Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2024 to Question 13839 on Gaza: Development Aid, how much and what proportion of the Overseas Development Aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories was spent in Gaza in each year since 2012.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 20 February 2024 to Question 13839, the answer can be found on the Q&A web pages on https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-08/13839.
Since 2012, the UK has provided £805 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), including work in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Key programmes such as humanitarian relief, support to economic development and employment, and essential services delivery for Palestinian refugees have worked in all parts of the OPTs and operate flexibly between different areas in order to have the most impact. We are therefore unable to provide a firm breakdown of spend between the different parts of the OPTs.
We trebled our aid commitment this financial year and we are doing everything we can to get more aid in and open more crossings. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the decision by (a) Guernsey, (b) Jersey and (c) the Isle of Man to withdraw the commitment to allow public access to registers of company beneficial ownership.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) on 19 December 2023 provided a comprehensive update on this issue (HCWS151).
Publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership are an essential tool for tackling illicit finance. That is why in 2016 the UK set up our own publicly accessible register of beneficial ownership, the People with Significant Control (PSCs) register, which was the first of its kind in the world. The UK Government is still committed to publicly accessible registers becoming the global norm, including in the Crown Dependencies (CDs) and Overseas Territories (OTs). Many other countries and jurisdictions around the world have joined us. We are still working with others to achieve this aim.
Regarding the 2022 CJEU judgment and other relevant rulings, the UK is satisfied with the lawfulness of our own publicly accessible registers and continues to believe that the CDs could legally implement public registers of their own. As set out in my WMS in December, according to Transparency International, currently 14 EU Member States allow public access to their beneficial ownership registers. Gibraltar has maintained a publicly accessible beneficial ownership register since 2020 and has not noted any negative economic impacts resulting from implementation of its public register.
On 13 December 2023, the CDs issued new public commitments on providing access to their beneficial ownership registers for obliged entities and those with a legitimate interest, including media and civil society organisations. While the Home Office broadly welcomed these commitments as a very significant step forward in beneficial ownership transparency, it is not the pace the UK Government expects, and the CDs have been urged to implement them as quickly as possible this year.
On 18 January 2024, the EU published proposals on their Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (6AMLD), which the CDs stated in their public commitments will help inform the development of their own definitions of legitimate interest access. With this important development, and considering the time that has elapsed since their original 2019 commitments, and the importance these improvements will bring to the security of the UK and the wider British family, the Home Office is urging the CDs to make progress as quickly as possible this year.
The UK Government position remains that the CDs should be working towards publicly accessible registers in the longer term. Nevertheless, the Home Office looks forward to seeing these commitments on legitimate interest access being adopted by the appropriate CD parliaments. Parliament will wish to consider the CDs’ commitments and will closely monitor the situation.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to second UK police officers to the British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Officials have been working closely with the FCDO and UK policing colleagues as well as our partners across the British Overseas Territories to identify police requirements and support. While there have been and are instances of deploying UK officers (see Annex A), all considerations are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. When UK police officers are not available or not the most appropriate response, retired officers have been contracted into operational or support roles. In addition, UK officers regularly deploy in a training capacity as part of a wider and longer-term HO Overseas Territories Police Strategy.
Annex A: Examples of UK Police Deployments
Turks and Caicos Islands – Devon and Cornwall Police (Sept 21 – Feb 22)
UK police staff seconded for six months to provide analytical support in relation to serious organised crime.
Anguilla – British Transport Police (Sept 22 – Dec 22)
UK officer seconded to establish an intelligence led policing business model and to improve crime investigation performance and capability.
Montserrat - Suffolk Police (Oct 22- Nov 23)
UK officer seconded for 12 months to develop RMPS capabilities for leadership and demand management.
British Virgin Islands – Dyfed Powys Police (Oct 22 – Apr 23)
UK officer seconded for 6 months to lead the modernisation of the BVIPF Marine Unit capabilities.
Montserrat – Hertfordshire Police (March 2023 – December 2023)
UK officer seconded for 9 months as interim Commissioner of Police. March 2023 – December 2023
Turks and Caicos Islands – South Yorkshire Police (November 2022 – Feb 2023)
UK officer seconded for 3 months to provide investigative support and assist the command team in responding to critical incidents, leadership development and management of local processes and operations.
Falkland Islands – Police Scotland (Oct 23 – Jan 24)
Two officers seconded to provide assistance with leadership stability and assist with transformational work regarding recruitment of new officers to Royal Falklands Islands Police
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has taken steps to provide training to police forces in British Overseas Territories in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the last 12 months, the Home Office in partnership with UK police have delivered training to police forces across the British Overseas Territories.
