Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the scale of destruction of religious heritage as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets. We want to see Israel using all possible measures to protect the sanctity of holy sites. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and calls for places of worship to be respected.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme on religious conflict in the Middle Belt.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Intercommunal violence in Nigeria's Middle Belt has a devastating effect on faith and non-faith communities. The root causes of this intercommunal violence are often complex and include competition over resources and disruption to traditional ways of life created by environmental degradation, in addition to religious factors. The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) will support Nigeria to address the root causes of conflict in the Middle Belt, including natural resource management challenges. The programme will aim to help 1.5 million women and men benefit from reduced violence in their communities and support 300,000 people to better adapt to the effects of environmental degradation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help developing countries adapt to the use of solar power.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is committed to supporting developing countries achieve their climate ambitions, including the transition to renewable energies. Between 2011 and 2023, the UK's International Climate Finance programmes have installed 3,600 megawatts of clean energy capacity, and improved clean energy access for 69 million people. Through the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions programme (UK PACT), the UK has provided technical assistance to support high-emitting ODA-eligible countries to set up and manage solar power.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will publish a transcript of his meeting with his Chinese counterpart at the Munich Security Conference in February 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A summary of the discussion was published on gov.uk in the usual way. [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretarys-meeting-with-chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-february-2024]
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he raised the case of Jimmy Lai with his Chinese counterpart at the Munich Security Conference in February 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 16 February, the Foreign Secretary met with Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, at the Munich Security Conference. In line with the Government's "protect, align, and engage" approach to China, as set out in the Integrated Review Refresh, the Foreign Secretary raised a number of issues important to the UK national interest. The Foreign Secretary reiterated his call for the release of British national Jimmy Lai.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals have remained in Afghanistan since August 2021.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not hold formal data on the number of British nationals in Afghanistan, but we estimate that numbers are likely in the hundreds. The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Afghanistan. Since April 2021, we have brought around 24,600 people out of Afghanistan, including 4,660 British Nationals and their families during Operation Pitting itself.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong on religious freedom; and whether he plans to make representations to his counterpart in Hong Kong on that matter.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proposed new Article 23 legislation needs to align with international standards and protect the rights promised to the people of Hong Kong. We will monitor the development of the legislation and continue to raise the erosion of rights and freedoms with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities. The Foreign Secretary last did so with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 5 December. The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. We continue to monitor FoRB in Hong Kong through our regular Six-monthly Reports to Parliament and interactions with local faith leaders. In our latest report, published on 19 September, we noted religious practice is generally not restricted in Hong Kong, with a variety of religious practices coexisting across the territory.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the most significant factors affecting freedom of religion or belief under the (a) federal Government of Iraq and (b) Kurdistan Regional Government.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding priority for the UK and we are firmly committed to the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, including the Kurdistan region. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, held a roundtable with religious leaders during his visit to Iraq in February 2023, in which he heard from them directly about factors affecting their communities, including militia presence, the legacy of conflict, exclusion and sectarianism and lack of legal protection. We frequently raise these with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, calling for greater protection and deeper inclusion in national and local government.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the report by the UN entitled The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, published on 9 May 2022, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle poverty in the countries identified in that report as having the highest number of people living in extreme poverty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is firmly committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s and the fundamental principle to 'Leave No one Behind'. The International Development White Paper sets out how we will reinvigorate progress on the Goals and work with partners to address the interlinked challenges of poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss. The UK will prioritise its Official Development Assistance (ODA) where it is most needed and most effective, aiming to spend 50 per cent of all bilateral ODA in the least developed countries. We are increasing our support for the poorest and most vulnerable, including plans to nearly double our aid allocations to low-income countries in 2024-25.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for his policies of the reported violence in Ayodhya, India.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises that the consecration of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhya was an important event for many in India, and we appreciate how strongly many Hindus and Muslims around the world feel about this issue. Reports of violence linked to the inauguration are a matter for the Indian police and legal system. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India, and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including concerns where we have them.