, most recently on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa, Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell, has also raised the case with the Egyptian authorities, most recently on 15 November during his visit to Cairo. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, continues to raise his case with the Egyptian Ambassador and with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry.
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 the security situation in Western Sahara; and what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to help promote a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) mandate for 12 months. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General and welcome the recent efforts of all concerned to engage with the Envoy and to facilitate his recent visits to the region, including to Western Sahara. We will continue to engage key partners to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.
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 estimate he has made of the number of British nationals held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as of 14 November 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's thoughts are with those families who are facing unimaginable uncertainty and fear because of these despicable attacks and kidnappings. We are not commenting on specific numbers or individual cases. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we continue to do everything we can to secure the release of all hostages, including working with Israeli counterparts and international partners at the highest levels.
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 his Department is taking to provide consular support to the families of British nationals held hostage in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's thoughts are with those families who are facing unimaginable uncertainty and fear because of these despicable attacks and kidnappings. We are not commenting on specific numbers or individual cases. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we continue to do everything we can to secure the release of all hostages, including working with Israeli counterparts and international partners at the highest levels.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when his Department last made representations to the Government of India on the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has raised our concerns about Mr Johal's case, including his allegations of torture, with the Government of India on over 110 occasions and will continue to do so. Mr Johal's case was raised most recently on 13 November by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
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 requests for assistance his Department has received from British nationals that have been unable to use the Rafah crossing as of 14 November 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are working closely with Egypt and Israel to ensure all British nationals who want to leave Gaza can exit via the Rafah crossing or other routes as quickly as possible. Over 200 British nationals and their dependents have crossed into Egypt and we are continuing to offer support to those that are yet to cross. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. We are doing everything we can to support all British nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and are working closely with Israeli counterparts and international partners.