Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) obstructions and (b) physical assaults there have been on Palestinian health workers by Israeli forces since 1 January 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
The work of healthcare workers across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work. We recognise that under international humanitarian law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent possible. The wounded and critically ill in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories should be able to access the urgent medical care they need. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. During his call on 4 July with the Israeli chargé d'affaires in London, the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, urged Israel to safeguard access to healthcare and take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of civilians during Israeli operations in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary also emphasised the importance of the proactive protection of civilians during his call with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 5 July.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
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 potential impact of the closure of Gaza and associated movement restrictions on survival rates of patients with cancer in Gaza.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have made clear our concern about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of access to healthcare, including critical health services, with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 1 June. We are urging the Government of Israel to ensure this access is maintained. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
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 potential impact of Israel’s permit regime on the mental health of patients in Gaza in need of treatment that is only available elsewhere.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have made clear our concern about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of access to healthcare, including critical health services, with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 1 June. We are urging the Government of Israel to ensure this access is maintained. The wounded and critically ill in Gaza should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a decision has been taken on the financial contribution the UK will make to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative over the next three years.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK is a longstanding supporter of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), having provided £1.38 billion of funding since 1995. GPEI has been allocated £50 million of fully flexible funding over the next three years, which will enable GPEI to immediately respond to outbreaks of polio. Investing in GPEI will support the delivery of the objectives contained in the International Development Strategy, including to reduce the risk of future global health threats. The UK will continue be a strong partner to GPEI.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2022 to Question 148224, on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what quantities of (a) AstraZeneca and (b) mRNA vaccines the UK (i) has donated and (ii) plans to donate to other countries through (A) COVAX and (B) bilateral country donations.
Answered by Amanda Milling
As of 20 April 2022, the UK has delivered over 60.2 million COVID-19 vaccines (AstraZeneca and Janssen). 53.5 million of these have gone to COVAX for allocation and distribution in line with their fair allocation model, while 6.7 million have gone bilaterally.
We have offered 100 million doses for donation but global supply has increased considerably. Many low-income countries have limited capacity to deploy COVID vaccines and face other pressing health challenges to be tackled with limited health resources. We will continue to facilitate donations, including of mRNA vaccines, where there is demand and countries have the capacity to manage them.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) type and (b) make of covid-19 vaccines the UK is donating to (a) COVAX and (b) bilateral arrangements with low and middle-income countries as of 28 March 2022.
Answered by Amanda Milling
As a force for good in the world, through our participation in COVAX and by sharing vaccines, the UK is championing the need for access for all countries. As of 28 March the UK has delivered Adenovirus (AstraZeneca and Janssen/Johnson and Johnson) vaccines to low and middle-income countries through COVAX, who will also soon be delivering UK Protein Adjuvant (Novavax) vaccines to developing countries in line with their fair allocation model. We also have made bilateral donations, and are working on bilateral deliveries of AstraZeneca and mRNA (Moderna and Pfizer) vaccines in the coming months.
The UK was one of the earliest and largest donors to COVAX, contributing £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Our early funding gave the COVAX AMC the purchase power to secure deals with manufacturers to supply internationally approved vaccines for up to 92 low and middle-income countries. So far, COVAX has helped deliver over 1.16 billion doses to 144 participants.