Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 counterpart in Egypt on Alaa Abd El-Fattah; and whether he is taking steps to secure consular access to him.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials have raised Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels in the Egyptian government, and will continue to do so. This includes consistent calls for consular access. The Prime Minister has raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on a number of occasions, most recently on 1 December. The former Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case on several occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, including on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell raised the case with the Egyptian authorities on 15 November during his visit to Cairo. The Minister of State for the Middle East, also responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has also raised the case several times, most recently with Foreign Minister Shoukry during his visit to Cairo on 4 April, and on a number of occasions with the Egyptian Ambassador to London.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing Official Development Assistance spending from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income on levels of global poverty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Due to the impact of the pandemic on public finances, the government took the difficult decision to temporarily reduce the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget from 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to 0.5 per cent. We will return to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling. The UK remains a champion for international development and one of the most generous global aid donors, spending nearly £12.8 billion in aid in 2022.
While the reduction of the UK's ODA budget means some ODA programmes needed to be changed or stopped, it is not possible to attribute the impact of the reduction on changing global poverty levels.
The UK's aid spending is crucial for delivering on our re-energised international development agenda set out in the White Paper on International Development, including eliminating extreme poverty, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, but we recognise that ODA alone will not be enough to deliver our goals. That is why we are being innovative, creative and bold about all of the ways we can support global progress - from increasing private investment in development to getting the most from research and technology.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the evacuation from Gaza of (a) British citizens, (b) family members of British citizens and (c) people with UK visas who do not have (i) British citizenship and (ii) British family members.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are focused on the safe evacuation of British Nationals from Gaza as quickly as possible, and over 150 British Nationals have left via the Rafah Border Crossing. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. We are using all the tools available to us to maximise our chances of bringing British nationals back home to their loved ones. The Foreign Secretary will work with his Israeli counterparts along with international partners to establish a safe passage for more British nationals out of Gaza. We are not commenting on exact numbers of British citizens within Gaza in order to protect ongoing operations. In conversations with their counterparts, the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have reinforced the importance of ensuring that all foreign nationals are able to evacuate Gaza safely, as well as ensuring that humanitarian aid urgently reaches those who need it most in Gaza. We are continuing to raise this at the highest levels.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 implications for his Department's policies of the new Israeli government’s commitment to peace and the protection of human rights.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Human Rights is a crucial element underpinning the UK's foreign policy. The UK continues to engage with the Israeli Government on human rights issues where they exist. We call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. The UK remains committed to a two-state solution, as the Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad, made clear during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January. The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, urged the parties to demonstrate, through their policies, a genuine commitment to peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians at a UNSC open debate on 17 January.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the imposition of the death penalty on those detained in connection with nationwide protests.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. The On 9 January, the Foreign Secretary summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK to protest Iran's continued use of the death penalty. This same message has been delivered repeatedly through our Ambassador in Tehran, and in London, including when Lord Ahmad spoke to the Chargé d'Affaires on 20 December. On 9 December, the UK sanctioned 10 officials connected to Iran's judicial and prison systems, including six linked to the Revolutionary Courts. On 14 January, we also sanctioned Iran's Prosecutor General, Mohammad Jafar Montazer. The regime can be in no doubt about the UK's abhorrence at the use of the death penalty against protestors.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to develop a departmental strategy to promote human rights and civic space.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights across the globe. We are committed to being a force for good in the world, with human rights, open societies, democracy, and the international rule of law acting as our guiding lights. We continue to review our policy and guidance in relation to civic space and human rights defenders within the broader strategic framing of open societies and human rights. It is too soon to discuss the outcome of that process but we continue to engage with key stakeholders on these important questions.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department spent on social media advertising in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022 up to and including 28 February; and on which platforms that money was spent.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.
Answered by Vicky Ford
Content creation is one part of the digital team's responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the FCDO's Communications Directorate staffing budget.
Content produced centrally is shared on the FCDO social media channels, including embassy and high commission social media channels overseas.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will increase funding ahead of COP26 to tackle air pollution worldwide, particularly in areas where air pollution is increasing, to help countries meet WHO ambient air quality standards and SDG air quality targets.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government recognises the impact of poor air quality on the health and development, particularly of children and older people. Our £340m core voluntary contribution to World Health Organisation represents a significant uplift in UK support and is fully flexible, meaning it will be used across the priorities identified in World Health Organisation's current programme of work, including on the environmental determinants of health through policy and country level support.
As one of the original signatories to the 1979 UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, the UK has long been at the forefront of international action to tackle transboundary air pollution. Through this convention the UK supports international programmes to drive forward scientific understanding of air pollution emissions and their impacts, and engages constructively to agree ambitious standards and emission reduction commitments that encourage action across the Northern Hemisphere and serve as a model for a global response.
The UK has worked with partners to develop the COP26 Health Programme with the aim to support increased ambition on climate and health. This includes the opportunity for countries to make commitments to build their health sector in a way which limits its impact on both carbon emissions and air quality.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the World Bank and (b) other donors on encouraging (i) cessation all new fossil fuel investments and (ii) investment in clean energy to tackle air pollution.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK government recognises the importance of reducing fossil fuel consumption both to address carbon emissions and to tackle air pollution. Air pollution which is the number one environmental determinant of health and exposure to air pollution (indoor and outdoor) causes around 7 million deaths annually.
We have shared the UK's fossil fuel policy with the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks that the UK is a member of. We have explained that this policy determines the UK's stance on energy investments by the banks and have encouraged them to update their respective energy policies to align with ours. The World Bank's 'Climate Change Action Plan' 2021-2025 published in June 2021 includes important commitments to: support countries' energy transitions from fossil fuels to renewables; align the Bank's financing with the Paris Agreement; and ensure that at least 35% of the Bank's financing will have climate benefits. We have also shared and discussed the UK policy with other members of the Boards of the multilateral banks, including with the representatives of the developing countries that borrow from them. The US has published new guidance on its approach to fossil fuels at the Multilateral Development Banks which is well aligned with the UK's policy on international support for fossil fuels.