Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for (a) conflict prevention, (b) mediation and (c) peacebuilding building efforts on levels of migration to the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We take a comprehensive and integrated approach to tackling conflict using all our diplomatic, development and security levers and working closely with our international partners. This approach recognises that addressing conflict effectively is not only about how much we spend. This enables us to prioritise our resources where they have most impact, and take the broader action needed to address the drivers of conflict, and effect lasting change.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 introducing a ban on (a) shipping and (b) insuring Russian liquified natural gas by UK companies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has taken extensive action to limit energy revenues that fund Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. This includes Russian revenues from Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). Importing Russian LNG into the UK has been prohibited since January 2023. On 15 October the UK sanctioned 90 targets across Russia's energy, financial and military sectors. This includes targeting two of Russia's largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil and seven specialised LNG tankers. We continue to explore all options for constraining Russian revenue further and we do not comment on future potential actions as to do so could undermine their effectiveness.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential long-term impacts of the conflict in Gaza on children in Gaza's (a) health and (b) education.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israeli restrictions on aid have created a man-made humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Since 1 July, around 400 people have died from malnutrition, including at least 119 children. More than 132,000 children under the age of five are estimated to be at risk of dying from hunger by June of next year. Israel must urgently lift restrictions and facilitate a surge of aid into Gaza to prevent further hunger and malnutrition related deaths. On 21 July, the UK announced £60 million in humanitarian aid, with a further £15 million announced on 1 September, to support healthcare, food and water which includes vital funding to the The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to treat patients at UK-Med field hospitals in Gaza. It is estimated that over 650,000 school-age children have lost two years of in person formal education. UNRWA is continuing to provide learning services in Gaza in Temporary Learning Spaces and through its distance learning initiative. To date, more than 59,000 children, have benefited from learning and recreational activities, established across 67 UNRWA schools-turned-shelters.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the findings by the Human Rights Watch entitled Questions and Answers on Israel’s Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon, published on 12 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since the start of the conflict, the UK has urged all parties to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including in relation to protection of civilians. We continue to engage the Government of Israel at the highest levels to urge it to do much more to protect Gaza's civilians and to ensure it fully complies with its obligations.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to publish its legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In line with the long-standing practice under successive governments, we do not routinely publish the legal advice on which assessments of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance are based.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 impact of proposed changes to the BNO visa settlement route on older BNO visa holders’ ability to access pension funds from Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government remains fully committed to the BNO route, and we will continue supporting members of the Hong Kong community in the UK and all those who will arrive in future. We are listening to visa holders' views about the route to settlement, and we will continue to do so.
We are aware that individuals in the UK on the BN(O) visa route are having difficulty drawing down early their pensions held in Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund. We continue to raise this issue directly with the Hong Kong authorities to encourage a pragmatic solution.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to expand the designation of vessels considered part of Russia’s shadow fleet to align with (a) the US, (b) Europe and (c) Canada.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This Government has sanctioned 229 oil tankers in Putin's shadow fleet, more than any other partner. On 9 May, we sanctioned 100 oil tankers - our largest single action to date. We work closely with our G7 partners to maximise the impact of our sanctions.
We do not comment on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to expand the designation of vessels considered part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has been clear that we must strengthen economic pressure on the Kremlin. The UK has led international efforts to disrupt Russia's shadow fleet, which it spent over $10 billion to purchase. We have sanctioned 129 oil tankers under this government with many ships left idling outside ports, costing Putin and his war effort millions in wasted funds. We have also spearheaded a 49-nation 'Call to Action' against the shadow fleet condemning the risks that it poses to the environment, maritime safety and security, and adherence to international maritime law. We do not comment on future designations as this could affect their impact.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to expand penalties for sanctions evasion by banning maritime services for vessels used to transport Russian crude oil without complying with the price cap.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
With the implementation of the maritime transportation and associated services ban, the UK, along with G7 partners, banned the provision of services that facilitate the maritime transportation of Russian oil. The Oil Price Cap (OPC) exemption permits UK services to be available to third country importers and exporters only where the price paid for Russian oil is at or below the relevant price cap.
Where Russia has sought to circumvent those sanctions, we have taken robust action; since July 2024 we have sanctioned 129 shadow fleet oil tankers. We continue to step up our efforts, working closely with partners, to ensure our sanctions' effectiveness.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 potential merits of establishing a legal right to consular assistance for British nationals.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to strengthening consular services, including the introduction of a right in cases of human rights violations. Ministers are currently considering options to achieve this, which we will announce in due course.