Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
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 implications for her policies of the effect of Lebanon's economic crisis on the humanitarian welfare of Palestinian refugees in that country.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK is one of the leading donors in supporting Lebanon to host both Syrian and Palestinian refugees. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £787 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon. Our humanitarian assistance will continue to promote access to education and provide those most in need with timely, flexible assistance and protection services to cover their basic survival needs and reduce gender-based violence, saving lives and reducing suffering. The UK is also a key supporter to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides vital services to Palestinian refugees across their five fields of operation, including in Lebanon.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government has made representations to the Government of Bahrain on the hunger strike being carried by Dr Abduljalil al-Singace.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor and raise the case of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace, as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the oversight bodies.Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the implications for her policy of the decision by Interpol to allow Syria to rejoin that organisation's information exchange network.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
INTERPOL is an independent organisation and is politically neutral in fulfilling its mandate. The UK does not have any influence on the decision to readmit Syria to INTERPOL's information exchange network. The UK remains strongly opposed to any degree of normalisation with the Assad regime in light of the many crimes committed under its leadership. The FCDO will continue to advocate for sustained diplomatic pressure on the regime to force its serious engagement with the UN-led political process, which remains the only viable route to a lasting and inclusive peace in Syria.
On 9 September, the Home Secretary with her G7 counterparts committed to strengthening our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL notices, to improperly target and detain individuals for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through supporting INTERPOL's use of corrective measures, as appropriate, and increasing outreach on this issue.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Government plans to publish information on BA flight 149, 1 August 1990, and the detention of British citizens from that flight in Kuwait.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Any information that the FCDO holds in its records on Flight BA149, and the detention of the passengers and crew from that flight by the then Iraqi government, will be made available at The National Archives in line with FCDO's obligations under Public Records Act, subject to any legal exemptions. Further information about the FCDO's record release programme is available at www.gov.uk/archive-records.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Bahrain on (a) the return of Abuljalil AlSingace's confiscated research to him or his family and (b) his release from detention.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to monitor and raise the case of Dr Abduljalil al-Singace and others as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the oversight bodies.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Government of Bahrain to ensure that Hassan Mushaima (a) receives food appropriate to his dietary requirements, (b) is granted full access to his medical records and (c) is immediately released from prison.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Responsibility for the provision of dietary and medical care to Hassan Mushaima lies with the Government of Bahrain, who have made clear that access to medical care for those in detention is guaranteed by the Constitution of Bahrain. We continue to monitor and raise the case of Hassan Mushaima and others, as necessary, with the Bahraini Government as well as with the oversight bodies.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance he has allocated to Lebanon in (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
FCDO's 21/22 planned country allocations (budgets) will be published in our Annual Report later this year alongside our audited 20/21 accounts. HMG's final 2021 ODA spend, including country data will be published in the 'Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend' in autumn 2022. We will continue to publish our spend information by project on DevTracker.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
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 the supply of (a) food, (b) fuel and (c) medicine into Lebanon.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £780 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon. We have provided 1.1 million people with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation, and improved infrastructure and services in over 220 municipalities. In the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, the UK was one of the biggest donors to the response, providing over £27 million of assistance to support the most vulnerable. The UK is at forefront of support to Lebanon's response to coronavirus and has contributed nearly £4.5 million for medical supplies via the World Health Organisation and support through the British Red Cross as well as funding 10 isolation centres.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
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 adequacy of the UK’s support to Tunisia’s covid-19 vaccination programme; and what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the provision of further support from the international community to that programme.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
I discussed the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic with the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Othman Jerandi, in the margins of the G20 in Italy on 29 June. The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Advance Market Commitment, committing £548 million. The UK is also donating 80% of its surplus vaccines to COVAX. This support to COVAX has been critical to it supplying COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and economies, including Tunisia. By the end of June, Tunisia received over 760,000 doses from COVAX and will eventually receive 20% of their entire national requirement from COVAX absolutely free.
Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
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 current (a) political and (b) humanitarian situation in Lebanon.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Lebanon is facing a severe economic and political crisis, which the World Bank has warned could rank in the top ten, possibly top three, most severe crises globally since the mid-nineteenth century. Its people are suffering from the failure of Lebanon's political elites to form a government and deliver much-needed and long-promised reforms, exacerbated by the public health crisis caused by COVID-19 and the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion in August 2020.
The UK is a long-standing friend of Lebanon. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £780 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon. The UK and members of the International Support Group for Lebanon stand with the people of Lebanon in their time of need, but we are clear that Lebanon's leaders need to form a capable government and implement a credible reform process as the only sustainable way to address the crisis. I made this clear in my public message following Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Hariri's resignation on 15 July.