Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 256W, on counter-terrorism, which activities have ceased as a result of the reduction in the Counter-Terrorism Prevention Fund budget.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not release details of specific activities funded by the Counter-Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) for operational and security reasons.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 256W, on counter-terrorism, by how much the Counter-Terrorism Prevention Fund has been reduced over what period.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) budget has been:
2010-11 £38 million
2011-12 £38 million
2012-13 £36 million
2013-14 £30 million
This reflects the redirection of Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) resources and the shift of some programmes to other government departments. The CTPF is only one element of the FCO's resources for countering terrorism. It is complemented by other budgets used for counter-terrorism related activities and the tri-departmental (FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence) Conflict Pool (ref WMS of 24 June). The FCO Strategic Programme Fund Allocation for 2014-15 will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on changes to funding for his Department's Counter Terrorism Directorate.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
Keeping Britain and British nationals safe from terrorism is a top priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and we are fully committed to safeguarding the UK's national security. We constantly monitor and review our projects, programmes and diplomatic engagement, as our part of the wider Government efforts on counter-terrorism, to ensure our resources are having the maximum possible impact in the right places as the global security environment changes. The FCO Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) is the main fund for terrorism-related assistance to foreign countries used by the FCO Counter Terrorism Department. This is complemented by other budgets used for counter-terrorism related activities and the tri-departmental (FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence) Conflict Pool, as I set out in my statement to the House on 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 9-12WS. CTPF has been reduced as we redirect FCO resources to where they can have the most impact, and move some programmes to other Government Departments who are better placed to carry out that work. It is not the case that important activities have ceased or are now under-funded. The FCO's work on counter-terrorism goes well beyond CTPF - it is at the heart of our diplomacy across our overseas network, particularly in areas of instability. We have, for example, recently: opened an Embassy in Mogadishu to support our work on stability and security in Somalia; brought together key players on Nigeria to secure much needed assistance to tackle the threat from Boko Haram; and continued our work to stop terrorists getting their hands on money to fund their activities, through leading efforts on disrupting financial flows from sources such as ‘Kidnap for Ransom'.Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what change there has been in the number of dedicated counter-terrorism officials employed by his Department since the end of the last financial year.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not release information about staffing on counter terrorism for operational and security reasons.Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what change there has been in overall resources available for counter-terrorism work in his Department in the last financial year; and what change there will be in such funding over the next financial year.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
Keeping Britain and British nationals safe from terrorism is a top priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and we are fully committed to safeguarding the UK's national security. We constantly monitor and review our projects, programmes and diplomatic engagement, as our part of the wider Government efforts on counter-terrorism, to ensure our resources are having the maximum possible impact in the right places as the global security environment changes.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is one of the largest policy Departments in the FCO. The Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) is the main fund for terrorism-related assistance to foreign countries used by CTD. The administrative budget for CTD was £237,500 in 2013-14 and the allocation for CTPF was £30 million. The administrative budget for CTD in 2014-15 is £211,000. The figures exclude the staffing costs of individuals working on counter-terrorism in the FCO and across our overseas network. CTPF is complemented by other budgets used for counter-terrorism related activities and the tri-departmental (FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence) Conflict Pool, as I set out in my statement to the House on 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 9-12WS. A Written Ministerial Statement will follow on the FCO Strategic Programme Fund allocation for 2014-15, which will include the CTPF.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many dedicated counter-terrorism officials were employed by his Department in the (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2013-14 financial year.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not release information about staffing on counter terrorism for operational and security reasons.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much of its budget his Department spent on counter-terrorism in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2013-14.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
Keeping Britain and British nationals safe from terrorism is a top priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and we are fully committed to safeguarding the UK's national security. We constantly monitor and review our projects, programmes and diplomatic engagement, as our part of the wider Government efforts on counter-terrorism, to ensure our resources are having the maximum possible impact in the right places as the global security environment changes.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) is one of the largest policy Departments in the FCO. The Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) is the main fund for terrorism-related assistance to foreign countries used by CTD. The administrative budget for CTD was £237,500 in 2013-14 and the allocation for CTPF was £30 million. The administrative budget for CTD in 2014-15 is £211,000. The figures exclude the staffing costs of individuals working on counter-terrorism in the FCO and across our overseas network. A Written Ministerial Statement will follow on the FCO Strategic Programme Fund allocation for 2014-15, which will include the CTPF. The CTPF is complemented by other budgets used for counter-terrorism related activities and the tri-departmental (FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence) Conflict Pool, as I set out in my statement to the House on 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 9-12WS.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of reaching a comprehensive agreement between the P5+1 and Iran on its nuclear programme in advance of the 20 July 2014 deadline.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The current negotiations with Iran, which have built on the Geneva interim deal, have been constructive, but challenging. Any deal will require Iran to take significant steps to address comprehensively our proliferation concerns. But there remains commitment on all sides of the table to reach a deal.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when a Minister from his Department will meet representatives of Egypt's new President.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
The National Security Adviser visited Cairo on 10-11 June and met President el-Sisi. Ministers and senior officials are in regular contact with the government of Egypt and I issued a message congratulating President el-Sisi on 3 June. We look to him to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt's constitution by opening up political space, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association. We believe the best way for Egyptians to achieve the goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate.
Asked by: Douglas Alexander (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the likely date for parliamentary elections in Egypt.
Answered by Lord Hague of Richmond
I met Egyptian Foreign Minister Fahmy during his visit to the UK on 14 May and discussed a range of issues, including the timing of parliamentary elections. We believe the best way for the Egyptians to achieve goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through free and fair elections and an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate.