Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 potential impact of proposed reductions in Official development assistance on low-lying countries such as (a) the Maldives and (b) Bangladesh.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact assessments.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 resolve the dispute between the Republic of the Maldives’s Economic Exclusion Zone and the British Indian Ocean Territory’s (a) Fisheries Conservation and Management Zone and (b) Environment (Protection and Preservation) Zone in negotiations with the Government of Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we outlined in our joint statement of 3 October 2024, following two years of negotiation with the intention of resolving all outstanding issues between the UK and Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago, the UK and Mauritius reached political agreement which is subject to the finalisation in a treaty and connected legal instruments. The agreement will be supported by an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius under which the UK will support Mauritius' ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems in the Chagos Archipelago. The UK was not a party to the 2021 International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea case between Mauritius and Maldives.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will consider appealing the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruling on the UK's sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We understand this question refers to the 2021 International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea case between Mauritius and the Maldives, which concerned a maritime boundary dispute between those two States. The UK was not a party to that case.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) nationality of each recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship was in the last five years.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC), provides post-graduate awards (Fellowships, Masters and PhDs) at UK universities to students from approximately 64 eligible Commonwealth countries and British Overseas Territories.
Commonwealth Programme Expenditure:
Financial year | CSC Grant-in-Aid (from HMG, including DfE) (£m) |
2020-21 | 25.313 |
2021-22 | 28.224 |
2022-23 | 28.224 |
2023-24 | 28.224 |
2024-25 | 28.224 |
Breakdown of recipients by nationality of the Commonwealth Scholarship for the last 5 years:
Country/Territory | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 1 | |||
Australia | 2 | 1 | |||
Bangladesh | 44 | 40 | 47 | 29 | 27 |
Belize | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Botswana | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
Cameroon | 17 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 20 |
Canada | 2 | 2 | |||
Dominica | 1 | ||||
Fiji | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
Ghana | 56 | 70 | 50 | 55 | 54 |
Grenada | 2 | ||||
Guyana | 5 | 3 | 1 | ||
India | 72 | 91 | 81 | 76 | 89 |
Jamaica | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
Kenya | 79 | 55 | 74 | 61 | 78 |
Kingdom of Eswatini | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Kiribati | 1 | ||||
Lesotho | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Malawi | 17 | 31 | 20 | 25 | 31 |
Malaysia | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
Maldives | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Mauritius | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Montserrat | 1 | ||||
Mozambique | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
Namibia | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
New Zealand | 1 | 1 | |||
Nigeria | 161 | 174 | 149 | 126 | 89 |
Pakistan | 46 | 54 | 44 | 61 | 65 |
Papua New Guinea | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
Rwanda | 16 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 11 |
Saint Lucia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
Samoa | 1 | ||||
Sierra Leone | 14 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
Singapore | 1 | ||||
Solomon Islands | 3 | ||||
South Africa | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
Sri Lanka | 2 | 15 | 7 | 13 | 7 |
Tanzania | 23 | 14 | 20 | 33 | 23 |
The Gambia | 7 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 5 |
Togo | 1 | ||||
Tonga | 1 | ||||
Tuvalu | 1 | ||||
Uganda | 64 | 53 | 72 | 63 | 59 |
Vanuatu | 2 | ||||
Zambia | 26 | 27 | 23 | 22 | 15 |
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) recipients by nationality of the Chevening Scholarship in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds
Chevening Scholarships provide fully-funded postgraduate masters awards at UK universities for future global leaders from approximately 140 eligible countries and territories.
Chevening Programme Expenditure
Financial year | Total programme expenditure |
2019 - 2020 | £57,744,779.51 |
2020 - 2021 | £50,397,000.00 |
2021 - 2022 | £59,233,000.00 |
2022 - 2023 | £58,994,000.00 |
2023 - 2024 | £59,330,000.00 |
Annual costs for Chevening Scholarships can be found in the FCDO Annual Reports and Accounts on GOV.UK. The cost for each Chevening scholar varies between individuals, depending on factors including the cost of tuition fees, accommodation and flights.
