Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding from the Overseas Development Assistance budget has been directed towards housing (a) asylum seekers, (b) refugees and (c) illegal migrants in their first year living in the UK in each year since 2020.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK reports its Official Development Assistance spend on a calendar year basis in the Statistics on International Development, including the amount spent on in-donor refugee costs.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the viability of the ceasefire deal regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the oral statement on the Middle East made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the her US counterparts on the application for the proposed Chinese embassy in London.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The US is our closest ally, and we liaise closely with them on a wide range of issues.
A final decision on the proposed embassy will be made by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government in their independent, quasi-judicial role.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 European Union counterparts on the residency rights of UK citizens in the EU.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Residency in the EU is primarily a matter for individual Member States, but ministers and officials frequently engage with a range of Member State counterparts to advocate for the rights and interests of British citizens living and working across the EU.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Secret Intelligence Service’s diversity and inclusion policies on the recruitment of White Britons to its Summer Intelligence Internship.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The intelligence agencies, as with any arm to the Civil Service, must take any decisions seeking to improve the diversity of their workforce in-line with UK law and in adherence with the relevant measures of the Equalities Act 2010. These measures permit employers to take specific actions to enable or encourage those with protected characteristics to apply for particular roles. Such action is considered lawful and includes both individuals from White minority backgrounds, those from socially or economically underrepresented groups and those from an ethnic minority background.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to seize further Russian assets in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is firmly committed to ensuring Russia pays for the damage it has caused and is causing in Ukraine. We have already made progress using sanctioned Russian assets to support Ukraine. Over half of the UK's £2.26 billion contribution to the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme has now been disbursed to Ukraine, strengthening their defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression. That contribution will be repaid by the profits generated on sanctioned Russian assets. We are working urgently with partners to explore all legal avenues to go further.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department uses Gaza Health Ministry statistics in its Cross Whitehall Briefings.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Like many of our partners, we use data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is never straightforward. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has consulted experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Every Casualty Counts. Experts assess that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 estimated by the Gaza Ministry of Health is a reasonable figure, though numbers of those still under rubble, and still missing, is not yet known.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department takes steps to verify statistics published by the Gaza Health Ministry.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Like many of our partners, we use data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH). Producing reliable casualty statistics in contexts of violent conflict is never straightforward. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has consulted experts, including from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Every Casualty Counts. Experts assess that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 estimated by the Gaza Ministry of Health is a reasonable figure, though numbers of those still under rubble, and still missing, is not yet known.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether criminal charges (a) have been made and (b) convictions have been secured against Sri Lankan nationals on Diego Garcia by BIOT authorities.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Where allegations of criminality are made on BIOT, they are investigated by the authorities there and criminal charges brought and prosecuted where appropriate.