Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to allocate at least £3 billion for military support to Ukraine in each year between 2024 and 2030.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government remains committed to supporting Ukraine to defend itself in response to Putin’s illegal invasion. This year we are providing an additional £500 million to Ukraine, on top of the £2.5 billion we have already announced. Our fully funded increase in defence spending enables us to commit to providing support to Ukraine at the current level for as long as required.Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support is available to media organisations to (a) detect and (b) counteract foreign disinformation.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government takes the issue of information threats to national security seriously, and the UK has a strong record of working closely with a wide range of different stakeholders to tackle these risks.
We recognise the invaluable role of a free and independent press in providing accurate and reliable information. Government works to complement the efforts of our independent press sector through a number of initiatives to counter disinformation.
For example, in 2022 the Government provided the BBC World Service with £4.1m emergency funding to help it to continue to bring independent, impartial and accurate news to people in Ukraine and Russia and counter disinformation in the face of increased propaganda from the Russian state. The Government has also directly sanctioned Russia-backed state media organisations who spread disinformation, helping to prevent the most prolific and harmful sources of disinformation from spreading propaganda to UK audiences online.
The Government has also recently passed the Online Safety Act (OSA), which includes the Foreign Interference Offence as a priority offence. This will require social media companies to take action against a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation and interference targeted at the UK. Ofcom will produce guidance for providers on how they should fulfil these duties. The consultation for this guidance closed in March 2024 and Ofcom is currently finalising these codes, due to come into force at the end of 2024.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to introduce legislation to amend the International Criminal Court Act 2001 to enable UK courts to prosecute non-citizens and non-residents for crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK legal system is built on the tradition that, as a general rule, the authorities of the State in whose territory an offence is committed are best placed to prosecute the crime. However, universal jurisdiction applies to torture and other grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. It is a decision for the independent prosecuting authorities whether to prosecute such an offence. The UK remains committed to holding perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to account, including through our support to the International Criminal Court. We have also delivered a £6.2 million package to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecutions.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to propose legislation to ensure that the UK is not a safe haven for perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK legal system is built on the tradition that, as a general rule, the authorities of the State in whose territory an offence is committed are best placed to prosecute the crime. However, universal jurisdiction applies to torture and other grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. It is a decision for the independent prosecuting authorities whether to prosecute such an offence. The UK remains committed to holding perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to account, including through our support to the International Criminal Court. We have also delivered a £6.2 million package to support Ukraine's domestic investigations and prosecutions.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the potential of an international tribunal for delivering reparations to victims of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine and making Russia pay for the damage. We continue to engage in the Core Group established to explore options for a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression. We support exploring the creation of an internationalised tribunal, rooted in Ukraine's jurisdiction, with international elements. Our support to the International Criminal Court and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is also ongoing. Alongside the EU and US, the UK has launched the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group to support Ukraine's domestic prosecutions of war crimes.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken delivery of new Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units ordered in 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has yet to take delivery of the Lightweight Command Launch Units for Javelin. Initial deliveries are expected in 2026.
Javelin F-model missiles, to replenish stocks Granted in Kind to Ukraine, are scheduled to be delivered in two batches; in 2027 and 2028.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects his Department to take delivery of new Javelin missiles.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has yet to take delivery of the Lightweight Command Launch Units for Javelin. Initial deliveries are expected in 2026.
Javelin F-model missiles, to replenish stocks Granted in Kind to Ukraine, are scheduled to be delivered in two batches; in 2027 and 2028.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses have attended a UK-Ukraine TechBridge tech-focussed event in each year since its launch.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The UK-Ukraine TechBridge was formally launched in January 2024. We estimate over 200 companies have attended a UK-Ukraine TechBridge event so far this year. DBT plans to hold further TechBridge events later this year, including innovation workshops, online and in-person training and trade webinars. We welcome businesses with expertise in sectors such as agritech, health tech, AI, and demining and others to join these events and deepen their collaboration with Ukrainian counterparts.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK-Ukraine TechBridge tech-focussed events have been held in each year since its launch.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The UK-Ukraine TechBridge initiative was announced by the Prime Minister at the London hosted Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2023 with a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Ukraine signed in November.
Since its formal launch in January 2024,15 tech-focussed events have been held. Innovation workshops on AI, agritech and healthtech were held at the end of March to assess the most significant barriers to innovation in these sectors in Ukraine. New innovation workshops will commence from May targeting new thematic areas, including cyber security, fintech, and demining.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking any steps, in collaboration with international partners, to encourage peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We support a just and sustainable peace which restores Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, underpinned by the UN Charter. President Zelenskyy has clearly indicated Ukraine's desire for peace in his Peace Formula, which reflects principles supported by 141 countries in the UN General Assembly. The UK has supported Ukraine to convene senior officials from G7 and several G20 countries, to discuss principles for a just peace. We welcome the planned conference in Switzerland to discuss these principles further. By contrast, Russia's continued actions on the battlefield demonstrate that President Putin has no meaningful interest in a just peace. It will be for Ukraine to determine its position in any negotiations, just as it is for Ukraine to decide its democratic future and long-term security arrangements. The quickest path to peace would be for President Putin to withdraw all Russian troops illegally present in Ukraine and end its aggression against its neighbour.