To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Gaza: Israel
Monday 12th February 2024

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will place sanctions on Israeli (a) ministers and (b) members of parliament who participated in the conference entitled Settlement Brings Security on 28 January 2024.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

We were alarmed by the conference in Jerusalem calling for the resettlement of Gaza, and the fact that Israeli ministers participated. The UK's position is clear: Gaza is occupied Palestinian territory and will be part of the future Palestinian state. Settlements are illegal. No Palestinian should be threatened with forcible displacement or relocation.


Written Question
Commonwealth: Pensioners
Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for UK pensioners in Commonwealth countries.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

FCDO provides support to British pensioners in Commonwealth countries on the same basis as we do for any British national overseas. All questions about British pensions should be directed to DWP.


Written Question
Gaza: Children
Tuesday 12th July 2022

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on protecting children in Gaza.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We are aware of Save the Children's report into the wellbeing of Gazan children. In 2021, the UK contributed £2 million to UNICEF, which provided child-sensitive grants to vulnerable households in Gaza reaching 4,311 boys and girls. This support met the essential needs of vulnerable children, with the majority of it being spent on food, education, and healthcare. The UK also contributes annually to UNRWA, supporting their Mental Health and Psychosocial Support interventions, especially for children, which included summer school activities targeting 98,595 children in Gaza in 2021.

I recently visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) where I saw first-hand the challenges of the prolonged conflict and the impact of the occupation. I reiterated UK support for a two-state solution and the need to improve conditions for ordinary Palestinians in my meetings with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll, and with the Palestinian leadership, including Prime Minister Shtayyeh.


Written Question
Gaza: Development Aid
Tuesday 12th July 2022

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

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 implications for her Department’s policies of Save the Children’s report entitled Trapped: The impact of 15 years of blockade on the mental health of Gaza’s children, published on 15 June 2022.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We are aware of Save the Children's report into the wellbeing of Gazan children. In 2021, the UK contributed £2 million to UNICEF, which provided child-sensitive grants to vulnerable households in Gaza reaching 4,311 boys and girls. This support met the essential needs of vulnerable children, with the majority of it being spent on food, education, and healthcare. The UK also contributes annually to UNRWA, supporting their Mental Health and Psychosocial Support interventions, especially for children, which included summer school activities targeting 98,595 children in Gaza in 2021.

I recently visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) where I saw first-hand the challenges of the prolonged conflict and the impact of the occupation. I reiterated UK support for a two-state solution and the need to improve conditions for ordinary Palestinians in my meetings with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll, and with the Palestinian leadership, including Prime Minister Shtayyeh.


Written Question
Israel: Palestinians
Tuesday 12th July 2022

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help end the 15-year blockade of Gaza.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The UK continues to urge both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authorities to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza's reconstruction and economic recovery. I recently visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) where I saw first-hand the challenges of the prolonged conflict and the impact of the occupation. I reiterated UK support for a two-state solution and the need to improve conditions for ordinary Palestinians in my meetings with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll, and with the Palestinian leadership, including Prime Minister Shtayyeh.

We remain longstanding supporters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and their work to support Palestinian refugees across the region including Gaza. At the UNRWA pledging conference in New York in June, we announced a new multi-year funding programme with the agency providing £15 million in 2022, which helps UNRWA provide education to over 533,000 children a year (half of them girls), and access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees.


Written Question
Vaccination
Tuesday 5th July 2022

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensuring the equitable distribution of second-generation vaccines across the world.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The UK has played a leading role in supporting global access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines from the outset of the pandemic. The UK is one of the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) committing £548 million. Our funding has supported COVAX AMC to deliver over 1.3 billion doses to 87 developing countries. The UK is working with partners, such as COVAX and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to ensure affordable and effective second generation vaccines will be available as required in low and middle-income countries so the world can respond rapidly to a new variant of concern, or other public health threat. In March, the UK hosted the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit, raising over £1.2 billion - including £160 million from the UK - to develop variant-proof coronavirus vaccines and to develop vaccines against future health threats in 100 days.


Written Question
Ukraine: Overseas Aid
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total value is of payments from UK Aid to Abt Associates in respect of projects in Ukraine.

Answered by Wendy Morton

Abt Associates are a provider to the Ukraine programme funded by the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and previously the Good Governance Fund (formerly a CSSF programme, now funded by FCDO). The FCDO has held a contract with Abt Associates since May 2020, as part of the Managed Fund Technical Assistance Programme. Abt Associates have worked on numerous individual projects within Ukraine and the Eastern Neighbourhood. The latest financial figures for the Managed Fund Technical Assistance Programme, including expenditure to Abt Associates is available to the public on DevTracker.


Written Question
Ukraine: Employment
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

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 Ukraine’s compliance with International Labour Organisation protocols.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The United Kingdom engages with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on country compliance with international labour standards actively as a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body and International Labour Conference. The Committee on the Application of Standards is integral to the ILO's supervisory system and the UK encourages all countries to abide to high labour standards. It is not for the UK to independently assess compliance with ILO standards and therefore any view of Ukraine's compliance would be based on information from the ILO's supervisory system.

In Ukraine, the UK is a key supporter to Ukraine's economic and governance reforms, as restated by the Prime Minister in his call to President Zelenskyy on 23 September and through the UK-Ukraine Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement signed on the 8 October 2020. The UK has advised Ukraine on the development of legislation to support key reforms in a number of areas, including on labour reform, through providing legal advice and technical assistance based on international best practice as well as recommendations of respected organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation.


Written Question
Ukraine: Foreign Relations
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

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 Ukraine’s compliance with Article 282 of the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between the UK and Ukraine, signed on 8 October 2020.

Answered by Wendy Morton

The UK continues to monitor compliance and ensure high levels of protection across all its bilateral trade relationships. Trade agreement implementation, which involves committees with partner countries and engagement with advisory groups and civil society, allows for regular engagement on labour, climate and environment matters with partner countries.

For example, the Department for International Trade held its first Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Sub-Committee with Ukraine in November 2021. TSD Sub-Committees aim to support the effective implementation of the labour, environment and climate provisions included in trade agreements.

Compliance monitoring is supported by the work of the UK overseas network as well as appropriate engagement through multilateral institutions.


Written Question
Iraq: Turkey
Monday 27th September 2021

Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)

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 implications for his policies of recent reports that the Turkish army attacked a village with chemical weapons in the Duhok region of Northern Iraq on 4 September 2021.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We have not made an assessment of this report. We take seriously all allegations of the use of chemical weapons - it is important that the full facts are established. We continue to reiterate the importance of dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians. We welcome discussions between Iraqi and Turkish Defence Ministers regarding Ankara's military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a proscribed terrorist group, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Foreign Secretary discussed the stability of Iraq and the KRI with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's President, Nechirvan Barzani, during his visit to London of 15-17 September.