Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support travellers who are overseas if the country they are visiting is suddenly placed onto the Red list in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
British nationals should inform themselves of the risks in a country, including the latest COVID situation, by following FCDO Travel Advice. British nationals should not travel to red list countries or territories. Those already overseas should follow the public health advice of the country which they are in, including current COVID-19 restrictions. British nationals requiring assistance in country should contact their nearest embassy, consulate or high commission. Our consular staff endeavour to give appropriate and tailored support to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
This support includes providing assistance to return to the UK where it is appropriate. The assistance the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide). Those returning to the UK should check current COVID-19 related restrictions (https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control). Individuals returning from red listed countries must enter managed hotel quarantine. This programme is run by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) with information, including for those in financial hardship or seeking exemptions, available on www.gov.uk/guidance/booking-and-staying-in-a-quarantine-hotel-when-you-arrive-in-england.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the reduction in the Overseas Aid Budget on lower income countries' ability to (a) reduce carbon emissions and (b) prepare for the effects of climate change.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK will spend more than £10 billion this year to tackle climate change, improve global health and fight poverty - making us one of the biggest aid donors in the G7. However the impact of the pandemic on the public finances has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions on how we spend taxpayers' money, including temporarily reducing the aid budget.
As set out in the Integrated Review, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is the UK's number one international priority in 2021 and beyond. We remain committed to our five-year pledge to spend £11.6 billion on international climate finance. This will support developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change and adopt clean growth pathways, reducing or avoiding carbon emissions.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 effect of the reduction in official development assistance spending for environmental research on the Government's ability to fulfil its commitment in the Integrated Review to climate and biodiversity.
Answered by James Duddridge
The economic impact of the Covid pandemic has forced the UK Government to take tough, but necessary decisions to move to a target of spending 0.5% of GNI on ODA in 2021, as a temporary measure. This has included cuts to ODA Science and Technology funding. We have worked with a range of stakeholders including UKRI, universities as well as directly with grant holders and funding partners to mitigate the impact of these cuts, adjust timeframes and results expectations, and continue to maximise the impact for every pound spent.
Despite the reductions, the UK remains a development superpower committing to double International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion and committing at least £3 billion of International Climate Finance to nature and biodiversity over the next five years. The UK is supporting new global targets to conserve or protect at least 30% of global land and at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. FCDO ODA will be targeted to addressing seven global challenges facing the world's poorest including climate change and biodiversity, and science, research and technology. In 2021/22 the FCDO will make £251 million of science, research and technology investments across all seven challenges.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 effect of the reduction in official development assistance spending for environmental research on the Government's ability to fulfil its commitment in the Integrated Review to maintain a place at the leading edge of science and technology.
Answered by James Duddridge
The economic impact of the Covid pandemic has forced the UK Government to take tough, but necessary decisions to move to a target of spending 0.5% of GNI on ODA in 2021, as a temporary measure. This has included cuts to ODA Science and Technology funding. We have worked with a range of stakeholders including UKRI, universities as well as directly with grant holders and funding partners to mitigate the impact of these cuts, adjust timeframes and results expectations, and continue to maximise the impact for every pound spent.
Despite the reductions, the UK remains a development superpower committing to double International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion and committing at least £3 billion of International Climate Finance to nature and biodiversity over the next five years. The UK is supporting new global targets to conserve or protect at least 30% of global land and at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. FCDO ODA will be targeted to addressing seven global challenges facing the world's poorest including climate change and biodiversity, and science, research and technology. In 2021/22 the FCDO will make £251 million of science, research and technology investments across all seven challenges.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 effect of the reduction in official development assistance spending on the UK's role in protecting the (a) global marine environment and (b) livelihoods which depend on it.
Answered by James Duddridge
The huge impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. We will remain a world-leading development donor and are on track to spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.
The UK has committed to doubling its International Climate Finance (ICF) to £11.6 billion over 5 years from 2021/22 to 2025/26. Following a thorough review, the Foreign Secretary has allocated FCDO's ODA in accordance with UK strategic priorities, focusing our investment and expertise where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum strategic coherence, impact, and value for money. We are scaling up our support for the global marine environment, including establishing a new £500 million Blue Planet Fund to help countries protect and restore the marine environment and reduce poverty. We are leading efforts to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. Under our G7 Presidency, all G7 members have agreed to support this global "30 by 30" target.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 effect of the reduction of (a) official development assistance and (b) subsequent funding to projects tackling (i) marine plastic pollution and (ii) other environmental issues, on the UK's role as a global environmental leader ahead of COP26.
Answered by James Duddridge
The huge impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. We will remain a world-leading development donor and are on track to spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.
The UK is a global leader in tackling plastic pollution. We are co-chair of the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance with Vanuatu, working with 34 Commonwealth governments to tackle plastic pollution. We are supporting the Global Plastic Action Partnership to deliver National Plastic Action Partnerships in Indonesia, Ghana, and Vietnam. We support starting negotiations on a new global agreement to accelerate global efforts to tackle marine plastic litter and microplastics.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 effect of the reduction in official development assistance spending on the UK's role in tackling global marine plastic pollution.
Answered by James Duddridge
The huge impact of the pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including temporarily reducing the overall amount we spend on aid to 0.5% of GNI. We will remain a world-leading development donor and are on track to spend more than £10 billion this year to fight poverty, tackle climate change and improve global health.
The UK is a global leader in tackling plastic pollution. We are co-chair of the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance with Vanuatu, working with 34 Commonwealth governments to tackle plastic pollution. We are supporting the Global Plastic Action Partnership to deliver National Plastic Action Partnerships in Indonesia, Ghana, and Vietnam. We support starting negotiations on a new global agreement to accelerate global efforts to tackle marine plastic litter and microplastics.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 his Nigerian counterpart on reports of violence perpetrated against the Igbo people in northern Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
We condemn all violence against civilians in Nigeria, irrespective of their religion and ethnicity. In the North East, terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, continue to cause immense suffering to both Muslim and Christian communities. These groups seek to undermine the right to freedom of religion or belief by indiscriminately attacking those of all faiths who do not subscribe to their extremist views. We are providing a comprehensive package of humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to support communities affected by the conflict.
We are concerned by sharpening social divisions within Nigeria, including between north and south. We encourage reconciliation and constructive dialogue between the many ethnic groups and communities that make up and contribute to the strength and diversity of Nigeria. I visited Nigeria in April and discussed increasing insecurity across the country with the President's Chief of Staff, the Foreign Minister and community leaders. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all those at risk of violence, to bring perpetrators to justice and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of reports of violence against the Igbo people and other Christian communities in northern Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
We condemn all violence against civilians in Nigeria, irrespective of their religion and ethnicity. In the North East, terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, continue to cause immense suffering to both Muslim and Christian communities. These groups seek to undermine the right to freedom of religion or belief by indiscriminately attacking those of all faiths who do not subscribe to their extremist views. We are providing a comprehensive package of humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to support communities affected by the conflict.
We are concerned by sharpening social divisions within Nigeria, including between north and south. We encourage reconciliation and constructive dialogue between the many ethnic groups and communities that make up and contribute to the strength and diversity of Nigeria. I visited Nigeria in April and discussed increasing insecurity across the country with the President's Chief of Staff, the Foreign Minister and community leaders. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all those at risk of violence, to bring perpetrators to justice and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.