Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent steps he has taken to support women and girls in South America.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's first International Women and Girls Strategy commits us to using the full weight of our diplomatic and development offer to stand up for women's and girls' rights. As I [Minister Rutley] outlined in my speech at Canning House in November, these rights are central to the "values" strategic pillar, one of four tenets that support the UK's approach to Latin America in the near future. The FCDO is providing funding through several initiatives including to end gender-based violence, to support grassroots women's organisations and to promote Women, Peace & Security. The FCDO is currently funding a Latin America gender equality, disability and social inclusion analysis which will be finalised in early 2024.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Exchange of Notes, signed in January 1994, how many times information was requested on individuals then resident in the UK between 1998 and 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is the central authority for Mutual Legal Assistance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland except for tax and fiscal customs criminal matters, which are coordinated by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Requests seeking assistance solely from Scotland are sent directly to the Crown Office in Edinburgh.
Information on the number of times information was requested on individuals then resident in the UK between 1998 and 2022 made under the 1994 Treaty is not recorded by the Home Office.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to help improve trade relations with Guatemala.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK is working to enhance trade with Guatemala through effective implementation and utilisation of the UK-Central America Association Agreement. Trade between the UK and Guatemala increased by 6% between 2021 and 2022. The agreement includes annual committees that allow us to address market access issues. Recently, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jonathan Knott, visited Guatemala in September to champion UK trade, including UKEF support for UK businesses to help develop major projects in the country.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit Guatemala.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I (Minister Rutley) visited Guatemala on 17 April. My visit focused on strengthening ties between the UK and Guatemala as well as discussing a wide range of topics, such as the war in Ukraine, free trade through the UK-Central America Association Agreement, regional stability, democracy and the rule of law, and climate change. This was my first visit to the country and was part of a regional visit to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. At this time, the Foreign Secretary has no plans to visit Guatemala.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for Development and Africa on 14 November that he was "pleased to confirm new UK Government funding to the Global Family Partnership FP2030", whether they will provide a breakdown of that funding.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK plays a leading role in advancing voluntary family planning globally, as part of our longstanding commitment to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. New UK funding to the Global Family Planning Partnership 'FP2030' will accelerate country leadership in regions including North, West, and Central Africa; East and Southern Africa; Asia and the Pacific; and Latin America and the Caribbean.
We are not able to give a yearly funding breakdown until ODA funding allocations are confirmed over the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure (a) family planning and (b) sexual and reproductive health and rights are funding priorities for in-country programmes.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and will continue working with other countries to protect gender equality in international agreements. Most recently, the UK co-led a cross-regional joint statement on SRHR, delivered at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee for Human Rights, signed by 71 countries.
At the 2017 Family Planning Summit, the UK publicly committed to spend an average of £225 million on family planning each year to 2022. The UK has exceeded this commitment, spending an average of approximately £246 million every year between April 2017 and March 2022. New UK funding to the Global Family Planning Partnership 'FP2030' prioritises in-country programmes in regions including North, West, and Central Africa; East and Southern Africa; Asia and the Pacific; and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the provision of joint aid in the Caribbean region to respond to extreme weather phenomena impacting British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The United Kingdom works closely with partners across the region, including the US, to coordinate multinational responses to major disasters affecting the Caribbean and British Overseas Territories. The UK Government supports the Overseas Territories to prepare for and respond to the impacts of major natural hazard events.
The Royal Navy supported the US led response to hurricanes in Central America in 2020 and the Haiti earthquake in 2021. UK-US cooperation here is primarily coordinated through our military partnership, and through the Multinational Coordination Cell for the Caribbean.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 13 October (HL2369), what measures they have in place to monitor for an increase in dengue fever cases; how many cases would be sufficient to warrant further investigation; and what such investigations may involve.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dengue fever cases reported in the United Kingdom have been acquired as a result of travelling to endemic areas, such as South and South East Asia, South and Central America, Africa and the Caribbean. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises health professionals to be alert to the possibility of dengue fever in returning travellers. Where a case is suspected, health professionals should contact the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory for advice and diagnosis.
There is no pre-determined threshold for the number of cases which would warrant a response. Laboratory clinical and epidemiological teams monitor changes in the pattern of diagnosis and respond as appropriate, such as updating current advice for travellers and the National Health Service, increasing diagnostic testing and reporting in accordance with international health regulations. The UKHSA also works with local authorities, port health and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to monitor points of entry for the invasive mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue in France.
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 humanitarian support her Department is providing to victims of Storm Julia in Central America.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK provides £1.5m annually to the The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) which has deployed assistance in response to Storm Julia to cover immediate needs such as evacuating people and assets, protecting homes, and buying emergency supplies. We continue to work with the Met Office, Embassies and regional Governments to monitor events in the region and we will consider requests from governments for support on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the yellow fever vaccine available on the NHS.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Yellow fever occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and South and Central America. There is no risk of transmission in the United Kingdom (UK) from imported cases of yellow fever since the mosquito vector does not occur in the UK. Therefore, there are no current plans make this vaccine available on the National Health Service.