Breakdown of recipients by nationality of the Chevening Scholarship for the last 5 years:
Country/Territory | Awards made in 2019 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) | Awards made in 2020 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) | Awards made in 2021 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) | Awards made in 2022 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) | Awards made in 2023 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) | Awards made in 2024 (incl. full/part partner funded awards) |
Afghanistan | 15 | 23 | 29 | 18 | 21 | 13 |
Albania | 16 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Algeria | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
Angola | 9 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Anguilla | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Argentina | 25 | 19 | 24 | 21 | 15 | 30 |
Armenia | 9 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Azerbaijan | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
Bahamas | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Bangladesh | 13 | 14 | 20 | 15 | 21 | 22 |
Barbados | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Belize | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Benin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Bermuda | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bhutan | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Bolivia | 7 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
Botswana | 9 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Brazil | 57 | 46 | 53 | 47 | 46 | 36 |
Brunei Darussalam | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Burkina Faso |
|
|
|
|
| 2 |
Burundi | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Cambodia | 17 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 9 |
Cameroon | 15 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Canada | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Cape Verde | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Cayman Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chad | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Chile | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
China | 60 | 37 | 41 | 33 | 30 | 17 |
Colombia | 25 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Congo, Republic of | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The | 7 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Costa Rica | 5 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Côte d’Ivoire | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
Cuba | 12 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
Djibouti | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Dominica | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Dominican Republic | 11 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 |
Ecuador | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
Egypt | 45 | 33 | 39 | 32 | 31 | 29 |
El Salvador | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Equatorial Guinea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Eritrea | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Ethiopia | 16 | 24 | 21 | 13 | 18 | 17 |
Falkland Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fiji | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Gabon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Georgia | 13 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 10 |
Ghana | 22 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
Greece | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Grenada | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Guatemala | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
Guinea | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Guyana | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Haiti | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Honduras | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Hong Kong | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Iceland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
India | 47 | 38 | 41 | 46 | 38 | 36 |
Indonesia | 60 | 50 | 58 | 45 | 42 | 39 |
Iraq | 22 | 21 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 18 |
Israel | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Jamaica | 18 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 |
Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Jordan | 15 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
Kazakhstan | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
Kenya | 33 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 30 |
Kingdom of Eswatini | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Kiribati | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kosovo | 5 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
Kyrgyzstan | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Lao People's Democratic Republic | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Lebanon | 9 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Lesotho | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
Liberia | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Libya | 18 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 11 |
Madagascar | 11 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
Malawi | 13 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
Malaysia | 38 | 37 | 40 | 38 | 34 | 31 |
Maldives | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Mali | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Mauritania | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Mauritius | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Mexico | 53 | 39 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 33 |
Moldova, Republic Of | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
Mongolia | 7 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
Montenegro | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
Montserrat | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Morocco | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
Mozambique | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
Myanmar | 12 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Namibia | 9 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 11 |
Nauru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Nepal | 11 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Nicaragua | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Niger | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Nigeria | 56 | 46 | 46 | 44 | 44 | 30 |
North Macedonia | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Oman | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan | 49 | 34 | 51 | 47 | 46 | 43 |
Palestinian Territory, Occupied | 26 | 20 | 23 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
Panama | 7 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Papua New Guinea | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
Paraguay | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 |
Peru | 18 | 7 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 10 |
Philippines | 28 | 16 | 34 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
Republic of Korea | 24 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 12 |
Rwanda | 19 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
Saint Helena | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Saint Lucia | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Samoa | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Sao Tome And Principe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Senegal | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
Serbia | 15 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
Seychelles | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Sierra Leone | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Singapore | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Solomon Islands | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
Somalia | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 16 |
South Africa | 44 | 33 | 46 | 35 | 42 | 28 |
South Caucasus | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
South Sudan | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Sri Lanka | 6 | 7 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Sudan | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Suriname | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Syrian Arab Republic | 22 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
Taiwan (Republic of China) | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Tajikistan | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Tanzania | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 9 |
Thailand | 24 | 15 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 21 |
The Gambia | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Timor-Leste | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Tonga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Tunisia | 14 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
Turkey | 24 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 23 |
Turkmenistan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Tuvalu | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Uganda | 16 | 16 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 17 |
Ukraine | 21 | 20 | 19 | 42 | 26 | 23 |
Uruguay | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
Uzbekistan | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
Vanuatu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Venezuela | 10 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
Vietnam | 24 | 19 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 22 |
Virgin Islands (British) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Yemen | 9 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
Zambia | 23 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Zimbabwe | 30 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
We are withholding some country specific information under Section 38 (Health and Safety) exemption (1) (a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information Act, which provides that information is exempt if disclosure would or would be likely to endanger the physical or mental health of any individual or endanger the safety of any individual.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the closest island to the Chagos archipelago is that is not part of the UK deal with Mauritius.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The closest land to the Chagos group is the Maldives islands with Gan, part of Addu atoll (also known as Seenu Atoll) as the most southerly point.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 promote the protection of religious freedom in (a) Brunei, (b) Laos, (c) the Maldives, (d) Malaysia, (e) Myanmar and (f) Indonesia.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK champions, and remains strongly committed to, Freedom of Religious Belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral organisations, our bilateral work, and our programme funding. The UK continues to hold countries to account on their FoRB commitments and obligations, including Southeast Asian nations, through our engagement with the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and at the UN Human Rights Council. This work is mutually reinforcing of our wider human rights efforts, underpinning our belief that human rights are universal.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the reported persecution of Christians in Southeast Asia, particularly in (a) Brunei, (b) Laos, (c) the Maldives, (d) Malaysia, (e) Myanmar, and (f) Indonesia.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK champions and remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We continue to highlight FoRB violations and abuses globally including in Southeast Asia.
We also use our skilled global diplomatic network to engage directly with governments. Ministers and FCDO officials regularly raise specific cases of concern, such as limitations on freedom of expression and other human rights issues, including freedom of religion or belief, both publicly and in private.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the validity of the Maldives’ claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Islands were between the UK and Mauritius, following a long-standing dispute. They were bilateral negotiations between the two countries: no other states were involved. The Maldives are a valued partner and we are in regular contact with them about a range of issues.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when Ministers from his Department have met representatives of the Maldives Government to discuss the future of the Chagos Islands since 4 July 2024; and which Minister met which representative of the Maldives on each such occasion.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met Maldives Foreign Minister Khaleel at the Commonwealth Heads of Government on 25 October. They discussed a range of issues, including matters relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Minister West also spoke with Foreign Minister Khaleel virtually on 14 October and met with the Maldivian High Commissioner on 30 September.