Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on allowing medical aid into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable, and we remain deeply concerned by the impact of the conflict on access to medical facilities and healthcare. We are clear that Israel can and must do more to get aid into Gaza. The Prime Minister stressed this in a call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on 19 October; the Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his call with Foreign Minister Katz on 27 October. The UK is committed to alleviating the suffering in Gaza and we provide significant funding to partners, including support to UK-Med to run field hospitals in Gaza. On 17 October we announced the UK will match up to £10 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Middle East humanitarian appeal.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote LGBT rights across the Commonwealth.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is strongly committed to championing LGBT+ human rights and activists across the Commonwealth. This work is enabled by our £40 million LGBT+ Rights Programme, which supports the vital work of organisations such as The Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN) to end violence and discrimination, reform discriminatory legislation, and uphold the human rights and freedoms of all LGBT+ people. Lord Collins, Minister responsible for the Commonwealth, will be meeting TCEN and other Civil Society organisations at CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) in Samoa next week.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote civic reconciliation in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK Government is supporting the Interim Government in Bangladesh as it works to restore peace and order, ensure accountability and create a peaceful pathway to an inclusive democratic future. We support the work of the United Nations as it works to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding to identify human rights violations. The UK Government is providing up to £27 million over five years (March 2023 to February 2028) under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the UK responds adequately to the humanitarian crisis of the collapsed healthcare system in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is concerned about the worsening humanitarian context in Gaza. The FCDO is closely monitoring the impact of the conflict, including on health. We recently announced £5.5 million for UK-Med to support the ongoing work of its field hospitals and the rehabilitation of the emergency department at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Since the start of the 2024/25 Financial Year we have also provided additional funding to humanitarian agencies including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) (£21 million) and UNICEF (£6 million) for their activities, which include healthcare. We welcome the news that the UN's polio vaccine campaign is now underway, and that the UK's funding to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is supporting delivery. We continue to press Israel to increase humanitarian access, including health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) relief items.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of recent Israeli military activity in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned by the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) ongoing military operation in the occupied West Bank and attacks by Palestinian militants. We recognise Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent. As our statement on 30 August made clear, we continue to call on the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the interim government in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK Government welcomes the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations and ensuring accountability. The British High Commissioner in Dhaka met with the Chief Adviser and Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government in August. The British High Commission continue to engage with the Interim Government in Bangladesh on key priorities.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 potential impact of the US economic embargo on Cuba on (a) the economy of Cuba and (b) trade between the UK and Cuba.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK has consistently voted in support of the annual United Nations General Assembly Resolution calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba. The embargo impedes the economic development of the country. Titles III and IV of the Helms Burton Act prevent and restrict British companies (among others) from conducting legitimate and lawful business in Cuba.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bangladesh and (b) diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help protect the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West
I spoke to the Bangladesh High Commissioner on 19 and 23 July to reiterate my concerns about the events unfolding in Bangladesh. In July and August, the UK Government issued statements expressing concern about the situation in Bangladesh, calling for all sides to work together to end the violence and for internet access and communications services to be quickly restored. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The Interim Government in Bangladesh has the UK's full support as it works to restore peace and order including investigating alleged human rights violations and ensuring accountability.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 level of religious-based violence against minorities in Bangladesh following the collapse of Sheikh Hasina's government.
Answered by Catherine West
In our public statements about the situation in Bangladesh, we urged for an end to the violence and a de-escalation of the situation. We were clear that a full and independent UN-led investigation into recent events is important. The UK Government welcomed the appointment of the Interim Government in Bangladesh, and it has the UK's support as it works to restore peace and order, as well as ensure accountability and promote national reconciliation. The UK is committed to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, as guaranteed under international human rights law.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 political situation in Colombia.
Answered by Catherine West
Colombia is an important partner for the UK, with our shared priorities including the environment and security. We are working with the Colombian Government and others on implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement. President Petro is committed to implementing the 2016 Agreement as well as establishing dialogues with other armed groups - what he terms 'Paz Total' (Total Peace). The UK remains committed to supporting Colombia in establishing long term conditions for stability in the country. We will also work with Colombia on the climate and nature emergency - as they host the important Biodiversity Conference of the Parties meeting later this year.