Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the elections of 24 August 2022 in Angola, what steps he is taking to help support the (a) safety and (b) freedoms of (i) opposition activists and (ii) members of civil society in Angola.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The UK regularly engages with the Government of Angola to promote modern and progressive politics and to encourage all political parties to play a positive role in the democratic development of Angola. The UK works closely with the Government of Angola on a range of issues including promoting media freedom and improving access to education.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the outcome of the 2022 Angolan general election.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The FCDO works to strengthen institutions and governance, promote and protect human rights, and support democracy globally. The UK has a proud record of global leadership on international development and Overseas Development Assistance is used to strengthen and support Open Societies and Human Rights in many countries including Angola.
The UK will continue to work closely with the Government of Angola to encourage modern and progressive legislation and to ensure that rights and freedoms are enjoyed by the whole of society. This includes promoting media freedom; improving access to education with the Global Partnership for Education; and raising awareness of the humanitarian conditions in Southern Angola.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
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 the Government of Angola on protecting the rights of civil society activists in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK, along with like-minded partners, works closely with the Government of Angola and civil society organisations to encourage modern and progressive legislation and to ensure that rights and freedoms are enjoyed by the whole of society. This includes recent work in Angola promoting media freedom with female journalists; improving access to education with the Global Partnership for Education; and raising environmental awareness through the Youth for Climate summit.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she is taking steps to help prevent the risk of violent conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Answered by Vicky Ford
In recent weeks we have raised the unacceptable increase in violence, hate speech and increased movement of armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the Governments of DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, as well as the leadership of the UN Peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO. The Prime Minister discussed these issues with Rwandan President Kagame during CHOGM. Minister Ford recently spoke with the Rwandan Foreign Minister on 16 June and the DRC Minister for Planning on 24 June to re-iterate the need for all sides to continue to work together to deliver de-escalation on the ground and an end to hate speech. We welcome the meeting of regional Heads of State in Nairobi and the recent agreement reached by President Kagame and President Tshisekedi in Angola. It is vital that all parties now to implement the Roadm ap to secure a real de-escalation on the ground in Eastern DRC. We will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many employees of her Department have been based in each African nation, in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Department for International Trade (DIT) had 86 staff based in Africa in 2018, 84 staff in 2019, 102 staff in 2020, 123 staff in 2021 and 122 staff in 2022. The breakdown by each African nation is presented in the table below.
| DIT Overseas Staff | ||||
African Country | 31 March 2018 | 31 March 2019 | 31 March 2020 | 31 March 2021 | 31 March 2022 |
Algeria | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Angola | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Cote d'Ivoire | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Egypt | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
Ethiopia | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 6 | 6 |
Ghana | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 6 | 7 |
Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 or less | 0 |
Kenya | 5 or less | 5 or less | 7 | 13 | 11 |
Libya | 0 | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 5 or less | 5 or less | 0 |
Mauritius | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Morocco | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 9 |
Mozambique | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Nigeria | 16 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 12 |
Rwanda | 0 | 0 | 5 or less | 5 or less | 0 |
Senegal | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
South Africa | 19 | 22 | 27 | 32 | 31 |
Sudan | 0 | 0 | 5 or less | 0 | 5 or less |
Tanzania | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Tunisia | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Uganda | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Zambia | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Zimbabwe | 0 | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less | 5 or less |
Grand total | 86 | 84 | 102 | 123 | 122 |
These figures are as of 31 March each year and include both UK based overseas staff (Civil Servants) and country based overseas staff who work on Department for International Trade objectives but are not Civil Servants.
These figures do not include UK Export Finance staff, Trade Remedies Authority Staff, those on Loan from other government departments who remain on their home departments payroll, contractors, military staff, people on secondment from other organisations, those who are on loan or secondment out of DIT, or on unpaid special leave or career break.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) recent assessment she has made of human rights in Angola, (b) steps she is taking to support organisations advocating for accountability for abuses in that country and (c) representations she has made to the government of Angola in relation to accountability in relation to the deaths in Cafunfo in Lunda Norte province in January 2021.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government of Angola is working to improve its human rights record. On 20 April 2020, the Government approved a National Human Rights Strategy which is part of the Universal Periodic Review response and recommendations from the last two sessions of 2014 and 2020 of the UN Human Rights Council. The country's most significant, recent advances on Human Rights include the approval of a religious freedom law (Jan 2019), ratification of the UN Conventions Against Torture (UNCAT) and Racial Discrimination (CERD) and of the Optional Protocol on the Abolition of the Death Penalty (all deposited in Oct 2019). In October 2020, the Government approved a new Penal Code, which came into effect February 2021. The new Penal Code prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, granting to homosexual individuals the same liberties as any other Angolan citizen.
The British Ambassador joined like-minded partners in seeking clarification over the incident in Cafunfo in Lunda Sul province last year. Following an investigation by the Angolan authorities, shortfalls were identified in the crowd control strategies of the Angolan police force. Remedial training was provided by the authorities to avoid a repetition and ensure appropriate and proportionate action will be taken in future.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2022 to Question 98253 on Angola: Elections, what recent assessment she has made of the risks of violence by separatist organisations in the run-up to elections in Angola.
Answered by Vicky Ford
An armed separatist movement, the Liberation Front for the Cabinda Enclave (FLEC), has been active in Angola's oil-rich northernmost province, Cabinda, since 1963. Angola demonstrated its ability to hold peaceful and democratic elections in 2017, however, and there is no evidence to suggest that this will not be repeated. HMG, along with other likeminded partners, is monitoring this and will continue to encourage the Government of Angola and its National Electoral Commission to implement strategies for an inclusive, fair and transparent election.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support Angola to become landmine free under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is a leading donor in supporting Angola's commitment to be landmine free by 2025. The UK's current Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP2, 2018-22) has, as of September 2021, cleared and confirmed safe over 27 million square metres of land in Angola (the equivalent of 3,784 football pitches) and provided 95,004 people with risk education.
The Global Mine Action Programme 3 (GMAP3) is due to replace GMAP2 during 2022. It will involve landmine clearance and risk education to help keep affected communities safe, and build capacity development for national authorities to help them manage landmine contamination. We are in the process of finalising individual country allocations, and will make a statement as soon as this is complete.
Asked by: Baroness Goudie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the UK will spend on mine clearance in Angola this year.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Our Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP2) is forecasting spend of almost £1 million in Angola during this financial year (21/22) on mine clearance and other mine action activities such as risk education to help keep affected communities safe. This is additional to the £9.3 million we have already spent on mine action in Angola under GMAP2 since 2018.
As of September 2021, GMAP2 funded activity had cleared and confirmed safe over 27 million square metres of land in Angola (the equivalent of 3,784 football pitches) and provided 95,004 people with risk education. We are in the process of finalizing individual country allocations for the next financial year (22/23) under the next iteration of our global mine action programme (GMAP3).
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support (a) the Angolan Government and (b) Angolan civil society groups in preparation for peaceful, free and fair elections in Angola.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The dates for the Angolan general elections in 2022 have not yet been announced by the Angolan President or the National Electoral Commission. Angola held a peaceful and democratic election in 2017, and there is no evidence to suggest that this will not be repeated in 2022. The UK, along with likeminded partners, is monitoring the electoral situation closely, including through engagement with government officials and civil society actors. We will continue to press for an inclusive, fair and transparent election, underlining to the Government of Angola the importance of demonstrating the value of democratic reforms and freedoms that have already been implemented.