Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 implications for his policies of the recent $1.5 billion cryptocurrency theft by North Korea; what steps he has taken to trace the assets and prevent further illicit transactions; what steps have been discussed to strengthen security protocols; and whether this has included the imposition of sanctions on cryptocurrency and related entities linked to North Korea.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is aware of reporting relating to the recent cyber activity linked to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, involving the cryptocurrency exchange ByBit. The UK has been consistent in challenging malicious cyber activity carried out by North Korean groups. This has included exposing and sanctioning North Korean actors for disruptive attacks that impacted the NHS. The National Cyber Security Centre has also issued multiple Cyber Security Advisories specifically on threats from North Korean groups, informing UK technical audience on the way these groups operate and ways to defend against them. We do not comment on future sanctions as this could affect their impact.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 reductions to Official Development Assistance Spending on (a) Gavi, (b) the Global Fund and (c) other programmes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. As part of this, we are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with South Africa. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the funding of (a) the Global Fund and (b) other global HIV programmes, in the context of the planned reduction in Official Development Assistance spending.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to tackling global health challenges and will continue to work with all international partners towards the collective goal of a healthier, safer and more prosperous world. As part of this, we are proud to be co-hosting the 8th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with South Africa. Decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department plan to visit the official memorial in Girne in Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government reaffirms its highest respect for the memory and sacrifice of British and Cypriot service personnel and employees of the Crown who gave their lives, who lost family members or loved ones, and whose lives suffered permanent disruption as a result of the Cyprus Emergency. We recognise the significance of the British Cyprus memorial in Kyrenia to commemorate the sacrifices made by British soldiers in Cyprus. There are currently no plans for Ministers to visit the memorial but the British High Commission in Nicosia regularly honours those who bravely sacrificed their lives in Cyprus, including the annual laying of a wreath at the official Remembrance Day Service at the Nicosia War Cemetery where British soldiers are buried.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of impact of (a) indirect flights via Turkey and (b) other travel restrictions on UK nationals travelling to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise that the status quo in Cyprus creates serious challenges for the Turkish Cypriot community, including in relation to international travel. The Government believes a just and lasting settlement is the best way of resolving these challenges and improving the lives of all Cypriots. On 18 March, I attended talks in Geneva brokered by the UN Secretary General where I encouraged all sides to engage constructively towards a Cyprus Settlement.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 potential implications for his polices of Taliban (a) restrictions on the practice of religion and (b) the targeting of (i) Shia Muslims, (ii) Sikhs, (ii) Hindus and (iv) other religious minorities in Afghanistan; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his support for international efforts to help ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. In October 2024, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution which extended the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to monitor and report on the human rights situation for another year, including on minority groups. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population. Without truly inclusive governance that reflects the religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity of Afghanistan, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Hong Kong counterpart on Russian sanction evasion through Hong Kong.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In his recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs spoke about global stability, including in Ukraine, where Russia continues its illegal war. The UK has already sanctioned a range of entities operating in third countries over military supply to Russia. This includes 31 entities based in China and Hong Kong under the Russia sanctions regulations. The UK is continuously working to strengthen our sanctions regime. We will continue to close loopholes, come down hard on sanctions evaders, crack down on sanctions circumvention and work with our international partners to undermine Russia's attempts to build global resilience to Western sanctions.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will impose secondary sanctions on Hong Kong financial institutions found to be supporting sanction evasion.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
UK sanctions bind UK nationals and entities everywhere. This is different to 'secondary sanctions' which are enforced outside of the sanctioning country's jurisdiction. The UK is committed to curtail Russia's use of the international financial system to support its war efforts and have powers to target foreign financial institutions facilitating this. On 24 February we designated a Kyrgyz based bank using these powers. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to keep potential sanctions designations under close review. It is not appropriate to speculate on future designations, as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
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 potential implications for his policies of the Consular Assistance (Journalists) Bill.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is considering its response to the Private Member's Bill "to make provision for a right to consular assistance for British journalists abroad who have been detained or held hostage; and for connected purposes" and will respond to the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee in due course.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will support legislative proposals to establish 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 introducing a right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations. My department is considering a package of measures to achieve this, which we will announce in due course.