Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what medical (a) equipment and (b) other aid the UK has sent to Gaza by equipment type.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We have tripled our overall aid commitment and are supporting NGO and UN partners to deliver medical aid and care in the Gaza Strip. This includes support for primary healthcare, trauma and emergency care services, disease surveillance and outbreak response, and deployment of Emergency Medical Teams.
We have provided targeted support for children through a £5.75 million contribution. This is supporting work to assist over 5,800 children with severe malnourishment and 853,000 children, adolescents and caregivers affected by the conflict, to receive emergency and child protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support. At the end of February, we announced £4.25 million to the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. This support is expected to reach about 111,500 women, around 1 in 5 of the adult women in Gaza. It will support up to 100 community midwives, the distribution of around 20,000 menstrual hygiene management kits and 45,000 clean delivery kits. On 21 Feb, the UK and Jordan air-dropped life-saving aid to the Tal Al-Hawa hospital in northern Gaza. Four tonnes of vital supplies were provided, including medicines, fuel, and food for hospital patients and staff. We are also exploring further options to help meet the medical needs of Palestinians.
It must be recognised that the support to large scale appeals prevents us from directly attributing UK funding to specific items.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Houthi militant attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea on the cost of living in the UK.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since November, due to Houthi attacks, 12 international shipping companies have been forced to suspend passage through the Red Sea, causing lengthy delays and disruption to global supply chains. This has included causing insurance premiums for shipping to increase ten-fold; although, this only contributes a small fraction of total costs passed onto the end-consumer. These attacks therefore present a risk of increased prices for consumer goods and energy.
Be assured that the Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers, and the shipping and supply chain sectors are well practiced at putting contingencies in place to continue to meet their customer needs.
The Government continues to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 help ensure the safety of UK nationals in Iceland.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO's Iceland travel advice reflects the current events in Grindavík and the seismic activity across the Reykjanes Peninsula. Events are not currently impacting the rest of Iceland. The British Embassy in Iceland is working closely with local authorities. We are not aware of any affected UK Nationals at present. UK nationals in the affected areas should sign up for travel advice alerts and contact the British Embassy if they require help. Our travel advice remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department provided advice to the Prime Minister on the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Yes. FCDO officials have been involved throughout the development of the bill and have provided advice to all relevant departments, including No 10. The bill will implement a manifesto commitment and ensure that the UK speaks with one voice internationally and the taxpayer only has to pay for foreign policy once. Public bodies should not be pursuing their own foreign policy agenda.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the draft resolution on Human Fraternity which the UK plans to co-table with the United Arab Emirates at the United Nations Security Council complies with established practice on terminology regarding violent extremism.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK co-penned the landmark UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution with the UAE on 'Tolerance and International Peace and Security'. The resolution addresses discrimination and incitement, including that faced by members of marginalised groups, in conflict settings. We have worked carefully to ensure that all uses of "extremism" are appropriately caveated; by describing acts of extremism that contribute to conflict, or requiring that actions to address that extremism be compliant with international law. This resolution highlights the risks of incitement, hate speech and extremism in causing and exacerbating conflict - a context in which the UNSC has previously used the term "extremism" or "extremist".
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many children with British citizenship are currently in Sudan.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Since 25 April, the UK has supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals, dependants, and other eligible nationals out of Sudan. The UK Government continues to provide limited consular assistance to British nationals still in Sudan, communicating through our telephone consular helpline and Travel Advice updates. We do not have verified data on those British nationals (including children) remaining in Sudan. British nationals who require assistance can call us 24/7.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183547 on Sudan: British Nationals Abroad, what the total number of people was on each aircraft leaving Port Sudan in the evacuation of Sudan, including service personnel.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Between 25 April and 3 May, the UK supported the departure of 1,243 British Nationals (BNs) - and 1,207 other nationals - from Sudan. 30 UK military flights from Sudan to Cyprus carried out this evacuation. 263 people were evacuated from Port Sudan to Cyprus and 2,187 people were evacuated from Wadi Saeedna to Cyprus. 2,097 British Nationals and their dependants made the onward journey to the UK. We do not comment on details of service personnel deployed which are an operational matter.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many seats were available on each evacuation flight from Port Sudan organised by the UK Government; and how many seats on each flight were occupied by (a) British citizens, (b) dependents of British citizens who are not themselves British citizens and (c) doctors, nurses and other clinical NHS employees or contractors.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As of 12.00 3 May, 154 people have been evacuated from Port Sudan to Cyprus. This includes a) 94 British citizens and b) 23 non-British dependents.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there was a cost to the public purse relating to the FCDO cartoons published on his official Twitter account on the event of his visit to Japan for the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO cartoon that was published on the Foreign Secretary's official Twitter account on 16 April was created by the FCDO digital team with no external cost to the public.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of whether the 2010 arrest and 2012 detention of Victoire Ingabire in Rwanda was arbitrary.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are aware of the case of Victoire Ingabire and note issues around due process in her arrest and detention. The British High Commission in Kigali regularly raises issues of political space and human rights with Rwandan Government. Most recently, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon discussed these issues with Minister of State Manasseh during his visit to Kigali in October.