Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the maternal mortality rate in Pakistan.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK is one of the largest donors in tackling maternal and child mortality in Pakistan. UK support has improved reproductive health, maternal and child health in Pakistan; since 2012 our programming has prevented 8,811 maternal deaths.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to implement aviation fuel sanctions in respect of the Burmese military.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Since the coup on 1 February 2021, the UK has led the international sanctions response, in coordination with partners, including the US and Canada. The UK has now imposed 11 tranches of targeted sanctions against the military regime. We remain very concerned by the military's use of indiscriminate airstrikes against civilians, and we are exploring further measures to tackle the military's ability to use air capabilities to target civilians. On 28 February 2022 the UK updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities such as jet-fuel do not reach the military.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 her Thai counterpart on enabling humanitarian aid to cross the border between Thailand and Myanmar.
Answered by Amanda Milling
I [Minister Milling] raised the humanitarian assistance challenges in the border areas with Myanmar with Thailand's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, when I visited Thailand in January. I discussed these issues again with my Thai counterpart during the UK-Thailand Strategic Dialogue in London on 30 June.
The UK is providing life-saving support on the Thai-Myanmar border. In Karen and Karenni states, which have seen some of the worst conflict, we are supporting the Border Consortium and DanChurchAid, along with many local organisations, to provide life-saving assistance. This support has reached over 80,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand and 210,000 people in the Thai-Myanmar border areas.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her US counterpart on sanctioning the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Since the coup on 1 February 2021, the UK has imposed 11 tranches of sanctions targeting the military's leadership, businesses and associates. We are in regular contact with our partners in the US, Canada and the EU to coordinate on further sanctions targets. It would be inappropriate to speculate on future targets by either ourselves or our partners.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Iraqi counterpart in respect of the case of Jim Fitton.
Answered by Amanda Milling
Consular officials in Iraq and the UK are providing assistance to Mr Fitton and his family. The British Ambassador in Baghdad has and will continue to, raise Mr Fitton's case with the Iraqi Government. This includes raising with the authorities the UK's strong opposition to the death penalty - both the possibility of it being applied in Mr Fitton's case and in all circumstances as a matter of principle.