Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking with international partners to (a) increase childhood immunisation rates, (b) make vaccine access more equitable and (c) support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted global health and immunisation. The UK Government is supporting efforts to get routine immunisation back on track and has committed £1.65 billion to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, from 2021-2025 to support their mission to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives from vaccine preventable diseases over this period. The UK has supported Gavi since its inception in 2000, during which time Gavi has vaccinated more than 1 billion children in 78 lower-income countries, saving over 17 million lives. Alongside our Gavi investment, we are working with countries to build stronger primary health care systems as a core part of restoring immunisation services.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2023 to Question 3452 on Cyprus: Land Mines, what progress the Government has made on encouraging the Greek Cypriot administration to join efforts to de-mine the island of Cyprus.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK is unequivocal in its support for a mine-free Cyprus. As UN Security Council penholder on Cyprus and a leading troop contributor to United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), we led the drafting of UN Security Council Resolution 2723 in January to renew UNFICYP's mandate and welcomed its unanimous adoption. The resolution included language urging both leaders to overcome existing barriers and expedite demining progress in Cyprus. We engage all sides to encourage the flexibility needed to make progress on tangible cooperation now, and ultimately to reach a just and lasting Cyprus settlement.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of Turkey’s military activity in Syria and Iraq.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage the Turkish government on regional stability, including in Syria and Iraq. The Minister for the Middle East discussed this issue with the Turkish National Security Advisor on 11 April. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in the region but encourages restraint from activity that could lead to further destabilisation or civilian loss of life.
Security and stability in the region are necessary to prevent the worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition and its partners to continue the fight against Daesh.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on continuing military support to Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK has increased our military support to Ukraine this year by £500 million to £3 billion, and pledged to maintain that support until the end of this decade, or longer if required. The Foreign Secretary is in constant contact with international partners making the case for allies to increase their military support to Ukraine. His recent international engagement includes, for example: a visit to Ukraine on 2 May; meetings with NATO Foreign Ministers, G7 Foreign Ministers and his counterparts in the USA in April; Germany in March; and Poland, Bulgaria, France, G20 Foreign Ministers and the UN in February.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make representations to his Greek counterpart on the removal of military personnel from Southern Cyprus.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We do not routinely comment on the activities of non-UK personnel. The UK actively supports peace and stability in Cyprus as a leading troop contributor to UNFICYP and through our support for the UN-led settlement process.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Kurds in Turkey.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and follow this issue closely. We consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what his Department's advice is on direct air travel to (a) Kosovo, (b) Taiwan, (c) Northern Cyprus and (d) other non-UN member states.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The FCDO publishes travel advice which provides guidance on the most relevant issues for British nationals visiting Kosovo, Taiwan and Cyprus, including the north of Cyprus. There are direct flights between the UK and Kosovo, and the UK and Taiwan. Under the Chicago Convention, direct flights are not permitted between the UK and the north of Cyprus. To allow otherwise would be counter to the UK's international obligations. The situations in Kosovo, Taiwan and Cyprus are different and require different approaches.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what (a) assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of and (b) representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the case of Manahel al-Otaibi.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO is closely monitoring the case of Manahel al-Otaibi and the British Embassy in Riyadh will continue to attempt to attend trials where possible. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon regularly raises individual freedom of expression cases with the Saudi authorities, alongside other human rights concerns, including in January with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission. Saudi Arabia remains a FCDO human rights priority country, in part due to continued restrictions on freedom of expression.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether UK consular officials (a) have been granted consular access to Jimmy Lai and (b) are able to visit him in prison.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials continue to raise Jimmy Lai's case at the highest levels with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities and have been clear in our calls for his release, while continuing to press for consular access. Our repeated requests for consular access have been declined by the local authorities on the grounds the Chinese government does not recognise dual nationality and therefore considers Jimmy Lai to be exclusively Chinese. Consular access to dual nationals relies upon the agreement of the detaining state and is not covered in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make (a) an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of and (b) representations to his Saudi counterpart on the approval of new death sentences against minors in that country.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Saudi Arabia remains an FCDO Human Rights Priority Country, in part because of the continued use of the death penalty. The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. During Saudi Arabia's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 22 January, the UK Government recommended that Saudi Arabia abolish the juvenile death penalty and conduct thorough investigations into individuals who may have been minors at the time of their alleged crimes. The Minister for the Middle East and Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has also raised recent cases with the Saudi authorities as a priority, including in January with the President of the Human Rights Commission.