Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2021, published 12 April 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the trends in the level of funding for (a) reproductive health programmes and (b) the United Nations Population Fund's thematic programme.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
The UK is committed to promoting and defending comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and to working with our partners to drive progress. Family planning is an important part of our programming on reproductive health. At the 2017 Family Planning Summit, the UK committed to spend an average of £225 million on family planning each year to 2022. The UK has exceeded that commitment, spending an average of approximately £246 million on family planning every year between April 2017 and March 2022. The UK continue to be an important partner and significant funder of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The FCDO works closely with HM Treasury to ensure that aid spend is directed towards our priorities in line with the International Development Strategy, meeting the UK Government's commitment to spend 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance until the fiscal situation allows a return to 0.7%. Comprehensive SRHR is integral to achieving the commitments in the International Development Strategy on women and girls and global health.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Russian Government on the case of British citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza who is imprisoned in Russia.
Answered by Leo Docherty
British Embassy officials have attended Vladimir Kara-Murza's court hearings with other international partners, the last hearing being 24 October. We remain vigilant to attempts by the Russian government to exclude diplomats from future court hearings following Mr Kara-Murza's additional treason charge. HMA Moscow raised the issue of consular access with the Russian MFA. In May, the Foreign Secretary met Mr Kara-Murza's wife, in his previous role as Minister for Europe, and emphasised his determination to continue raising Mr Kara-Murza's case at multilateral fora, including the OSCE. We note the Canadian government's sanctions relating to Mr Kara-Murza. We do not comment on future sanctions designations.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has received representations from relevant stakeholders on the imprisonment of British citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza in Russia.
Answered by Leo Docherty
British Embassy officials have attended Vladimir Kara-Murza's court hearings with other international partners, the last hearing being 24 October. We remain vigilant to attempts by the Russian government to exclude diplomats from future court hearings following Mr Kara-Murza's additional treason charge. HMA Moscow raised the issue of consular access with the Russian MFA. In May, the Foreign Secretary met Mr Kara-Murza's wife, in his previous role as Minister for Europe, and emphasised his determination to continue raising Mr Kara-Murza's case at multilateral fora, including the OSCE. We note the Canadian government's sanctions relating to Mr Kara-Murza. We do not comment on future sanctions designations.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the International Labour Organisation's November 2021 report, One is too many: The collection and analysis of data on occupational injuries in Qatar, what representations he has made to his Qatari counterpart on the unexplained deaths of thousands of migrant workers over the last 10 years in connection with World Cup-related and private construction projects.
Answered by David Rutley
We welcome the steps Qatar has taken to date on workers' rights, with the priority now the full implementation and enforcement of those reforms. We encourage continued close collaboration between the Government of Qatar and the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the second phase of their technical cooperation programme. The former Minister for the Middle East met the Qatari Minister for Labour in July to discuss this issue. The UK Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy visited Doha on 9 October for a range of meetings to discuss how the UK can partner with Qatar and the ILO to support further progress in 2023. We look forward to a sustained partnership that supports continued advancement on this important issue translating into tangible progress for migrant workers.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is providing support to former FARC combatants in Colombia forcibly displaced to Doncello, Caquetá in the context of a lack of security in their reincorporation zone.
Answered by Vicky Ford
To date, the UK has spent over £69 million through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) to support the implementation of the Peace Agreement in Colombia. Our funding is supporting the Colombian Government's rural development and reintegration programmes, transitional justice mechanisms, and strengthening the security and participation of the communities in conflict-affected areas, such as Caquetá.
We will continue to support the Colombian Government in its commitment to implement the 2016 Peace Accords and ensure the protection and safety of former FARC combatants.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has plans to align the sanctions it has imposed against Belarus with those it has imposed against Russia.
Answered by Graham Stuart
We will ensure that the Belarusian regime continues to feel the economic consequences for its facilitation of Putin's war of choice. On 5 July, the UK introduced new economic, trade and transport sanctions against Belarus, including import and export bans on goods and restricting access to UK financial services. This follows on from our sanctions imposed on Lukashenko and 117 other individuals and entities. These sanctions deliver commitments made by the Foreign Secretary in February to extend those sanctions against persons in Russia who support Putin's illegal war, to include people or entities in Belarus.