Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to continue the suspension of aid funding to UNWRA until evidence is provided that dismisses links between UNWRA and proscribed terror groups.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We have paused any future funding of UNRWA.
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.
We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to strengthen relations with the Republic of Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The bilateral relationship between the UK and Cyprus has never been stronger. Our shared commitment to working together on a wide range of priority areas is underlined in the 2019 Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the comprehensive bilateral MoU signed last year. In June the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Kombos for wide-ranging discussions. They discussed multiple bilateral initiatives, including the UK's recent technical support for Cyprus in refreshing its approach to sanctions enforcement, and re-affirmed our commitment to accelerate implementation of other issues covered in the MoU.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department have taken to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh since January 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, providing a total of £362 million of support since 2017. Minister Trevelyan visited Bangladesh in March this year and announced £5.26 million to support the World Food Programme and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to feed 449,000 people and provide pressure cookers to reduce the consumption of cooking gas. In May, the UK announced £2.3 million to support healthcare, shelter rebuilding and site management for refugees and host communities in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. Most recently in July, the UK announced a further £10 million of assistance for refugees and host communities for food provision, water, sanitation and hygiene.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
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 provide international development charities with funding to increase their aid capabilities.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are important partners in delivering UK aid, developing policy and tackling the biggest challenges. The International Development Strategy sets out our commitment to working in partnership with CSOs, large and small from across the UK, as well as southern-based CSOs. The strategy also commits us to increase the speed we engage partners through grants.
The FCDO continues to partner with civil society to deliver impact with UK aid and we are currently considering our future approach to central funding. Engagement with the sector will be key to shaping this offer, and we will take particular care to include engagement with local actors.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to provide aid and support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, contributing £350 million to the crisis since 2017. Our support has provided food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.
I (Minister Trevelyan) visited Bangladesh in March this year and witnessed the challenges facing the Rohingya first hand. During my visit, I announced a further £5.26 million for the response. This funding has helped the World Food Programme feed 449,000 people and provided pressure cookers to help reduce the consumption of cooking gas. The UK will continue to work with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
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 girls' education in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is investing up to £54.5 million over the next eight years to improve education outcomes for girls in Bangladesh. We support approximately 360,000 marginalised children, particularly girls, to gain foundational literacy and numeracy. The UK also provides technical assistance to strengthen primary and secondary education. This includes improving students' reading skills, online teacher education, and performance monitoring systems. Approximately 88,250 children who dropped out of school during the pandemic, are receiving catch-up education to complete their primary years. The UK is also one of the largest contributors (15 per cent) to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) fund. Between 2020 and 2023, Bangladesh will receive $79.7 million from GPE.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
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 strengthen ties between the UK and Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh's independence in 1971, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations in February 2022. We continue to expand the UK/Bangladesh ties, including on trade and investment, defence and security, people-to-people links and cooperation on Rohingya and climate. Bangladesh is a key trading partner in the region, with UK-Bangladesh trade totalling $4.5 billion per year. Last year, we provided £75 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Bangladesh. As Bangladesh works toward graduation from Least Developed Country status in 2026, the UK is proud to stand as a close partner, strengthening ties and building on our shared interests.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
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 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Bangladesh with the Rohingya response. We have been a leading donor in Bangladesh, having contributed £345 million to the crisis since 2017. Our support continues to provide food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.
We work closely with UN agencies and the Government of Bangladesh to provide basic services to Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh. We have led efforts in international fora to keep the spotlight on the protracted Rohingya crisis, including through our role as penholder on Myanmar in the UN Security Council.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Morocco's Western Sahara Autonomy Proposal on the Western Sahara region; and whether she has made an assessment of the viability of that proposal.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We take note of the proposals presented by the parties to the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) in 2007. We strongly support the work of Staffan de Mistura as the UNSG's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara and encourage all concerned to make the most of this opportunity for a renewed political process to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK’s partnership with Rwanda on development opportunities in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is a longstanding partner to Rwanda, having provided official development assistance (ODA) to support Rwanda's social and economic development since the 1990s. Our development cooperation has delivered huge benefit to the people of Rwanda, helping to lift 2 million people out of poverty. The Migration and Economic Development Partnership builds on this, whilst also delivering a much-needed solution to global migration challenges, and will provide a substantial boost to the development of Rwanda, including on jobs, skills and opportunities to benefit both migrants and host communities.