Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to keep the Gaza medical evacuation scheme operating.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have supported a number of sick and injured children to leave Gaza and receive treatment in the UK. We continue to seek the most effective ways to deploy the UK's resources to meet healthcare needs in Gaza and the region and will update on this in due course.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 support international non-governmental organisations that have been deregistered in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israeli government.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made on 5 January.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Education and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the UK's position on proposals at the UN to negotiate an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to strengthen the right to education.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Education worked together closely to determine the UK's position on the Optional Protocol, as set out in the answer provided on 3 November to Question 84390.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons the UK has opposed proposals at the UN to guarantee at least one year of free pre-primary education and free secondary education in international law.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I provided to question 84390 on 3 November.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the European Commission and (b) her Italian counterpart on the attack on the Ocean Viking Rescue Ship.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 his counterpart in Nigeria on support for Christians that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government regularly advocates for the protections of all vulnerable communities, including religious minorities, through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora as well as raising Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) bilaterally with the Government of Nigeria and other influential parties. In his meeting with the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives on 22 January, the Minister for Africa raised the importance of FoRB and resolving intercommunal conflict and tensions. The UK Government is committed to upholding the right to FoRB and our dialogue on human rights, including FoRB, remains an important part of our partnership with Nigeria.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nations report entitled Report on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, published in January 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that report's recommendation that 15-20% of ODA should be allocated to education on the development of his Department's ODA budgets.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 continuation of funding for education initiatives through ODA.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. Equality Impact Assessments - which consider impacts on women and girls - are an essential part of how we make decisions, including on ODA allocations. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. Education, especially for girls and women, has wide-ranging benefits. It can unlock the potential of women and girls to tackle inter-generational poverty and create economic growth.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 proposed reductions in Official development assistance on low-lying countries such as (a) the Maldives and (b) Bangladesh.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 the reported decision by the US government to pause foreign aid.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
This is a matter for the US. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals requires collective action, and the UK will continue to work with all international partners toward that vision. The UK's commitment to supporting both humanitarian aid and development across the world remains steadfast.