Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what estimate his Department has made of the number of civilians killed in Sudan since the start of the civil war in that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
In their most recent assessment, dated 18 April 2024, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded 16,650 reported fatalities in Sudan. However, the reported number of people killed in Sudan is a conservative estimate due to the extremely limited access environment and ongoing internet and telecommunication disruptions. We continue to call on both warring parties to de-escalate immediately and abide by their responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law to protect civilians.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many (a) people and (b) entities connected to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan have been sanctioned by the UK Government.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Five entities connected to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been sanctioned under the UK Sudan sanctions regime. We do not speculate on future designations as it would reduce their impact. However, our sanctions policy is continually under review.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) France on the war in Sudan since the start of that conflict.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is working with a range of partners to end hostilities, allow safe, unhindered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians. Foreign Office Ministers are in regular contact with international partners on Sudan. The Deputy Foreign Secretary discussed Sudan with USAID Administrator Samantha Power on 29 January 2024. Lord Benyon spoke to US and French colleagues at the Paris Humanitarian Conference on 15 April 2024. The UK Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and Red Sea also regularly engages with her American and French counterparts.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department has taken in its role as the penholder on Sudan at the United Nations Security Council.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK uses its position as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council to urge the warring parties to secure a ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, protect civilians and commit to a meaningful peace process. Most recently, the UK has used its position to condemn the escalating violence in El Fasher. The UN Security Council agreed a UK-led press statement on 27 April, calling for de-escalation, and we also called for the Security Council to convene on the deteriorating situation, which it did on 29 April. We will continue to use every available opportunity at the UN to ensure that a spotlight remains on Sudan and to urge the warring parties to end the needless suffering of the Sudanese people.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 6083 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme eligible Afghan nationals classed as (i) principals and (ii) dependents are in Pakistan as of 2 May 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
As of 2 May, the number of eligible persons in Pakistan who qualified via Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy were 127 principals and 486 dependents and the number of individuals who qualified via Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3 were 39 principals and 166 dependents.
The government looks forward to bringing all remaining eligible individuals to the UK as soon as practicable. Since Operation Pitting we have welcomed 8,892 Afghans eligible under ARAP, and 2020 Afghans eligible under ACRS, to the UK.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many Afghan people are being housed in UK hotel funded accommodation in Pakistan under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme as of 18 April 2024.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Government looks forward to bringing all remaining eligible individuals to the UK as soon as practicable.
Since Operation Pitting we have welcomed 8,702 Afghans eligible under ARAP, and 2,020 Afghans eligible under ACRS, to the UK via Pakistan.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on what date he plans to host the 4th European Political Community Summit.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We value the European Political Community (EPC) as an important platform for coordination and discussion on pan-European issues. We are consulting partners about the UK EPC Summit and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme eligible Afghan nationals classed as (i) principals and (ii) dependents are in Pakistan as of 11 December 2023.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As of 12 December, the number of eligible persons in Pakistan who qualified via Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy was 232 principals and 1,147 dependents and the number of eligible persons who qualified via Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3 was 178 principals and 724 dependents.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme principals his Department has wrongly assessed as eligible.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Under the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3, the FCDO have made assessments against the eligibility criteria as set out on gov.uk. In a small number of cases where an individual has been assessed as eligible in principle for resettlement, eligibility has subsequently been withdrawn. This is where we have received additional information, either from the individual or in the case of British Council or Gardaworld contractors from their relevant employer and the FCDO has assessed that the individual no longer meets the eligibility criteria or did not meet them in the first instance.
We will provide more detail on ACRS Pathway 3 numbers once we have completed processing all expressions of interest and have assured data.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine since February 2022.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We condemn Russia's inhumane assault against Ukraine's civilian population and infrastructure. From February 2022 to 8 October 2023, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded 27,768 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 9,806 killed and 17,962 injured. The actual figures are believed to be considerably higher given the challenges of receiving accurate information from locations under Russian control. The UK is committed to ensuring those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine are held accountable. We are supporting the International Criminal Court's independent investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes, including through the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, which provides practical assistance to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.