Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the response of the Ethiopian Government to the joint statement by the UK, US, Australia, Japan and New Zealand of 11 August 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Our statement called for the immediate de-escalation of violence and for the protection of civilians; we continue to monitor the situation. The Minister for Africa subsequently raised the issue in his meeting with Ethiopian National Security Adviser and the Ambassador raises the issue in all his meetings in Addis Ababa. We urge the Government of Ethiopia to find a political solution to end the violence in the country. We continue to monitor the situation, in concert with others, while maintaining life-saving humanitarian assistance, and the provision of basic services to the people in Amhara affected by conflict.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his polices of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill for democracy and human rights in Zimbabawe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is monitoring the progress through [Zimbabwe's] parliament of so-called "patriotic" amendments to Zimbabwe's criminal code, which could be used to target critics of the state, if passed into law. We regularly raise human rights issues, including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, with the Government of Zimbabwe, in concert with other embassies. The former Minister for Africa [Vicky Ford MP] discussed these issues with Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister [Frederick Shava] last June and our Ambassador publicly underlined the UK's commitment to the right to peaceful assembly and association on 2 October.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to the Zimbabwean Government on the detention of (a) Job Sikhala and (b) Godfrey Sithole.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is monitoring the ongoing detention of opposition Members of Parliament Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole in Zimbabwe. I met with the Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe on 30 June and reiterated the need for all political parties to respect the rule of law, refrain from violence and respect the right of others' to campaign freely ahead of upcoming elections in 2023.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are doubling our assistance for Afghanistan, taking this to £286 million this financial year. On 31 October, the Prime Minister announced the allocation of a further £50 million of this to provide over 2.5 million Afghans with food, health, shelter and warm clothing.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many diplomats the Government employed in the UK Mission to the EU in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
At the end of the two most recent financial years, the number of FCDO UK Based staff working in the UK Mission to the EU was between 100-119 for 2019-20 and between 90-99 for 2020-21.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many diplomats the Government deployed to EU countries in (a) 2020 and (b) 2021.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
At the end of the two most recent financial years, the number of FCDO UK Based staff working in EU countries was between 450-499 for 2019-20 and between 350-399 for 2020-21.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any countries have closed their diplomatic offices in the UK in 2021.
Answered by Amanda Milling - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
FCDO records indicate that the diplomatic mission of the Solomon Islands to the Court of St. James's closed permanently on 31 March 2021, relocating to Brussels, Belgium.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings the UK Government has planned to take place with (a) German and (b) French Ministers before the end of the 2021 calendar year.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Ministers at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly engage with their German and French counterparts in bilateral, E3 (UK-France-Germany) and multilateral formats. Meetings are arranged as and when required. Early meetings between the new Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and her German and French counterparts are being arranged.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of reports on the use of chemical weapons in Tigray.
Answered by James Duddridge
We are aware of reports alleging that civilians in Tigray have suffered burns that may be consistent with the weaponised use of white phosphorus. The Government of Ethiopia has strongly refuted allegations that such weapons are being used against civilians. The UK strongly condemns direct or indiscriminate attacks against civilians no matter what weapon is used.
The UK Government is working to establish the facts. Access to the affected areas, and to verified information, remains difficult. We have called for communications to be restored and for unfettered humanitarian access. We have also consistently called for access for independent human rights investigators. We will continue to do so and support the efforts of the joint investigation between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 ensure unfettered access to humanitarian aid for people in Tigray.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK has been consistent in calling for the protection of civilians in Ethiopia, unfettered humanitarian access, and respect for human rights, and continues to do so. Currently 5.2 million are in need of food aid. We are deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict on food security and nutrition in Tigray, including reports of people dying from hunger. We have raised these points with the Government in Addis Ababa consistently and at the highest levels, most recently during the visit of the UK Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer, from 19-25 May. He has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, a call joined by 14 other nations including the US, Germany and France. I also discussed the issue on 9 June with development ministers from leading donor countries, including G7 nations.
UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are delivering support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. Teams from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa have visited Tigray on six occasions since March, meeting with humanitarian agencies working in the region. To date the UK has provided £22 million of badly needed support to people in Tigray.