Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) European and (b) US counterparts on (i) seizing and (ii) re-purposing Russian state assets to support the financing of Ukraine's reconstruction.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is discussing with our partners how to use immobilised assets to support Ukraine. G7 Leaders have tasked Ministries to continue working on these issues and to report back ahead of the Leaders' Summit in June. We will update the House as this develops, noting it would not be appropriate to offer a running commentary on those discussions.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what plans he has to (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of the Navalny list and (b) review further sanctions on Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The United Kingdom consistently condemned Mr Navalny's politically motivated sentencing, called for his immediate and unconditional release and expressed our grave concern for his welfare.
Over 2020 and 2021, the UK sanctioned 13 individuals and one entity responsible for his poisoning. The UK has also sanctioned six individuals heading up the penal colony where Alexei Navalny died after years of mistreatment by the Russian authorities on 21 February 2024. Whilst we do not comment on potential future designations, the UK has designated the majority of individuals on both the original Navalny 35 list, and the wider Anti-Corruption Foundation list.
The UK remains steadfast in our support to Ukraine. Together with our international partners, we have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. The UK alone has sanctioned 2,000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime. Most recently, on 22 February a new package of over 50 UK designations targeted Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions on its war machine and major revenue sources, demonstrating the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to secure the release of Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government has consistently condemned Vladimir Kara-Murza's politically motivated conviction and called for his release since his arrest. The Foreign Secretary met Mr Kara-Murza's wife and mother on 1 March to discuss our approach. We continue to call for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds for urgent medical treatment. We continue to raise his case with the Russian authorities at every available opportunity, including at ambassadorial-level, and in multilateral fora, most recently at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and UN Human Rights Council. The FCDO sanctioned 11 individuals in response to his sentencing and appeal, as well as two individuals involved in his earlier poisoning.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals are detained in (a) Russia and (b) Belarus; and what consular support is provided to them.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO is currently aware of fewer than 5 British nationals detained in Russia, and are providing consular assistance. According to our records, there are currently no British nationals detained in Belarus. However, British nationals are not obliged to inform the FCDO of their detention. We provide tailored consular assistance in line with our public guidance, found on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/arrested-or-detained-abroad), which sets out the support British nationals can expect to receive. This can include meeting with the detainee; offering support to their family; providing a list of English-speaking lawyers and basic information about the local system in the form of our local prisoner pack; facilitating the transfer of funds for prison comforts; and raising concerns with the local authorities where the detainee is not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US on (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) military support for Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We are in constant contact with our international partners to ensure Ukraine receives the diplomatic, military and humanitarian support it needs. The Foreign Secretary held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reaffirm international cooperation and support for Ukraine during his visit to Washington on 6-7 December last year and spoke again most recently on 7 March. The Foreign Secretary also set out the high level of UK ambition at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January and at the Munich Security Conference in February. We continue to work with US counterparts to deepen and strengthen our mutual priorities.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps the Government is taking to help (a) expand and (b) support existing marine protected areas across the UK Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Overseas Territories (OTs) are an integral and richly biodiverse part of the British family. Since 2016, the Government has worked to assist the OTs with managing their Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and sustainable management frameworks through the FCDO's Blue Belt Programme, which provides support, training and technical expertise to protect species and habitats within their waters. The Programme exemplifies what we can achieve in partnership with the OTs, supports the protection of over 4.4 million square kilometres of ocean, and also provides remote surveillance which ensures vessel and fishing activity within these MPAs remains compliant.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to close loopholes in the sanctions regime against the Russian Federation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to use sanctions to bear down on Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. Last month, a new package of over 50 UK designations targeted Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions on its war machine and major revenue sources. Earlier this month, we delivered new legislation to bring about a coordinated ban on Russian diamond exports. With partners, we have strengthened the Oil Price Cap (OPC) mechanism and added new items to the Common High Priority (CHP) list. We are preparing to bolster our existing powers to target malign Russian shipping activity. We continue to strengthen sanctions enforcement, with the creation of the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) and a new unit within the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) to licence and enforce the OPC.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) expand, (b) strengthen and (c) protect Marine Protected Areas in the UK's Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Each UK Government department has a nominated Minster with responsibility for the Overseas Territories (OTs). The Government engages on marine protection with the OTs through the Blue Belt programme which is an FCDO funded initiative delivered in close collaboration with DEFRA. The programme has supported the OTs since 2016 with the creation, protection and enforcement of their Marine Protected Areas, protecting over 4.4 million square kilometres of ocean habitats and species.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on their responsibilities to the overseas territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister for Overseas Territories, I [Minister Rutley] regularly meet Ministers across Government on priority areas of work progressed by their departments, and on issues requiring cross departmental collaboration. This includes recent meetings with Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Ministry of Defence.
Each UK Government Department has nominated a Minister with responsibility for the OTs, in support of the long-standing position that each Department should engage and support the OTs in their areas of responsibility. These Ministers meet quarterly as a Ministerial Group chaired by myself, as the FCDO Minister for the Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the involvement of UK-based (a) insurers, (b) insurance markets and (c) shipping companies in the provision of services for the (i) export of goods to and (ii) import of goods from Russia.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has introduced a comprehensive set of import and export restrictions on Russia. This has led to a 94 per cent fall in Russian imports into the UK and a 74 per cent fall in UK exports to Russia. Over £20 billion of UK-Russia bilateral trade (from 2021 figures) is now under full or partial sanction.
As well as banning the import and export of goods and technology, UK nationals and companies are prohibited from providing ancillary services which enable their trade, including financial services and funds which includes insurance, brokering and technical assistance.
The UK, alongside the G7 and Australia, has also banned the import of Russian oil and oil products. This substantially reduces the size of the global market for Russian oil and oil product exports.
Importantly, we have also created the Oil Price Cap which operates globally by prohibiting UK and G7+ firms from providing services such as shipping, insurance, and finance to facilitate the maritime transport of Russian oil and oil products to third countries, unless the oil was purchased from Russia at or below the cap. By limiting the price of Russian oil and oil products exported to third countries rather than restricting maritime services altogether, we restrict the revenues flowing to the Russian state and undermine Putin's ability to fund his illegal war in Ukraine, while still enabling oil to flow in a tight market and ensuring that third countries can continue to secure affordable oil.