Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what international commitments he plans to make in relation to the Global Care Reform Campaign.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Global Charter on Children's Care Reform, led by the UK, sets out a series of commitments including supporting families to prevent unnecessary separation, ensuring safe and nurturing family-based alternative care and progressively ending the institutionalisation of all children.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 sustainable impact of the Global Care Reform Campaign, including (a) a long-term strategy up to 2030 and (b) adequate resourcing.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the Children's Care Reform campaign, a new programme was launched earlier this year to provide resources for technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter and engagement with stakeholders, including young people with lived experience of the care system. The charter includes a commitment by all signatories to seek to monitor and phase out funding streams that incentivise institutionalisation, contribute to unnecessary family separation and undermine efforts to prioritise family care.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to redirect funding for orphanage economies to fund family strengthening.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of the Children's Care Reform campaign, a new programme was launched earlier this year to provide resources for technical assistance to signatories of the Global Charter and engagement with stakeholders, including young people with lived experience of the care system. The charter includes a commitment by all signatories to seek to monitor and phase out funding streams that incentivise institutionalisation, contribute to unnecessary family separation and undermine efforts to prioritise family care.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help de-escalate the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are engaging with a range of international partners to coordinate action on de-escalation of the conflict in Sudan, including through our role as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council. The UK has shown clear leadership on Sudan, including the London Sudan Conference on 15 April, convened by the Foreign Secretary and attended by Foreign Ministers and high-level representatives from 21 countries and multilateral bodies. Discussions focussed on how to make progress on shared goals of ending the conflict, protecting civilians and scaling-up the delivery of humanitarian aid, echoed in the Co-Chairs' Statement. Participants agreed on the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and committed to proactively support efforts to find a peaceful solution. We continue to engage with international partners towards this goal. Senior UK officials also continue to engage with the warring parties to urge them to return to the negotiating table and commit to a meaningful, sustainable ceasefire in Sudan.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 the Secretary of State for Defence on establishing field hospitals in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations. It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care in Gaza and the region, including additional funding for UK-Med. Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 500,000 patient consultations in their field hospitals, emergency departments, and mobile clinics in Gaza since January 2024.
We urgently need more supplies reaching healthcare facilities and better protections for aid and medical workers. As the Minister for International Development said in August, we are straining every sinew to get the aid that is needed in, and quickly.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide clean (a) medical and (b) surgical equipment in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink following Israel's expanded military operations. It is appalling that nearly all Gaza's hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). We recently announced a £7.5 million package to strengthen medical care in Gaza and the region, including additional funding for UK-Med. Through our partnership with UK-Med, they have provided over 500,000 patient consultations in their field hospitals, emergency departments, and mobile clinics in Gaza since January 2024.
We urgently need more supplies reaching healthcare facilities and better protections for aid and medical workers. As the Minister for International Development said in August, we are straining every sinew to get the aid that is needed in, and quickly.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on restrictions faced by (a) Christians and (b) underground churches in China.
Answered by Catherine West
The environment for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. Chinese regulations on religious activity severely restrict religious and cultural expression in China. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to FoRB. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.
More broadly, this Government champions FoRB for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to FoRB through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora, and through bilateral engagement.
The recent launch of our FoRB strategy on July 8 outlines our approach to promoting and protecting the right to FoRB globally, of which China is one of ten focus countries. We continue to do all we can to encourage FoRB across China.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the level of ODA spend.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
To fund an increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision to reduce our ODA budget to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027. This reflects the world we live in and the threats our country faces. We must do this to maintain economic stability - the foundation of this Government's Plan for Change. The Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when the fiscal circumstances allow.
The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast. The Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast shows that the ODA fiscal tests are not due to be met within the Parliament.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to engage with his Iranian counterparts on the status of the Jewish community in Iran; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help ensure the protection of (a) religious freedoms and (b) civil rights for Jews and other religious minorities in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. Religious minorities, including the Jewish community, suffer discrimination in law and practice, including in access to education, employment, child adoption, political office and places of worship. The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN raised the continued systematic targeting and repression of religious minorities on the 18 March. We were integral to the delivery of a new Human Rights Council resolution on Iran on 3 April, which renewed and expanded the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran. This will investigate a broader range of abuses including against religious minorities, in an important step towards accountability. Our Ambassador to Iran and the Foreign Secretary continue to raise human rights directly with the Iranian Government.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 reductions in aid spending on the global influence of (a) China and (b) other countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the Government has taken the decision in the current fiscal and economic circumstances to reduce our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.
This was not an ideological decision, but a hardheaded one, recognising that resources devoted to diplomacy, development and defence have had to evolve over time to reflect the global context.
The UK Government is fully committed to the UK playing a significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners.