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 UK is on course to spend 0.3 per cent of GNI as Official Development Assistance outside the UK in 2022.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government is prioritising essential overseas aid funding, while also meeting needs of people seeking sanctuary in the UK from conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan. We are working through how best to manage ODA budget pressures with HM Treasury and bring certainty to our development programmes, in line with the timing of the Autumn Statement. All UK aid continues to be spent in line with the international rules on what constitutes ODA set by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee. Provisional and final official UK ODA spend data for 2022 will be published as normal in the Spring and Autumn of 2023 respectively.
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 Government has programmed any of the funding that it pledged as part of the UK-led G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact that it launched in May 2021.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK played a pivotal role in securing the G7 Famine Prevention Compact, which included a commitment of $1.5 billion in funding by the G7 to prevent famine in Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria. The UK's contribution to support in these countries was all disbursed in the financial year 2021/22. Details of the FCDO's spend in financial year 2021/22 can be found on the FCDO Development Tracker.
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 discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding independent investigations into the use of live ammunition and killing of 16-year-old Hussein Jamal Hussein Taha and 16-year-old Momen Yasin Mohammad Joude Jaber, in two separate incidents in Nablus, on 9 August 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defence Forces use lethal force, particularly in the policing of non-violent protests and the border areas. We will continue to do so. The UK supports an independent and transparent investigation which establishes the facts about the violence that occurred on 1 and 9 August 2022. The UK continues to monitor progress of ongoing investigations by the Israeli authorities.
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 discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding an independent investigation into the use of live ammunition and killing of 16-year-old Dirar Riyad Lufti Al-Haj Saleh on 1 August 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defence Forces use lethal force, particularly in the policing of non-violent protests and the border areas. We will continue to do so. The UK supports an independent and transparent investigation which establishes the facts about the violence that occurred on 1 and 9 August 2022. The UK continues to monitor progress of ongoing investigations by the Israeli authorities.
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, when the 2021 Human Rights and Democracy report will be published.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We intend to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's 2021 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report in due course.
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 24 March 2022 to Written Question 142509, whether the FCDO annual report for financial year 2021-22 will include planned FCDO programme allocations for 2022-23.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts for 2021-22 was published on 19 July 2022. Planned FCDO programme allocations for 2022-23 were not included.
As a result of the government's response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and wider ODA pressures including the ODA-eligible expenditure incurred through the Afghan resettlement programme and the UK's support to people fleeing Ukraine, the original allocations would not be accurate, and it would be misleading to publish detailed disaggregated budgets. We are committed to transparency and will provide updates to spending plans in due course.
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 assessment he has made for the implications of his policy of the decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that British Citizen, Alaa Abd el-Fattah is arbitrarily detained in Egypt.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Since his sentencing in December 2021, FCDO officials have consistently called on the Egyptian Government to grant consular access to Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The FCDO takes all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. In doing so we carefully consider all available information, including any opinions issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The former Foreign Secretary confirmed that the FCDO had called for the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah to Parliament on 22 June, and that the FCDO were doing everything they could to secure his release. The Foreign Secretary has since raised his case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 September. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
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 the Government has taken to notify the Egyptian authorities of the British citizenship of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Since his sentencing in December 2021, FCDO officials have consistently called on the Egyptian Government to grant consular access to Alaa Abd El-Fattah after his obtaining British citizenship. The first request was submitted to the Egyptian authorities on 20 December 2021. There have been a number of follow-up requests submitted at the highest levels. The Foreign Secretary raised his case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 September and the previous Prime Minister raised the case with President Sisi during a call on 25 August. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
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, when the Government first informed the Egyptian authorities that Alaa Abd el-Fattah was a British citizen.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Since his sentencing in December 2021, FCDO officials have consistently called on the Egyptian Government to grant consular access to Alaa Abd El-Fattah after his obtaining British citizenship. The first request was submitted to the Egyptian authorities on 20 December 2021. There have been a number of follow-up requests submitted at the highest levels. The Foreign Secretary raised his case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 September and the previous Prime Minister raised the case with President Sisi during a call on 25 August. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
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, with reference to the meeting of 27 April 2022 between the Bahraini Minister of Interior, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah AlKhalifa, and the HM Ambassador to Bahrain, Roddy Drummond, when border security training and training programmes for reformation and rehabilitation personnel were discussed, which government is funding that training; and which Government departments are implementing those training programmes.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Potential training cooperation for Border Force and Reform and Rehabilitation Centre officers was discussed during this meeting. However, there are currently no training programmes on either subject being delivered.