Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held recent discussions with members of The Elders on foreign and development policy.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with members of The Elders. The Foreign Secretary last met with The Elders on 19 October 2022.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 implications for his policies of the joint statement by African faith leaders on 8 August 2023 on reducing debt in African countries.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK Government notes the statement by African Faith Leaders. We are working to ensure swift progress and effective implementation of debt treatments and are working to deliver a long-term, sustainable approach to dealing with debt restructurings through the Common Framework. The UK is leading improvements to the global debt architecture and is supporting efforts to find coordinated solutions on debt including through the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable. During the pandemic, the UK supported the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative and contributed £150 million to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to provide debt relief.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK and Pakistan's economic relationship is supported by strong business links and people-to-people ties. The UK's new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) ensures that 94% of goods exported from Pakistan are eligible for duty-free access to the UK, saving £120 million in tariffs on exports. On 6 June, Lord Ahmad met with Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar to discuss trade. On 20 June the Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell, spoke with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about the importance of promoting economic stability in Pakistan.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) political situation in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly discuss shared threats with the Government of Pakistan, including those relating to terrorism and especially those coming from Afghanistan. UK counter-terrorism assistance to Pakistan has focussed on protecting civilians, strengthening rule of law and developing civilian counter-terrorism institutions.
We continue to monitor the political situation in Pakistan closely. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Jilani on 12 September, to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes and human rights. In a letter to caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani on 21 August, Lord Ahmad emphasised the need for Pakistan's citizens to be able to exercise their democratic rights and participate in peaceful, inclusive, credible elections.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Namibia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Namibia will be one of 25 selected African countries attending the UK-African Investment Summit in April 2024, a high-level event promoting UK-African partnerships in trade and investment, finance, technology, clean energy, food security, critical minerals and women's entrepreneurship. There will be a particular focus on the UK's distinctive role in supporting the economic capabilities of the future (e.g. financial sectors; renewable energy) in African countries. The summit will provide an opportunity to enhance economic cooperation, with particular interest in Namibia's strong and progressive ambitions in the green hydrogen industry, which has strong potential to attract UK investment, fitting the UK's leadership in the renewable energy sector.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to increase funding for tackling climate change.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are working with international partners to ensure donors meet the collective international finance commitments and to press for reforms to the international financial system that will help increase the scale, quality, and accessibility of available climate finance. For our part, The UK is delivering our commitment to spend £11.6 billion International Climate Finance and within this to triple our funding for adaptation. At the G20 the Prime Minister announced that the UK will increase our contribution to the Green Climate Fund with a pledge of $2 billion (>£1.6 billion) for the second replenishment of the fund.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Zimbabwe.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working to increase trade and investment with Zimbabwe to help drive economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty. Through our Economic Partnership Agreement, Zimbabwean companies have duty-free and quota-free access to the UK market, and we are particularly focused on supporting Zimbabwean exports of horticulture produce like blueberries and peas, increasing choices for UK consumers. We are also working to reduce barriers to UK investment in renewable energy and our technical assistance to strengthen the policy environment is unlocking new investment into independent solar power projects.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Kenya.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Mutual Prosperity is one of the five pillars of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership. Bilateral trade, currently standing at £1.2 billion annually, should be boosted by the UK - Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement. The UK is one of Kenya's largest foreign investors, particularly in the climate sector. In 2021, the outward stock of foreign direct investment from the UK in Kenya was £489 million. The Prime Minister met President Ruto at COP27 where they agreed a major package of UK green investments and to fast track six green projects worth £3.4 billion. The UK-African Investment Summit 2024 is also a significant opportunity to further increase our trade and investment collaboration.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and the CARICOM region.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary co-chaired the biennial UK-Caribbean Forum with the Jamaican Foreign Minister, in Kingston, Jamaica on 18 May. The Foreign Secretary discussed improving two-way trade and signed an MoU that will provide an overarching framework for UK-Caribbean cooperation and is the first of its kind between The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and a nation state.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 counterparts in the African Union on recent political events in Gabon.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK echoes the African Union's condemnation of the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Gabon and calls for the restoration of constitutional government, in line with the Commonwealth Charter.
I have held discussions with African counterparts on recent political events in Gabon during my recent visit to Rwanda and Kenya. I have also spoken with the Commonwealth Secretary-General about the situation. UK officials are closely monitoring the situation and working closely with Commonwealth partners on next steps.