Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Foreign Secretary sets out new cooperation on illegal migration from Horn of Africa on visit to Ethiopia, published on 2 February 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Joint Development Agreement on the number of illegal migrants coming to the UK.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Joint Development Agreement announced by the Foreign Secretary marks a major milestone in an investment project by a UK company. It will support the growth of Ethiopia's economy by building new electric transmission lines to support Ethiopia's growth, electrification and further jobs. Supporting economic growth and job creation in Ethiopia helps address the underlying economic drivers that contribute to migration flows. The Department keeps the impact of all its investments and programmes under continuous review.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the British Embassy in Bangkok’s press release entitled UK PACT and Bangkok advancing sustainable transport, published on 30 January 2026, what assessment she has made of the value for money of the UK PACT funding for sustainable transport initiatives in Bangkok.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK PACT Thailand programme is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.
Further details of all FCDO and DESNZ funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Proposed activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's programme and partnership objectives in the country in question, and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. ODA programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives, and for their delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the British Embassy in Bangkok’s press release entitled UK PACT and Bangkok advancing sustainable transport, published on 30 January 2026, which Department's budget the funding for Thailand's transport and green finance will come from.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK PACT Thailand programme is funded from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's (DESNZ) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.
Further details of all FCDO and DESNZ funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Proposed activities are assessed in advance for the impact they will have in meeting the UK's programme and partnership objectives in the country in question, and for their cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. ODA programmes are evaluated on an ongoing basis for their performance against their agreed objectives, and for their delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s World News Story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what assessment she made of the potential impact of allocating the funding provided to Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development to forest protection and community-based conservation on development and research for climate resilience.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what measures are in place to evaluate the long-term outcomes of UK investment in the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training programme.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s World News Story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what steps she is taking to help ensure that research produced through the Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training for Sustainable Development programme will support (a) forest governance, (b) biodiversity protection and (c) climate resilience.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department’s world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what steps she has taken to ensure that the £9.1 million of International Development funding achieves value for money; and what criteria she uses to assess the effectiveness of that funding in achieving the UK's development objectives.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's world news story entitled Cameroon: UK supports new generation of Central Africa researchers, published on 29 January 2026, what proportion of that funding is provided directly to Central African institutions.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Congo Rainforest Alliance for Forest Training (CRAFT) for Sustainable Development programme is a major milestone in advancing world‑class, locally led scientific research across the Congo Basin. Further details of all FCDO-funded programmes can be found at the Development Tracker website on GOV.UK. Each proposed programme is assessed in advance for the impact it will have on the UK's partnership objectives in the country in question, and for its cost-effectiveness in achieving that impact. Each approved programme is subsequently evaluated on an ongoing basis for its performance against agreed objectives, and for its delivery on time and on budget.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the UK Minister Councillor Jennifer McNaughtan Statement at the Security Council on 19 December 2025, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's work to encourage stability in Libya since 2020.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement mentioned in his questions, which sets out the UK's current position on these issues.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the UK Minister Councillor Jennifer McNaughtan Statement at the Security Council on 19 December 2025, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen Libya's internal stability and progress towards democratic elections.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement mentioned in his questions, which sets out the UK's current position on these issues.