Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment has spent on increasing the capacity of solar photovoltaic manufacturing.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) is a G7 initiative. The G7 plan to report in 2025 on amounts invested and mobilised. The UK is on track to meet our up to $40 billion contribution to the $600 billion target through our British Investment Partnerships work, which is supporting numerous renewable energy initiatives. In 2022, we improved access to clean energy for over 6 million people. Our investments include: $69 million by the Private Infrastructure Development Group; support by British International Investment to a $36 million solar PV storage plant in Mozambique; eight solar projects through Manufacturing Africa unlocking £26.7 million, and £6 million through the Transforming Energy Access platform.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made representations to international partners on a moratorium on deep-sea mining.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
On 30 October 2023 the UK Government announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK set out this position to international partners at the 28th Session of the Council at the International Seabed Authority in November 2023. The UK's announcement makes clear that the UK recognises the impacts of deep sea mining are not fully understood and our position is to support research proactively, using UK scientific expertise, to improve international understanding and develop strong and enforceable ISA environmental regulations, standards and guidelines on deep sea mining before any such projects commence.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah from Tora Prison in Egypt.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Mr El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government and have been consistently clear in our calls for his release, while continuing to press the need for urgent consular access. The Prime Minister most recently raised Mr El-Fattah's case with President Sisi on 1 December. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised his case with President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 December. The former Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case on a number of occasions with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, including on 18 September. The Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, raised the case with the Egyptian authorities on 15 November during his visit to Cairo.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) Somalia and (b) other countries in the Horn of Africa following the recent floods.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
El Niño has caused major flooding in Kenya and Somalia impacting more than 1.25 million people. Throughout the wider Horn of Africa region an estimated 7 million people are at risk flooding due to El Niño.
In tandem with our humanitarian partners the UK is stepping up its response. In Somalia we have allocated £11 million in humanitarian funding towards dedicated El Niño prevention and response projects with funding also provided to existing delivery partners to help take UK efforts to scale. Elsewhere, UK officials are working closely with relief agencies to ensure aid reaches those who need it most.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable ratification of the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK was pleased to be among the first signatories to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement when it opened for signature at the UN on 20 September 2023 and the Agreement was laid before Parliament for scrutiny on 16 October 2023. Work is in hand on the legislation and other measures needed to translate the detailed and complex provisions of the Agreement into UK law before we can ratify the Agreement, which will be taken forward when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will raise the matter of settler violence in the South Hebron Hills with the Israeli Government.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Our position is clear: we strongly condemn any incidence of violence against settlers by Palestinians. Reports of Palestinian civilians being murdered by settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are appalling. Israel must take tangible steps to grip settler violence, and to hold those responsible accountable. The Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have raised this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Cohen, and we have also stressed the importance of the Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. As the Prime Minister said, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are also victims of Hamas. We continue to urge all sides not to take steps which would inflame tensions and move us away from the cause of peace.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports he has received of the political situation in Sierra Leone since the June elections.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has engaged stakeholders including the government, opposition, election bodies, regional partners and the international community in the months leading up to, during and after the elections. We have given consistent messages about the importance of free, fair and peaceful elections, good governance and the rule of law. The Foreign Secretary raised these issues during his visit to Sierra Leone in March and in a telephone call with President Bio (7 August). It remains vital that Sierra Leone's political leaders engage with efforts to support the democratic process. We remain committed to supporting the aspirations of the Sierra Leonean people.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if he will support the agenda item proposed by France, Chile, Palau and Vanuatu, entitled Establishment of a general policy by the Assembly related to the conservation of the marine environment, including in consideration of the effects of the two-year rule, for the Assembly meeting of the 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority between 24 and 28 July 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK have noted the late proposal of the agenda item from France, Chile, Palau, and Vanuatu at the Assembly meeting of the 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority and are currently considering the UK position. The UK has committed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep-sea mining projects unless and until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep-sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental regulations and standards have been developed by the International Seabed Authority and are in place. The UK's approach is precautionary and conditional.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding British International Investment has provided for liquified natural gas projects in Ghana; when the (a) investment was awarded and (b) projects are due to be completed; and how much liquified natural gas is expected to be produced.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
All investments made by British International Investment (BII) are aligned with HMG's fossil fuels and other relevant policy. In 2017, BII made an investment into Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund III (AIIF III), which then invested a proportion of this in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation project, the Tema LNG Import Terminal project, in February 2020. The commercial operations are expected to commence in 2025. This project will not produce natural gas but will have an import capacity to Ghana of 1.7 million tons of gas per year. BII has not invested in LNG production or export projects in Ghana.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
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 ensure that British International Investment supports decarbonisation overseas.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As part of its Climate Change Strategy, British International Investment (BII) takes an active approach in supporting decarbonisation. BII invests in mitigation solutions across Africa and Asia including renewable energy, low carbon transport, climate smart agriculture, forestry, climate technologies and the deployment of green finance via financial intermediaries. BII supports its investees to reduce emissions and increase their resilience both through investment capital and through technical advisory support.
BII is committed to reaching net zero emissions in its investment portfolio by 2050 in a way that supports decarbonisation and sustainable development in the real economy. More details about BII's approach to decarbonisation can be found in BII's Taskforce on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) disclosure and Annual Reviews.