Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department is taking to support Sudanese Christians.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We will provide £89 million to support Sudan this year, mostly for humanitarian assistance. Exact budgets have not yet been allocated, but this will include support to protection activities for vulnerable people affected by the conflict. UK support will be providing nutrition, safe drinking water, medical care and shelter, as well as supporting protection services for those affected by Gender Based Violence. The UK funds and supports the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that plays a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations including of any particular religious group.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he last met with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to discuss the sale of arms to Israel.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Foreign Secretary continues to discuss all aspects of the current conflict in Israel with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conflict in Myanmar; and whether he plans to take steps to oppose the coup authorities in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the coup in Myanmar. In February, we announced our eighteenth round of sanctions, targeting the Myanmar Security Force's access to finance, arms and equipment. We consistently use our role as penholder at the United Nations Security Council to maintain pressure on the military, including leading the first ever Security Council Resolution on the Myanmar crisis in December 2022. Since the coup we have provided almost £150 million in life-saving humanitarian assistance, emergency healthcare, education and support to civil society and local communities.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will raise in the UN Security Council reports of restrictions to freedom of (a) expression and (b) association in the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide, including in Morocco and Western Sahara, and we raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government accordingly. We also engage on these issues at the UN and have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions which encourages the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether Morocco is listed by the UN as the Administering Power of Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Morocco is not listed as the administering Power of Western Sahara on the United Nations' list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for monitoring the Register for APPGs and may investigate alleged breaches of the rules.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Djibouti on the (a) entry requirements for and (b) reasons for denial of entry of British citizens wishing to enter that country.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what information his Department holds on the number of UK citizens that have been refused entry to Djibouti in the last year.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Information on entry requirements for those travelling to Djibouti is accessible though the travel advice pages on Gov.uk. Tourist visas are available online or on arrival, though the Djiboutian authorities always retain the right to allow or deny visas at their own discretion. In the last year, there has been one case of a British national being denied access to Djibouti by the authorities. Following a recent evaluation of our travel advice, there are no plans for the UK Government to seek further clarification on entry requirements.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, with reference to his Department's Freedom of Information response of 20 March 2024 (reference number FOI2023/23127), when his Department was told by the Israeli Foreign Ministry that that there were 80 British national lone soldiers in the Israeli Defence Forces.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The figure given in FOI2023/23127 was provided by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2023. However, this is not the number of British Nationals serving in the IDF, this is the number of British Nationals who immigrated on their own, in order to serve.
The Government does not make its own estimate of the numbers of UK citizens travelling to fight for the Israel Defence Force (IDF).
The UK recognises the right of British nationals with more than one nationality to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of their additional nationalities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he plans to take through the UN Security Council to improve the humanitarian situation of people in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government recognises the need to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis and welcomed the adoption of UNSCR 2720, which calls for expanded humanitarian access in Gaza, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
More recently, the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2728 on 25 March reflected international consensus behind the UK's position that we need an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid into Gaza, secure the release of hostages and make progress towards a permanent, sustainable ceasefire. We continue to use public and private diplomatic channels as well as multilateral fora to underline this.