Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his statement at the daily press conference on 17 June, that all but five countries worldwide broadcast the restart of the Premier League on 17 June 2020, which five countries did not air the restart of the Premier League.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We understand from the Premier League that broadcast rights to their matches have been sold around the world, with only five countries not covered as of 17 June - Afghanistan, Cuba, North Korea, the Philippines and Turkmenistan.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which 5 countries did not air the restart of the Premier League this month.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We understand from the Premier League that broadcast rights to their matches have been sold around the world, with only five countries not covered as of 17 June - Afghanistan, Cuba, North Korea, the Philippines and Turkmenistan.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40585 on Cuba: Coronavirus, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the US administration on the (a) blockade and (b) restrictions of covid-19 medical resources and humanitarian assistance to Cuba.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government does not support the US embargo against Cuba. We consider the extraterritorial impacts of the embargo, including those on UK companies, to be contrary to international law, and we are not persuaded that these sanctions encourage potential reforms and economic progress.
We are in regular contact with our US partners, who are aware of our opposition to the embargo. We communicate this both privately, and through our public statements. The United Kingdom unfailingly votes in favour of the annual United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial embargo. We have been working actively with the Cuban Government and other organisations on ideas to reform the business environment, and provide direct support to UK companies wishing to do legitimate business with Cuba.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to repatriate British citizens stranded in (a) Cuba, (b) Barbados, (c) Grenada, (d) Montserrat and (e) Antigua and Barbuda as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we remain committed to ensuring that British travellers around the globe are able to return home. The UK Government is working closely with airlines, local authorities, and governments in the Caribbean region to help British travellers return to the UK as part of the plan announced by the Foreign Secretary on 30 March, with up to £75 million available for special charter flights from priority countries, focused on helping the most vulnerable travellers.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working around the clock, through our Posts overseas and in London, to make sure all British people who need help are receiving the support and information they need. We have brought home over 32,000 people on 153 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 29 countries and territories. We have also supported over 11,000 people to return home from the Caribbean via commercial means.
There are currently no scheduled commercial flight options available to return to the UK from Cuba, Barbados or Grenada. We are aware of a commercial flight operated by British Airways which departed on Sunday 17 May and this was highlighted in our public messaging especially to those in Antigua and Barbuda and also to those in Montserrat who could benefit from this flight. Our consular network in the region continues to provide support to British nationals who require assistance.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Cuban authorities supporting British nationals stranded on the cruise ship MS Braemer, what assistance the Government is providing to Cuba to help that country tackle the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We are grateful to the Cuban authorities for having led an exceptional operation to bring back to the UK 684 British citizens and people of other nationalities who were on board the Braemer cruise ship. The UK Government is working with its Cuban counterparts, both bilaterally and via multilateral fora, to deliver a robust global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Ambassador to Havana continues to engage in conversations with the Cuban authorities about how to deepen and broaden our bilateral relationship, and what we can do to help our countries weather this crisis.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of US sanctions on (a) Venezuela and (b) Cuba on the ability of those countries to respond effectively to the covid-19 pandemic; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure essential medical supplies can reach those nations.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK remains deeply concerned about the continuing deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and its long-term economic crisis. Venezuela's economy has shrunk 65% since 2013, and not as a result of economic sanctions imposed from 2017, but caused primarily by political and economic mismanagement and the gross misuse of power by the illegitimate Maduro regime and its predecessor. The collapse of the country's health system is one example of what has gone wrong, at such high cost to the Venezuelan people, and long predates the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through DFID, HMG has to date committed £44.5 million to support the humanitarian crisis, including ongoing work being delivered by key partners, such as the UN, to support the Covid-19 response and alleviate the humanitarian consequences of the crisis in Venezuela, including through the provision of medical supplies.
The UK Government does not support the US sanctions regime against Cuba. Our Ambassador to Havana regularly discusses with the Cuban authorities how we can develop our bilateral relationship, including how we might work together to deliver a robust global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We were most appreciative of the Cuban authorities' support with the repatriation of passengers from the cruise ship Braemar in March after passengers on the ship were stricken by the Covid-19 virus.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the British Ambassador to Cuba has had with the Cuban Government on non-payment by Cuban authorities for work undertaken by (a) UK and (b) European businesses; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Our Ambassador to Cuba has raised the issue of non-payment of debts to British and European businesses in various meetings with Cuban Government ministers and officials on numerous occasions, and we continue to press Cuban authorities to repay all outstanding debts.
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, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) British and (b) European businesses who have not received payment (a) six, (b) 12 and (c) 24 months after the completion of their contracts in Cuba; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
DIT Havana are aware of 5 UK companies who have not been paid. The team is working with all parties to address payments issues. We do not hold information on European businesses.
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, what further steps she is planning to take to promote trade with Cuba.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department of International Trade (DIT) is committed to building our relationships across the world as part of our Global Britain agenda.
We have appointed Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner to Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAC) to promote UK trade interests across the region including Cuba where we have a team based at the British Embassy. A LatAC Roadshow is planned in March for several UK regions to promote trade opportunities to UK companies.
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Cuban-trained (a) doctors and (b) nurses are employed by the NHS.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
NHS Digital publishes hospital and community health services workforce statistics for NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England.
NHS Digital workforce statistics reports on the nationality of doctors and nurses in English NHS trusts and CCGs. As at December 2018 there were 14 members of NHS staff of Cuban nationality (headcount), including a total of six doctors, nurses and health visitors and midwives. Nationality data is self-reported and may reflect cultural heritage rather than country of birth. We do not know whether these workers received their medical training in Cuba or not.