Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will take steps to hold the Myanmar military accountable by using provisions of universal jurisdiction applicable in British law.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is deeply concerned at the serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Myanmar security forces during the coup. The UK is clear that there must be accountability for these acts. Crimes of universal jurisdiction can be reported to the police in the same way as any other offence, and the same standards of evidence and independence of process will apply in respect of any investigation, arrest or prosecution. The operational responsibility for deciding whether to commence or pursue a criminal investigation falls to the police, who exercise their discretion and responsibility to investigate independently of the executive.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of food insecurity in Gaza in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in OPTs has exacerbated the humanitarian and food insecurity situation. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, food insecurity, driven by high poverty and unemployment, affected 1.6 million Palestinians. Latest projections from the World Food Programme show an increase to 2 million Palestinians now food insecure - 40% of the population in OPTs.
To support the humanitarian situation in the OPTs, we are providing £2.5million to the World Food Programme to provide food and cash assistance to the most vulnerable Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza. We have also contributed £1 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's Emergency Appeal in the OPTs which will help provide emergency food to over one million food-insecure refugees in Gaza.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 tackle the gap in oxygen supply for covid-19 patients in Gaza.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have provided £1.25 million funding (the World Health Organisation with £630,000 and the United Nations Children's Fund with £620,000) to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for over 4000 heath workers and 15 oxygen concentrators, treat critical care patients, train frontline health workers and scale up laboratory testing capacity - mainly in Gaza.
The UK has also committed to equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. We are pleased that the OPTs will be among the first to benefit from the COVAX scheme with delivery of a first batch of more than 37,000 doses of the of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine anticipated shortly.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 prevent the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system in the context of the occupied Palestinian territory’s surge of covid-19 cases.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We have provided £1.25 million funding (the World Health Organisation with £630,000 and the United Nations Children's Fund with £620,000) to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for over 4000 heath workers and 15 oxygen concentrators, treat critical care patients, train frontline health workers and scale up laboratory testing capacity - mainly in Gaza.
The UK has also committed to equitable access to effective vaccines as demonstrated by our £548 million contribution to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) - the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines. We are pleased that the OPTs will be among the first to benefit from the COVAX scheme with delivery of a first batch of more than 37,000 doses of the of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine anticipated shortly.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 support health systems in the poorest countries to distribute and administer covid-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which is the international initiative to support global equitable access to vaccines, and of which the UK is one of the largest bilateral donors. Our commitment helped encourage other donors to commit $1 billion by the end of 2020, and our funding will contribute to the supply of at least 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 for up to 92 developing countries.
The COVAX AMC aims to supply fully subsidised doses to vaccinate up to 20 percent of country populations, initially prioritising healthcare workers, and then expanding to cover other priority groups. Countries will then be able to procure additional doses to increase coverage further, subject to vaccine availability. COVAX is supporting countries in assessing vaccine introduction readiness, and to develop detailed national deployment and vaccination plans, including support needed to strengthen delivery systems. Our network of health advisers in relevant AMC countries are working to support host governments tin applying to the COVAX AMC, and preparing for vaccine delivery.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 access to covid-19 vaccinations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The British High Commission in Dhaka has been working closely with the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the Rohingya refugees are included in the national vaccination plan. In the first phase starting in March, around 125,000 of the more vulnerable refugees are due to receive their first vaccination dose. 5,000 frontline health and other workers engaged in the refugee camps will also be vaccinated in this initial phase. The refugees will receive vaccines through COVAX, the multilateral initiative designed to support global and equitable access to vaccines. The COVAX Advance Market Commitment, to which the UK has committed £548m, will supply vaccines to 92 developing countries.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 on forcibly displaced people in fragile and developing countries.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Crowded conditions where social distancing, regular handwashing and self-isolation are difficult, and mean refugees and displaced people are among the most vulnerable. UK funding is helping to install handwashing stations, isolation and treatment centres, providing protection and education services and improved access to clean water for displaced people
We will continue to ensure displaced people are factored into the global COVID response, including access to national testing, health-care and prioritisation of vaccines.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 effect of arrests of peaceful protestors and other restrictions on freedom of expression in Myanmar on the credibility of its 2020 general election.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK has long been a supporter of Myanmar's democratisation. We strongly believe all individuals should have the right to participate freely in the democratic process. Our Ambassador and Development Director have both highlighted the importance of allowing free and open debate when they meet the Union Election Commission and the Government of Myanmar.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 the authorities in Myanmar on the decision by the Union Election Commission to cancel voting in parts of that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We are concerned by ongoing conflict which restricts the ability to hold a free and fair vote. We were concerned by the announcement of cancellations across Rakhine and elsewhere in the country. The Foreign Secretary raised these concerns with the Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation in the run up to the elections. He pressed for further transparency on the mechanism through which constituencies are declared safe for voting to take place. He also urged the Government to commit to holding elections in areas of cancellation as soon as it is possible.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to review its support to the peace process in Myanmar in response to increased conflict in that country since that process began.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK is deeply concerned about ongoing conflict across Myanmar, including in Rakhine and Chin which pose challenges for Myanmar's formal peace process. In May we called a meeting at the UNSC to discuss the conflict and afterwards issued a national statement calling for a ceasefire. We continue to raise our concerns with the Government and call on all sides for a de-escalation of hostilities, a resumption of political dialogue and an inclusive process. We know that it will take time to secure peace and inclusive political settlement, but it is essential if the country is to consolidate its transition to a prosperous and democratic future. We remain committed to supporting Myanmar's Peace Process and democratic transition.