Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help support the Haitian Government access Covid-19 vaccines.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is working with our G7 partners to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 by the end of 2022. We are one of the largest donors to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which supports access to COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low and middle-income countries, including Haiti. Our £548 million commitment will support the COVAX AMC to deliver up to 1.8 billion doses to these countries in the course of 2022.
The UK is one of the largest donors to the international response for the COVID-19 pandemic. We have committed up to £1.4 billion of direct UK aid to address the impacts of the pandemic and to help end it as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Haitian Government in respect of its investigation into the assassination of President Moise.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Haitian Government have not requested our assistance with the investigation and in accordance with our commitment to Haitian sovereignty and independence we are not rendering unsolicited support. It is extremely regrettable that the perpetrators of the assassination of President Moïse have not yet been brought to justice. This abhorrent act undermined the Haitian people's right to determine their own future democratically.
The UK continues to use our platform both in country and at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to support the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Haiti, Helen Meagher La Lime and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, BINUH, in their ongoing diplomatic engagement with, and support to, the Haitian authorities and civil society.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her Haitian counterpart on gang-related violence in that country.
Answered by Vicky Ford
I have not met with the Haitian Government's Foreign Minister to discuss the increase in criminal activity. However FCDO officials, including HM Ambassador to Haiti, have met with senior Haitian Government officials to discuss their response to the proliferation of violence. These meetings occur regularly, the last of which was held on 17 June.
The continued deterioration of the security and human rights situation in Haiti is deeply abhorrent. We are aware of an increase in kidnappings, indiscriminate criminal violence, and instances of human trafficking.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government is providing assistance to Haiti in the context of reports that at least eight inmates have starved to death at an overcrowded prison.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We are aware of the reports of fatalities from malnutrition in a prison facility in Les Cayes, Haiti. These tragedies are rooted in the economic and health crises experienced in Haiti. They have been compounded by the devastating earthquake last year, and by the rise in global food prices resulting from Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, routes in and out of Port-Au-Prince, which may be used to transport supplies, are obstructed by an increase in criminal activity.
Through our support to the United Nations (and other international organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations) we are providing assistance to the Haitian Government to address systemic in-country issues - including chronic hunger that impacts over 4.7million Haitians.
We encourages all actors to work constructively to find solutions to the causes of these crises, and to support recovery and progress for the Haitian people.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Dominican Republic counterpart regarding reports of plans to build a wall between that country and Haiti.
Answered by Vicky Ford
No minister or official within the FCDO has discussed the issue of a wall with counterparts in the Dominican Republic. We will continue to encourage all actors to work constructively and cooperatively with the Haitian and Dominican Republic authorities to find solutions to issues of concern to both sides.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK is supporting the work of the Core Group in Haiti.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by the political, social and humanitarian landscape in Haiti, and the entrenchment of the problems faced by the Haitian population. The complex challenges faced by Haiti can only be resolved by unified support for Haitian-led solutions.
We welcome efforts underway to secure political consensus and join the international community, including the Core Group, in calling upon all political actors to work constructively in support of a peaceful, democratic solution for the Haitian people.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to signing up to the “Peace Dividend Campaign”.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The first responsibility of Government is to protect its citizens.
Defence is one of a full spectrum of levers that we routinely use - alongside diplomatic, intelligence, economic, legal and strategic communication tools. For example, Defence continues to play a direct role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, most recently through ongoing Royal Navy support to the international disaster relief efforts following the tsunami in Tonga; and last year providing a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to assist the US humanitarian aid mission in Haiti. Our Armed Forces are also always ready to respond to requests to support civil authorities, and from vaccine supply logistics to front line medical support they have played a critical role in supporting the response to the COVID pandemic.
We must stay ahead of the increasingly complex threats to our people and allies by investing in, rather than cutting, defence budgets. That is why we are increasing defence spending by over £24 billion over the next four years.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current (1) political, and (2) security, situation in Haiti; and what assessment they have made of reports of an increase in (a) gang-related violence, (b) strikes, and (c) mass protests, in Port-au-Prince.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation in Haiti and the impact this is having on both the Haitian people and attempts to return to political stability following the assassination of President Moise. We are closely following developments. We encourage all actors to work in cooperation with the international community and the United Nations to tackle these serious challenges. The UK continues to use our platform both in country and at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to support the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Haiti, Helen Meagher La Lime and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, BINUH, in their ongoing diplomatic engagement with, and support to, the Haitian authorities and civil society.
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 recent assessment she has made of the availability of fuel in Haiti.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation in Haiti and the impact this is having on the Haitian people. We are closely following developments, including on fuel availability. The UK supports the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN Special Political Mission, BINUH, in their ongoing diplomatic engagement with the Haitian authorities. We continue to use our platform both in country and at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to call for credible and transparent elections as soon as technically feasible, to ensure Haiti is governed by strong democratic institutions chosen by the Haitian people.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 her US counterpart on the (a) impact of the earthquake in Haiti in August 2021 on that country and its residents and (b) response effort to that earthquake.
Answered by Wendy Morton
Following the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti on 14 August, the UK provided £1m of assistance to supply over 3,800 shelter and hygiene kits which are helping 1,300 families; boosting the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) and the UN's coordination efforts; and providing food vouchers for up to 15,000 families by the end of November. In September 2021, the Prime Minister spoke to Vice-President Kamala Harris and discussed both the impact of the earthquake and the response effort.
Our support was in addition to our significant contributions to the UN, the Red Cross and the Start fund. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight was deployed offshore from Haiti until 29 August, supporting the US humanitarian response by serving as a landing pad for US helicopters. Our combined military efforts resulted in 671 missions, saving 477 lives and the delivery of over 260,000 kilograms of aid. The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), of which the UK is a founding donor, has agreed a pay out of approximately $40 million. We will continue to monitor the situation.