Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
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 her international counterparts on the reported attacks by the Armenian government against the Armenian Apostolic Church; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to ensure its protection.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is monitoring the situation between the Armenian Government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. We expect all actions to comply with Armenia's constitutional and legal framework, allowing due process to take its course and ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly under the law, with judicial proceedings remaining transparent and impartial. The UK Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief worldwide.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to provide to each of the Overseas Territories in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) recently received its Spending Review (SR) settlement from the Treasury for the three years of the SR period (FY26/27 to FY28/29). Final decisions on funding for the Overseas Territories (OTs) in each of these years is subject to the FCDO's post-SR settlement multi-year internal allocations process which is expected to conclude later this year.
In the current financial year (25/26) the FCDO is providing up to £168.37 million of programme funding to the OTs:
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK fully supports the High Representative. In a statement on 8 September the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, the Lord Peach, made clear that attacks by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik against the High Representative were illegal and anti-constitutional. We welcome the decision by the state prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take legal action against Dodik for his failure to implement the decisions of the High Representative.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 23 May 2023, Official Report, vol 733, column 292, what the evidential basis is for his statement that it is a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office during (a) a parliamentary inquiries and (b) privileges committee inquiries of Parliament.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.”
The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government.
There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown.
This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.
However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what ethical advice his Department sought on provision of legal support to the Rt Hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in relation to the Privileges Committee inquiry into that Member's conduct.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award followed the proper procurement process and received full scrutiny from all relevant officials.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the value for money of funding the legal fees for the Rt hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip for his involvement in the inquiry by the Privileges Committee into his conduct.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper processes present under successive administrations.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department's Accounting Officer was consulted on the decision to award legal services contract reference C2298 to Peters & Peters.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for taxpayer funded legal costs for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in relation to his investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee to be set against any claims he should make from the Public Duty Costs Allowance.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
There are no such plans. There is an established precedent across multiple administrations that former Ministers may be supported with legal representation after they have left office when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister. The Public Duty Cost Allowance exists for a different purpose.
I refer the Noble Lord to the transcript of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, where Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office, provided oral evidence on this matter: https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12604/pdf/ (Q299-315).
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department recognises Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela as of 10 January 2023.
Answered by David Rutley
On 30 December 2022 the 2015 National Assembly of Venezuela democratically voted to disband the interim Government and the position of constitutional interim President held by Juan Guaidó, with effect from 5 January 2023. On 12 January, I [Minister Rutley] published a Written Ministerial Statement, noting that the United Kingdom respects the result of this vote. We commend former interim President Guaidó for his service to the Venezuelan people. We continue to consider the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the last democratically elected National Assembly in Venezuela. We continue not to accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolas Maduro since 2019. We do not comment on when legal advice has been received.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department received legal advice on its recognition of Juan Guiaido as interim President of Venezuela.
Answered by David Rutley
On 30 December 2022 the 2015 National Assembly of Venezuela democratically voted to disband the interim Government and the position of constitutional interim President held by Juan Guaidó, with effect from 5 January 2023. On 12 January, I [Minister Rutley] published a Written Ministerial Statement, noting that the United Kingdom respects the result of this vote. We commend former interim President Guaidó for his service to the Venezuelan people. We continue to consider the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the last democratically elected National Assembly in Venezuela. We continue not to accept the legitimacy of the administration put in place by Nicolas Maduro since 2019. We do not comment on when legal advice has been received.