Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by her Department.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Government Department is responsible for conveying the latest covid-19 quarantine policies to UK citizens living overseas.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Inbound travel restrictions are the responsibility of Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Department for Transport (DfT), or their Devolved Administration equivalents. Changes to inbound travel restrictions are communicated via GOV.UK webpages owned by DHSC and DfT and are reflected in FCDO Travel Advice. FCDO Travel Advice provides information to help British nationals make informed decisions about foreign travel and remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals travelling overseas. The border entry requirements in overseas destinations are the responsibility of host governments. FCDO Travel Advice pages have an entry requirements section that reflects the current rules at each destination.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to establish a Global Ocean Treaty to enable governments to establish Marine Protected Areas, set conservation goals and adopt management measures to deliver protection.
Answered by James Duddridge
The draft Treaty text being negotiated is intended to be a legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement).
The BBNJ Agreement is important for ocean conservation and the UK is working proactively in the negotiations, and more widely including with G7 partners, to try to ensure that an ambitious text is concluded by the end of this year. In particular, the Agreement should enable the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the High Seas, which will be crucial to delivering a new target under the Convention of Biological Diversity of protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. The Agreement should also enable a more holistic approach to global ocean governance, facilitating cooperation between existing bodies and filling in gaps, such as requiring Environmental Impact Assessments for new activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
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 secure a Global Ocean Treaty to protect the high seas in 2021.
Answered by James Duddridge
The draft Treaty text being negotiated is intended to be a legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement).
The BBNJ Agreement is important for ocean conservation and the UK is working proactively in the negotiations, and more widely including with G7 partners, to try to ensure that an ambitious text is concluded by the end of this year. In particular, the Agreement should enable the designation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the High Seas, which will be crucial to delivering a new target under the Convention of Biological Diversity of protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. The Agreement should also enable a more holistic approach to global ocean governance, facilitating cooperation between existing bodies and filling in gaps, such as requiring Environmental Impact Assessments for new activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many of the UK’s Overseas Territories have introduced a Net Zero target in line with UK Government policy.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Ahead of COP26, each of the UK's inhabited Overseas Territories intends to communicate their plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation, which will contribute towards global carbon emission reductions.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether British Overseas Territories Governments are planned to be represented in the wider UK delegation to COP15 in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK's ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) does not automatically extend to the Overseas Territories (OTs), but to date the CBD has been extended to five of the UK OTs - British Virgin Islands, St Helena, Ascension Island & Tristan da Cunha, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Falkland Islands.
The make-up of the UK delegation to CBD COP15 will be confirmed closer to the time and will be dependent on the conference agenda and format.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last met with representatives of British Overseas Territories to discuss COP26.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government is working closely with all Overseas Territories (OTs) in the lead up to COP26, and UK Officials regularly meet with representatives from the OTs to ensure that their unique perspectives are accurately represented. The UK Government is also designing a specific package to support Territory Governments in the run up to COP26 and beyond. In November 2020, the UK hosted a Joint Ministerial Council for the OTs which included sessions on COP26 and Environmental Protection, led by Lord Goldsmith. At this meeting, territory leaders pledged to work with the UK to secure an ambitious agreement to tackle climate change at COP26. By the time of the Summit, each territory government will have endeavoured to communicate their plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The President of COP26 has also asked his Regional Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean for COP26 to act as a liaison point for the OTs.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether British Overseas Territories Governments are planned to be represented in the wider UK delegation to COP26.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We want all parts of the British family to contribute to a successful COP26, including the Overseas Territories with their unique perspective. We are currently developing the policy for those who will be included under the COP26 UK delegation. It is too early to confirm names at this stage.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese Government in respect of Chinese over-fishing of fish stocks in the South Atlantic.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government has not engaged bilaterally with the Chinese Government concerning over-fishing of fish stocks in the South Atlantic. Managing and maintaining fishing stocks in the South Atlantic is a shared responsibility. Given the importance of fishing to communities in the region and beyond, the Government continues to encourage relevant states to enhance their cooperation in this area. We are expanding and enhancing our efforts to manage fisheries sustainably, protect ecosystems and combat illegal fishing at an international scale through our engagement in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and other international organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to require that (a) heads of government and (b) other people attending the G7 summit in June 2021 produce a negative covid-19 test before entering the UK.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has some of the strongest safeguards against importing COVID-19 including variants of the virus and we expect foreign officials and diplomats to comply with UK health measures at the border.
We will take all necessary measures to ensure that the G7 Summit is fully COVID-secure and will discuss these with our G7 partners to ensure that their delegates are safe and avoid posing any risk to other attendees or local communities.