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 support the UK is providing to St Vincent since the recent volcanic eruption on that island.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are monitoring the situation in St Vincent and the Grenadines closely and our thoughts are with those affected by the eruptions. An estimated 16-20,000 people are directly affected, with just over 4,000 currently in shelters. Infrastructure and agriculture have also been badly hit and ash fall is significant and causing problems with the movement of people, as well as impacting electricity and water supplies.
To address immediate needs, on 12 April we pledged an initial £200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help address the humanitarian impact of the eruptions. This will be used for emergency supplies and other requirements. Urgently needed technical experts will support relief efforts on the ground, support emergency telecommunications, and restore critical lifeline facilities. We have provided technical advice from the UK Government Office of Science (GO Science) and the British Geological Survey on how to deal with the significant ash fall (including on its impact on livestock). Finally the UK is also a contributor to the International Federation of the Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) which has allocated funding of some £209,000 to the St Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross response.
We will continue to work with CDEMA and other appropriate agencies to provide further support.
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 discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of (a) writing off and (b) postponing debt repayments from St Vincent to the UK due to the effect of the recent volcanic eruptions on that island.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK will suspend the debt repayment due in June from St Vincent and the Grenadines under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), which allows the poorest and most vulnerable countries to suspend debt repayments to their official bilateral creditors. The Chancellor and G20 Finance Ministers recently agreed a further, final, extension to the DSSI which will allow the suspension of all other debt repayments due from St Vincent and the Grenadines to the UK this year.
To address immediate needs, on 12 April we pledged an initial £200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to help address the humanitarian impact of the eruptions. This will be used for emergency supplies and other requirements. Urgently needed technical experts will support relief efforts on the ground, support emergency telecommunications, and restore critical lifeline facilities
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 role the Minister for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development has in respect of the implementation into UK domestic policy of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK played an instrumental role in establishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to implementing them at home and around the world. The FCDO has oversight of the SDGs with the Cabinet Office providing cross-government support on their domestic implementation. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, is the FCDO Minister responsible for the SDGs. All government departments have responsibility for aspects of the SDGs that relate to their policy remits. Everyone in the UK has a role to play in achieving the SDGs including communities, local government, the private sector, and civil society.
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 recent discussions the Minister for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development has had with local government leaders on the implementation into UK policy of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK played an instrumental role in establishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to advancing them both internationally and at home. The FCDO has oversight of the SDGs with the Cabinet Office providing cross-government support on their domestic implementation. All government departments have responsibility for aspects of the SDGs that relate to their policy remits.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, is the FCDO Minister responsible for the SDGs. He has not had the opportunity to meet with local government leaders since taking on this responsibility in November 2020 but hopes to do so in the near future. Everyone has a role to play in achieving the SDGs including communities, local government, the private sector, and civil society. We therefore welcome local government engagement with the SDGs.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2020 to Question 117952 on Parliamentary Estate: Carbon Emissions, what information the Commission holds on the estimated average amount and proportion of emissions from the Estate that are from (a) food and (b) food waste.
Answered by Pete Wishart
(a) The House does not currently hold information on carbon emissions associated with its food and beverage procurement. We are developing a method to measure and manage carbon emissions from all our Scope 3 supply chain activities, including those from our food suppliers.
(b) The amount of food waste collected from the Parliamentary Estate is not broken down between the two Houses, so it is not possible to provide a carbon emission figure for food waste from Commons outlets only. However, in the 12 months to the end of October 2020, the House authorities have calculated a total of the equivalent of 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the process for anaerobic digestion of the food waste from the Estate. This figure has been calculated using UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting. This compares with 11,985 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent as part of Scope 1 and 2 emissions from the Estate in the same 12-month period.
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, which (a) media and (b) human rights organisations in Belarus have received funding from the £1.5 million of UK aid allocated to such organisations in September 2020.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office supports the strengthening of civil society and independent media outlets in Belarus. Of the extra £1.5m in additional funds to be spent over two years, we have so far contracted £1m of extra media support this financial year, which is being implemented to ensure that independent media outlets and civil society organisations in Belarus can continue to operate. UK funding will help train journalists, provide support to those who have been detained by the authorities and also help replace equipment that has been destroyed or confiscated. The operating environment for civil society and independent media in Belarus remains difficult and we are unable to disclose details of the specific organisations in receipt of UK aid, as this information could then be used to actively attempt to disrupt support and endanger the safety of their staff.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect and enhance biodiversity in the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Environmental policy is a devolved responsibility, however there are a number of funding streams available to the British Overseas Territories to support the protection and management of their natural resources. The Government has awarded £5.2 million which will be given to 21 projects through the Darwin Plus Scheme for conservation of the unique and globally significant plants and animals that reside in UK Overseas Territories.
Darwin Plus (also known as The Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund) is an environmental funding stream with an annual budget of £10 million from 2021. Funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund has also provided funding from 2016-2021 for a number of environmental projects including the Blue Belt of marine protection around the OTs, assessing Natural Capital, implementing actions plans to protect fragile coral reefs and non-native species/biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful species to new environments.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will allow non-British nationals on repatriation flights to allow for key workers with visas to return to the UK.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Repatriation flights are for UK travellers who normally reside in the UK and their direct dependants. Stranded British travellers and their families are our priority but where seats have been available, we have been able to help other nationals resident in the UK to return to their homes, including key workers.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to provide emergency flights to repatriate British nationals that are stranded in Egypt as a result of covid-19.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
As Parliament rose earlier than planned and the first day for answer of this PQ was after the Easter recess, due to the pace of developments during the COVID-19 crisis, I submitted a response by email on 27 March, with the following response. The Table Office have agreed this approach.
On 19 March, Egyptian authorities announced the suspension of international flights. The global response to the coronavirus is evolving fast, and travel restrictions may change. Our teams around the world are working urgently to ensure that governments have sensible plans to enable the return of British and other travellers, and, crucially, to keep borders open for a sufficient period of time to enable returns to take place on commercial flights, wherever possible.
The British Embassy Cairo is issuing updates on Facebook and on Twitter. Please follow social media for the latest available information on possible flight departures for British nationals needing to leave Egypt.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding has been (a) allocated to and (b) spent on promotional materials for the re-election of Michael Lodge, Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
No funding has been specifically allocated to the re-election of Michael Lodge, Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority.