Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff network events took place in his Department in May 2025; and what the names of those events were.
Answered by Catherine West
Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by staff themselves rather than the department. As a result, events are organised by staff themselves, not the department and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not centrally record these details.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Catherine West
We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total expenditure by his Department is on overseas (a) road repairs, (b) waterways, (c) bridges, (d) highways and (e) canals in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Year | Road Transport, including road repairs, main roads (highways), and road bridges | Water transport, including waterways and canals |
2019 | £37.3m | £0 |
2020 | £15.9m | £0 |
2021 | £22.5m | £0 |
2022 | £24.5m | £0 |
2023 | £9.1m | £0 |
Source: Statistics on International Development
NB Figures prior to the 2020 Department For International Development (DFID) - Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) merger were for DFID, as FCO at that time was focussed on the Prosperity Fund that was closed soon after the merger.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much money has been spent in overseas aid on roads in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
FCDO Official Development Assistance in Road Infrastructure 2020 to 2024 | |
Year | Spend per Year in £ Million |
2020 | 55.2 |
2021 | 55.8 |
2022 | 26.7 |
2023 | 22.1 |
2024 | 11.2 |
Source: FCDO Aid Management Platform.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to establish a Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief on a statutory footing.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Government will champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Envoy roles will be decided upon in due course. There are currently no plans to legislate on Envoy roles during this parliamentary session. We continue to use the strength of our global diplomatic network, including dedicated staff within the FCDO, to promote and protect FoRB around the world.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of calls to establish an international commission of inquiry into religious persecution and violence in (a) Nigeria and (b) other severely affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB multilaterally, including through our position at the UN, and bilaterally. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his policy to support the establishment of an international commission of inquiry by the UN on religious persecution in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The UK continues to champion freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. No one should live in fear because of what they do, or do not believe in. We work to uphold the right to FoRB multilaterally, including through our position at the UN, and bilaterally. The UK Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to address ongoing security challenges, including violent extremism and intercommunal violence, which continue to impinge on the rights of Nigerians to FoRB.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the legal advice upon which he relied to block arms exports to Israel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has published a summary of the international humanitarian law (IHL) process, used to assess and review Israel's compliance with IHL. This summary was informed by legal advice, and alongside the Foreign Secretary's Oral Statement, it outlines the decision and instances where we have deemed there are risks that UK arms might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL. This shows an unprecedented level of transparency about a decision of this nature.[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account#:~:text=The%20government%20has%20conducted%20a%20thorough%20review%20of%20Israel%E2%80%99s%20compliance].