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 equalities impact assessment he has made of his Department's policy to reserve certain job roles for British nationals.
Answered by Nigel Adams
A full equalities impact assessment (EIA) was conducted to fully understand the potential impacts on protected characteristics.
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 effect of the reduction in Overseas Development Aid budget to 0.5% of GDP on the number staff required in his Department.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCDO is a new organisation which undertakes a diverse range of responsibilities. That remains the case despite the temporary ODA reduction and there will be no compulsory redundancies. We have begun the process of integrating the development and diplomatic functions of the FCDO and determining the mix of skills which will best meet its needs. We expect that process to deliver a more effective organisation better able to meet the UK's international ambitions. We maintain our status as one of the leading countries in the world in terms of our ODA spend and remain firmly committed to helping the world's poorest people.
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 effect of the reduction in the Overseas Development Assistance budget on (a) career progression and (b) potential redundancies of staff employed by his Department.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The FCDO is a new organisation which undertakes a diverse range of responsibilities. That remains the case despite the temporary ODA reduction and there will be no compulsory redundancies. We have begun the process of integrating the development and diplomatic functions of the FCDO and determining the mix of skills which will best meet its needs. We expect that process to deliver a more effective organisation which will meet the reasonable career aspirations of its staff.
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 made of the potential merits of a hybrid approach in terms of nationality and reserved posts for his Department, as is operational at the Home Office.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The most appropriate approach is the chosen one: reserving new recruitment into the FCDO to UK Nationals, while allowing flexibility for existing valued staff, who are non-UK nationals, to continue their careers within the FCDO. Many factors, including nationality, were considered in drawing up this approach.
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 he is taking to increase the remuneration of British Council employees; when a pay award will be made; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
This has been a uniquely challenging time for the British Council and its finances, and HMG have worked hard to provide additional financial support in a time of strain on public finances. The FCDO has provided an additional £26 million Grant in Aid in 2019-20 and a £60 million loan in June 2020, with further financial support to be provided in the New Year.
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, if the UK will attach (a) the need to release human rights activists and women’s rights defenders and (b) other conditions to their attendance at the upcoming G20 in Riyadh.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK will participate in the G20 Summit, which is likely to focus on health, the global economic recovery and wider global challenges (including climate change, trade and development). It is a key part of international planning for a sustainable recovery from coronavirus. As current G20 President, Saudi Arabia will play a vital role in coordinating the global health and economic response. We hope that the international platform provided by the G20 Presidency encourages continued progress on domestic reforms.
Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees, in private and in public. We have expressed significant concerns about reports of continuing arrests and arbitrary detentions in Saudi Arabia. We raise concerns about individual cases regularly, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Embassy in Riyadh. The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September. It noted our human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, regretted the continued detention of at least five women's human rights defenders, arrested in 2018, and called for the release of all political detainees. We continue to raise concerns at all levels and are monitoring the situation closely.
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 specific discussions his Department has had with its counterparts in Saudi Arabia on the release of senior political figures detained without charge in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK will participate in the G20 Summit, which is likely to focus on health, the global economic recovery and wider global challenges (including climate change, trade and development). It is a key part of international planning for a sustainable recovery from coronavirus. As current G20 President, Saudi Arabia will play a vital role in coordinating the global health and economic response. We hope that the international platform provided by the G20 Presidency encourages continued progress on domestic reforms.
Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees, in private and in public. We have expressed significant concerns about reports of continuing arrests and arbitrary detentions in Saudi Arabia. We raise concerns about individual cases regularly, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Embassy in Riyadh. The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September. It noted our human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, regretted the continued detention of at least five women's human rights defenders, arrested in 2018, and called for the release of all political detainees. We continue to raise concerns at all levels and are monitoring the situation closely.
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, with reference to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, for what reason Mohammed bin Salman was not included in the list of individuals from Saudi Arabia sanctioned under the new Magnitsky legislation.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
It is not appropriate to speculate on who may be designated under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. We don't comment in relation to individuals who have not been sanctioned under the regime.
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 he is taking against people involved in the suppression of human rights in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government's position on human rights is firm: they are universal and must apply equally to all people. We condemn all human rights violations or abuses in Nigeria and encourage all parties to work together to enable the people of Nigeria to exercise their rights safely, peacefully and in line with the rule of law. The UK Government works closely with the Nigerian Government and international and civil society partners on improving the human rights compliance and accountability of the Nigerian authorities. We are also committed to helping Nigeria tackle the terrorist threat from groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, who commit human rights abuses in North East Nigeria. We will continue to make clear to the Nigerian authorities at the highest levels the importance of protecting human rights for all.
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 effect of the closure of schools and related school feeding programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa on (a) girls and (b) all children in that region.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The education of over 1.3 billion children in over 150 countries has been disrupted since COVID-19 struck, including many across Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 10 million children may never return to school, and past evidence suggests the majority will be girls.
The effects of school closures go beyond the millions of hours of lost learning. School-based nutrition programmes provide a key safety net for many children and families and help keep children - particularly girls - in school. School closures also increase the risk of child labour, neglect, violence and sexual abuse.
In response, the UK has taken decisive action. We have adapted our bilateral education programmes in 18 countries to provide child protection, learning continuity, safe reopening of schools. As the largest donor to the Global Partnership for Education we have helped establish a dedicated $500 million COVID-19 accelerated funding window to maintain basic education. We have topped up our contribution to the global fund for Education in Emergencies to which we are also the largest donor, which includes support for school feeding programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa including in Burkina Faso, Niger, DRC, Mali, Uganda and Somalia.