Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the stability of biodiversity in the Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government is investing in the development of indicators to contribute to the provision of an evidence base for future biodiversity conservation efforts in the Overseas Territories (OTs). This includes reporting on species that are unique to the OTs and the status of protected areas in the OTs. The Government is also working closely with the OTs to develop a new shared Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy. The new strategy is being designed to benefit all OTs, providing a tool to guide and attract long-term investment in OT biodiversity, and highlighting the importance of building a stronger evidence base for biodiversity conservation efforts in the OTs.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 tackle the issue of invasive species in the Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley
The FCDO, together with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), is providing support to conservation and biodiversity projects in the UK Overseas Territories (OT) including those that tackle the issue of invasive species. The St Helena Cloud Forest project, funded by the cross-government Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, includes invasive species clearance at replanting sites and invasive invertebrate monitoring and management.
The Darwin Plus competitive grants scheme, hosted by DEFRA, has supported a number of projects that aim to tackle the threat posed by invasive non-native species to biodiversity and endemic species in the OTs and welcomes further applications for projects in this area. DEFRA work in combination with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and The Food and Environment Research Agency to bolster biosecurity capacity.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many Overseas Territories the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Americas, Caribbean and the Overseas Territories) has visited.
Answered by David Rutley
The Overseas Territories are an important part of the British family. In addition to our ongoing support, visits by the UK Government reaffirms the unique bond between the UK and the Overseas Territories. After being appointed Minister responsible for the Overseas Territories in July 2023, I [Minister Rutley] have visited the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and the Turks and Caicos Islands and have seen first-hand the positive impacts of the UK-Overseas Territories partnership.
Following a successful Joint Ministerial Council in November, we look forward to further engagement with the Territories, including future visits to the Territories.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many officials from his Department attended COP 28.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office, Lord Cameron, Minister of State, Lord Benyon, and I attended COP28. A final list of confirmed UK participants, including officials from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, will be published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in due course.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many employment tribunals were brought by employees of their Department in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Rutley
Two employment tribunal cases have been brought against the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the last 12 months.
Details of all employment tribunal decision outcomes are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) British, (b) British born and (c) dual nationals who were killed in the terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office have been informed of the deaths of 15 British nationals killed in the terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what (a) diplomatic, (b) operational and (c) other steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of British citizens being held hostage in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley
Our full sympathies are with families affected by the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas. Since the attacks on 7 October, we have worked tirelessly to support the British people affected. Intensive diplomatic efforts are ongoing with the Qataris, Israelis and others to secure the release of all hostages. We will keep working until all the hostages are freed and returned to their families. We are not commenting on individual cases. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have met with the family members of hostages to directly hear their concerns both in Israel and in the UK and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) British, (b) British born and (c) British dual nationals who were kidnapped in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
We have been working with partners across the region to secure the release of all hostages, including British nationals. We are providing consular assistance to the families of British national hostages. Due to the sensitive nature of these cases, we do not provide further details.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of executions that have occurred in Iran in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Rutley
The opaque nature of Iran's judicial system prevents us from knowing exactly how many executions have taken place. However, Iranian human rights groups estimate that over 700 people have been executed this year, marking a concerning escalation. The UK Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances in all countries, especially when imposed upon minors. We have made clear to Iran, both in public and privately, our opposition to the use of the death penalty. We co-sponsored the Iran Human Rights Resolution at the 78th UN General Assembly, calling for an immediate moratorium on executions with a view to eventually abolishing the death penalty.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the nationalities of people executed in Iran in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances in every country, including Iran. The opaque nature of Iran's judicial system makes it difficult to gather detail on all executions that have taken place. The execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari in January demonstrated the Iranian authority's complete disregard for human life. Similarly, their execution of Swedish-Iranian national Habib Chaab in May was an unacceptable politically motivated act. We will never accept Iran's use of the death penalty, or its practice of unfairly detaining foreign nationals, and we will continue to work with partners to hold Iran to account.