Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help deliver on the Prime Minister's call for G7 countries to help vaccinate the world against covid-19 by the end of 2022.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK is at the forefront of the international response to COVID-19. Our funding has enabled COVAX to deliver over 1.3 billion COVID vaccines to 87 developing countries. The UK has donated over 85 million doses, benefitting 42 countries, and offered a further 15 million doses.
The UK used its G7 Presidency in 2021 to mobilise G7 countries to donate vaccines that were surplus to domestic need, the majority channelled through COVAX. By May 2022, the G7 had donated 1.18 billion doses, more than the 870 million doses that G7 members agreed to make available by mid-2022. With supply no longer an issue, the UK is working with G7 and international partners such as COVAX Vaccine Delivery Partnership to tackle delivery bottlenecks and improve uptake in low coverage countries to meet national targets.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to countries neighbouring Ukraine in the context of the flow of high numbers of refugees from that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
As of 8 March, 2 million people are known to have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR [link: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine]. These numbers will continue to rise. The UK government has so far pledged £395 million of aid, which includes £220 million of humanitarian assistance, some of which will go to countries neighbouring Ukraine. Our humanitarian support will help partners stand up their responses to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, creating a lifeline for Ukrainians with access to immediate assistance. HMG is also match-funding the public's first £25m of donations to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, our largest ever aid-match contribution.
In addition to the humanitarian assistance already mentioned, the UK has deployed humanitarian experts to Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide logistics, advice and analysis of the refugee situation, and a medical assessment team to Romania and Moldova to assess options for rapidly deploying UK Emergency Medical Team (UKEMT) capabilities.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for his policies of the impact of (a) sanctions and (b) reduction in official overseas development aid for civilians living in Syria.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
UK Syria sanctions carefully target the Assad regime and its cronies, not the civilian population. Sanctions are imposed for specific purposes. They play an indispensable role in countering breaches of international law, proliferation, staunching the flow of arms into war zones, combatting human rights abuses, and targeting spoilers of peace processes. The UK does not sanction medicine, medical equipment or medical assistance, and items required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are not subject to direct restrictions on export, supply, financing or use in Syria. To further guard against unintentional humanitarian impact, UK sanctions provide for a range of exceptions, in order not to obstruct humanitarian activity, or export of medicines or other humanitarian goods.
As the third largest bilateral donor to the Syria Crisis, the UK is at the forefront of the international response, helping those most in need and encouraging the wider international humanitarian response to do the same. To date, the UK has committed over £3.7 billion in response to the regional Syria Crisis, our largest humanitarian response. In financial year 2020/21, UK Aid helped deliver 11,077 food rations, 552,496 people with clean drinking water, 202,004 vaccines, 133,367 relief packages, 1,350,048 medical consultations and 244,739 pupils with access to formal education, inside Syria. The UK remains a force for good at times of crisis, and we will continue to support the Syrian people.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2016 to Question 45858 and 2 August 2016 to Question 42407, whether Government assistance has been provided to the UK Thalidomide Trust on its proposal to allow collective compensation applications to Contergan Foundation established by the German government.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Government has discussed this proposal with the Thalidomide Trust and is considering the detail. The German Government has been clear, however, that collective compensation is not permissible. In response to the UK Government's previous correspondence they have stated that:
"The assessment of damage by the Medical Commission of the Contergan Foundation and the individual categorization in line with the damage points according to the legally stipulated points based system are mandatory – irrespective of analogous assessments from abroad".
The German Government further states that there are approximately 300 non-German recognised persons worldwide who are currently supported by the Contergan Foundation, each of whom has undergone individual assessment. This information has been shared with the Trust.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on the Government's discussions with the German government on (a) the proposed compensation scheme for UK thalidomide survivors and (b) proposals for UK Thalidomide Trust to submit collective compensation applications.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 2 August 2016 (42407).Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the threat posed to minority religious groups with refugee camps Syria within refugee camps; and what steps the Government has taken to protect such groups from persecution.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Assad’s actions have fuelled sectarian violence and his regime is ultimately responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The UK, as part of the International Syria Support Group, has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, is fundamental. This means that Syrian minorities will be included and safeguarded as the political process progresses.
We are supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, as we seek further progress on a political settlement. The UK is working with the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) to intensify their outreach and identification activities in the region; and to encourage and invite all unregistered populations to avail themselves of UNHCR’s assistance and protection services. This includes resettlement where eligible, either by directly approaching UNHCR to register with them or by referral via a third organisation.
Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, the UK is helping some of the most vulnerable refugees based on need. The scheme is open to all eligible persons regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, and prioritises the most vulnerable.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Yemen.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We continue to remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen. The UK supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015, which called on the UN to provide technical assistance to the Government of Yemen, assist the Yemeni National Independent Commission of Inquiry, and report back to the next session of the Human Rights Council. We continue to raise the importance of respect for human rights with all sides to the conflict.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on reform of (a) EU Social Policy, (b) EU Employment Policy, (c) the free movement of labour within the EU and (e) EU red tape and regulation.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear on the need to reform EU laws to reduce the incentives which have led to mass immigration from Europe, increase economic competitiveness and cut red tape to create jobs and growth for hard working families.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in what ways the Balance of Competences review on the EU has informed the Government's negotiating position on EU reform.
Answered by David Lidington
I refer the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East to the answer I gave on 17 June 2015 to PQ1804. The Review received over 2300 evidence contributions from a wide range of groups and individuals and has been commended by the House of Lords. Much of this evidence supports the Government’s EU reform agenda.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his objectives are for negotiations with representatives of the EU and EU member state governments on EU reform.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has already been clear about areas where he wants to see reform. These include: reforming welfare; increasing economic competitiveness to create jobs and growth; protecting Britain's interests outside the euro; and dealing with the idea of Ever Closer Union – which may be right for others but is not right for Britain.