Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consultation his Department undertook when drafting amendments to the proposed Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office coordinated and agreed UK negotiating positions with other government departments in advance of and during the negotiations on the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention. UK negotiators also consulted widely during the Diplomatic Conference with delegations from other participating States and observers, including civil society representatives. Following the negotiations, the Convention was adopted by consensus on 26 May.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to agree a critical raw materials agreement with the European Union.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK is engaging with the EU and Member States to explore ways of working together to meet shared net zero and supply chain security objectives on critical raw materials. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, visited Brussels on 27 June where he met European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis. The Chancellor and Commissioner Dombrovskis discussed future cooperation in strengthening pan-European supply and value chains and enhancing supply chain security, including critical minerals.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that amendments proposed by the Government to the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of Genocide, Crimes against Humanity, War Crimes and Other International Crimes are compatible with the Convention Against Torture.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The Diplomatic Conference for the Adoption of the Convention on International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and other International Crimes (now known as the Ljubljana-The Hague Convention) was held in Slovenia from 15-26 May. All of the 53 States which participated in the Conference are party to the UN Convention Against Torture. The Ljubljana-The Hague Convention was adopted by consensus on 26 May.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
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 potential merits of extending the UK's Russian sanctions regime to cover all Russian Military personnel accused of war crimes by Ukrainian authorities.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are steadfast in our resolve to support Ukraine. We have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy to undermine Russia's war effort. On 19 May, the UK announced a new wave of sanctions against Russia, targeting businesses and individuals connected to Russia's capacity to fund and wage the war. We do not comment on future or individual designations, but those responsible for atrocities committed during the war must be held to account. We are doing all we can to support this.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals sanctioned by Ukrainian authorities in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine not sanctioned in the UK; and whether his Department is taking steps to work bilaterally with its Ukrainian counterparts on strengthening the sanctions regime.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Since the start of the invasion, the UK has sanctioned over 1,600 individuals and entities, including 29 banks with global assets worth £1 trillion, and over 140 oligarchs with a combined net worth of over £145 billion. We work in close coordination with international partners on sanctions. As President Zelensky said during his visit, we have formed a "powerful sanctions coalition", unleashing the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. Working with our allies, the UK remains committed to ratcheting up the pressure on Russia until a just peace is achieved in Ukraine.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department uses automated decision making.
Answered by David Rutley
Automated decision-making refers to both solely automated decisions (no human judgment) and automated assisted decision-making (assisting human judgement). The FCDO is not using "automated decision making" tools or products.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2022 to Question 35993 on Diamonds and Gold: Russia, if he will take steps to build the capacity to gather the data on the components used in the production of finished goods imported from partner countries, potentially containing precious metals or stones from Russia, needed to allow regulatory agencies to enforce a ban on precious metals or stones from Russia.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We have committed to working closely with G7 and other key partners to restrict trade in and use of Russian diamonds. This includes the implementation and enforcement of the measure and we will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his Department’s policy to set up a new Loss and Damage Facility Fund to support climate emergencies.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
At COP27, the UK and all parties agreed to establish new funding arrangements for loss and damage, including the setup of a dedicated fund, to assist developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. It was agreed to establish a Transitional Committee (TC) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to develop the fund and funding arrangements by COP28. The UK is one of the twenty-four members of the TC and has actively engaged with its work, attending the first formal meeting in Egypt in March and associated workshops. We are committed to making a positive contribution to the aims and objectives of the Committee in the run up to COP28. The UK has no plans to set up a separate Loss and Damage fund outside of this process.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department will implement its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget commitments to reinstate ODA funding for humanitarian response and gender equality to levels seen prior to the 2020 cut to UK international aid.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK Government remains committed to delivering the priorities set out in the International Development Strategy (IDS); and the Strategy's spend targets where funding allows. In 2024-2025 we plan to spend £1 billion on urgent humanitarian needs. We continue to work towards the IDS target on restoring funding for vital work on Women and Girls and the new target set out in the FCDO's International Women and Girls Strategy 2023-2030 for at least 80 percent of the FCDO's bilateral aid programmes to have a focus on gender equality by 2030.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) women's rights and (b) women-led organisations participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in June 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 April 2023 to Question 181040 [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-17/181040].