This includes Multi Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC) training, Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) and Identifying Criminal Activity (ICA) courses. We are also working with UK police officers to deliver regional courses such as risk management and intelligence next month.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been provided by Darwin Plus by country in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Darwin Plus is a competitive UK Government grants scheme that provides funding for environmental projects in the UK Overseas Territories. Since 2019, UK government spending on Darwin Plus has increased year on year to a record high of £6.85m in 22/23, reflecting the rising breadth and quality of applications to our schemes. Projects are selected on their merit at application supported by the advice of independent experts currently sat on the Darwin Plus Advisory Group. Darwin Plus funding per territory over the last five years can be found below:
Overseas Territory | Grant Funding from 2019 - 2024 |
Anguilla | £2,702,538.47 |
Bermuda | £562,703.60 |
British Antarctic Territory | £935,916.75 |
British Indian Ocean Territory | £1,233,527.92 |
British Virgin Islands | £3,660,593.29 |
Cayman Islands | £2,871,387.06 |
Falkland Islands | £3,137,812.11 |
Gibraltar | £169,956.10 |
Montserrat | £2,071,315.89 |
Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno and Ducie Islands | £423,105.00 |
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha | £5,918,668.62 |
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | £4,412,383.75 |
Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia | £1,176,523.50 |
Turks and Caicos Islands | £3,462,690.14 |
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps officials in his Department are taking with their counterparts in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to tackle money laundering in British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
Illicit finance is an active and growing threat to the UK family and can undermine our national security, prosperity, and democracy. As set out in the 2023 Economic Crime Plan 2 (ECP2), tackling economic crime is a high priority for the UK Government, including in the Overseas Territories (OTs).
ECP2 commits the UK Government to using our diplomatic and technical influence to further strengthen partnerships with other financial centres, particularly in the OTs. The Home Office, alongside other government departments such as HM Treasury and law enforcement partners, has supported the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to strengthen our strategic dialogue and technical cooperation with the OTs on a range of economic crime threats such as countering sanctions evasion and money laundering.
The Home Office and FCDO also work together on supporting beneficial ownership transparency in the OTs. The Home Office will continue to support the FCDO on this important agenda.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to (a) support Girlguiding UK and (b) develop links overseas with similar ventures.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. We have committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three year investment of over £500 million in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending, with a firm focus on levelling up.
As part of the National Youth Guarantee, we are investing over £16 million in Uniformed Youth Organisations, including Girlguiding, to ensure all young people have access to these groups by establishing new groups in areas without existing provision, and tackling waiting lists.
Additionally, this Government is committed to protecting the United Kingdom’s core national interests, ensuring the prosperity of the British people across the Overseas Territories. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside colleagues in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, is engaging in ongoing discussions with representatives of the British Overseas Territories and Girlguiding UK on options for the continuation of Girlguiding in the Territories.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the decision by Girlguiding UK to cease operations in British Overseas Territories; and whether her Department is providing support to those territories as a result of that decision.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to protecting the United Kingdom’s core national interests, ensuring the prosperity of the British people across the Overseas Territories.
As an independent organisation it is for Girlguiding to set its own organisational direction. However, Government recognises the importance of Girlguiding to many girls in Overseas Territories. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside colleagues in the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office and Ministry of Defence, are discussing this with Girlguiding.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help improve (a) internet and (b) communications connectivity in the Overseas Territories.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This UK Government is committed to supporting the UK Overseas Territories as valued members of the British Family. Whilst telecommunications are mostly devolved matters which are the responsibility of the local governments in the Territories the UK provides significant support to the four Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible Territories. The FCDO funded capital investment programme in Montserrat recently delivered a sub-sea fibre cable and in St Helena we are supporting improvements in the local telecommunications infrastructure. The FCDO also supports the provision of internet to Pitcairn Island and Tristan da Cunha.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to support the Overseas Territories with climate change adaptation.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to strengthening our partnership with the Overseas Territories (OTs) to protect and sustainably manage our unique and globally significant environments, and to tackle climate priorities.
The FCDO is working in partnership with the Territories to develop Climate Security Assessments through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. Our Blue Belt Programme has provided over £35 million since 2016 to enhance marine protection and build climate change resilience. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as the lead UK Government Department in this area, continues to make support available through Darwin Plus for biodiversity and conservation projects in the OTs which aim to improve resilience to climate change.