Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of Sri Lankan (a) adult and (b) child refugees who are on the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Jesse Norman
There are 127 migrants, most of whom are Sri Lankan nationals, on the British Indian Ocean Territory. 25 are children.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what onward travel options his Department offers to migrants accommodated on Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Migrants on the British Indian Ocean Territory are not in detention and are free to leave at any time. The UK government has thus far assisted the voluntary return of over sixty migrants by plane to Sri Lanka. The UK government remains committed to supporting the departure of the migrants from the British Indian Ocean Territory, and to meeting its legal obligations to ensure that they are not at risk of persecution on return to their country of nationality.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much financial support her Department has provided to organisations based in (a) India, (b) Sri Lanka, (c) Nepal and (d) Afghanistan to help tackle hunger in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
In India, the FCDO provided £8.6 million in food assistance and basic nutrition support over 2016-2020, and is supporting the Samridhi Fund to invest in the farming sector and contribute to reducing hunger.
In Sri Lanka, the UK provides support as one of the largest donors to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). CERF provided food assistance through cash transfers to 21,788 people during the drought in 2017, and this year is supporting 22,034 people.
In Nepal, the UK's broad development programme contributes to reducing hunger through our humanitarian, nutrition, climate resilience and livelihoods work. For example, in 2020-21 the UK provided £5.28 million to support 204,296 women and children, including through a feeding programme.
Afghanistan remains one of the world's most severe food security crises. Over 2016-2020, the FCDO provided at least £50.3 million towards food assistance and basic nutrition, and has dispersed £159 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan since August 2021.
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 most recent assessment she has made of the political and security situation in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We continue to closely monitor the political, economic and security situation in Sri Lanka. The economic situation remains challenging, as inflation continues to increase, and there continues to be shortages of key goods. We welcome the news that the new Government of Sri Lanka has reached staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund. This is a positive and important first step to help the country of Sri Lanka recover.
We are in regular high level contact with the new Sri Lankan government on these issues, as well as others of mutual interest.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2022 to Question 40929 on Dogs: Imports, if he will publish a breakdown of the countries of origin of the dogs commercially imported into the UK from abroad in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Below are tables to show the countries of origin of commercial dog imports. The data for 2020 is for the UK, while the data for 2021 and 2022 (up to 31 August 2022) is for Great Britain only. We do not hold data for Northern Ireland for 2021 and 2022.
This information is drawn from external TRACES and IPAFF systems not directly controlled by the department.
Country Of Origin from EU 2020 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2020 |
Austria | Antigua and Barbuda |
Belgium | Argentina |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Finland | Brazil |
France | Canada |
Germany | Cayman Islands |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Egypt |
Italy | Ethiopia |
Latvia | French Polynesia |
Lithuania | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Poland | Israel |
Portugal | Japan |
Romania | Jordan |
Slovakia | Kenya |
Slovenia | Korea (South) |
Spain | Kuwait |
Sweden | Lebanon |
Switzerland | Macao |
| |
| Malawi |
| Malaysia |
| Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| North Macedonia |
| Oman |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Tajikistan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Turks and Caicos |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| Uruguay |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2021 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2021 |
Austria | Argentina |
Belgium | Australia |
Bulgaria | Bahamas |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czechia | Belarus |
Denmark | Bermuda |
Estonia | Brazil |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | China |
Greece | Colombia |
Hungary | Costa Rica |
Iceland | Ecuador |
Italy | Egypt |
Latvia | Ethiopia |
Lithuania | Guam |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Malta | India |
Netherlands | Indonesia |
Northern Ireland | Israel |
Norway | Jamaica |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Republic of Ireland | Kenya |
Romania | Kuwait |
Slovakia | Lebanon |
Slovenia | Macao |
Spain | Malawi |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Mozambique |
| Namibia |
| Nepal |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russian Federation |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Serbia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| South Korea |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| Ukraine |
| United Arab Emirates |
| United States of America |
| Viet Nam |
| Zimbabwe |
Country Of Origin from EU 2022 | Country Of Origin from Rest of World 2022 |
Austria | Albania |
Belgium | Algeria |
Bulgaria | Australia |
Croatia | Bahrain |
Cyprus | Barbados |
Czech Republic | Bermuda |
Denmark | Brazil |
Estonia | Brunei |
Finland | Canada |
France | Cayman Islands |
Germany | Chile |
Greece | China |
Hungary | Colombia |
Isle of Man | Costa Rica |
Ireland (Rep. of) | Dominican Republic |
Italy | Ecuador |
Latvia | Egypt |
Lithuania | Fiji |
Luxembourg | Hong Kong |
Netherlands | India |
Northern Ireland | Indonesia |
Norway | Israel |
Poland | Japan |
Portugal | Jordan |
Romania | Kenya |
Slovakia | Korea (South) |
Slovenia | Kuwait |
Spain | Lebanon |
Sweden | Malaysia |
Switzerland | Mauritius |
| Mexico |
| Namibia |
| New Zealand |
| Nigeria |
| Oman |
| Panama |
| Peru |
| Philippines |
| Qatar |
| Russia |
| Saint Lucia |
| Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore |
| South Africa |
| Sri Lanka |
| Taiwan |
| Thailand |
| Turkey |
| UAE |
| Uganda |
| Ukraine |
| USA |
| Vietnam |
| Zimbabwe |
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 potential merits of imposing sanctions on (a) the Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff, Shavendra Silva, and (b) other members of the Sri Lankan military.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We keep the situation in Sri Lanka under close review, including in relation to human rights and accountability. Within this, the government keeps under active consideration how to use the diplomatic tools we have including sanctions.
The UK's Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK Government a powerful mechanism to hold accountable those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses and to send a clear signal of the values we hold.
The UK Government continues to consider designations globally, guided by evidence and the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime; but it is not appropriate to speculate on potential future designations, in order to avoid reducing their impact.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance her Department is providing to help tackle climate change in (a) India, (b) Sri Lanka, (c) Nepal and (d) Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is fully committed to supporting all countries tackle the impacts of climate change.
We are partnering with India on its low carbon transition and on climate adaptation, accelerating investment in clean and resilient infrastructure, and mobilising regional and global climate action. For example, the Infrastructure for Climate Resilient Growth programme integrates climate risk and adaptation into social protection and has supported 1.4 million people so far to cope with the effects of climate change.
The UK's £500 million Blue Planet Fund supports countries, including Sri Lanka and India, to protect the marine environment and tackle climate issues.
The UK has committed over £350 million of climate support to Nepal in the past 5 years. The Climate Smart Development programme has improved the resilience of 700,000 poor and vulnerable people to floods, landslides, and droughts.
In Afghanistan, we have been supporting communities impacted by extreme climatic events through emergency humanitarian support through NGO and UN Partners.
At COP26, the UK launched Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) a 7-year, regional Indo-Pacific programme designed to strengthen climate resilience. The programme aims to mobilise climate finance, strengthen water security, conserve ecosystems and biodiversity, and help vulnerable communities lead local adaptation efforts, with up to £274 million spend. CARA will support countries across the Indo-Pacific, including India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide Sri Lanka with official overseas aid to help that country finance essential imports.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is providing support to Sri Lanka through multilateral institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and United Nations (UN). The World Bank (WB) has reprogrammed US$ 400 million in financial assistance to provide economic and health sector support to Sri Lanka. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has announced US$5 million for an urgent response to the economic crisis to support approximately 650,000 of the most vulnerable people in Sri Lanka. The UK is the largest overall donor to the CERF, contributing more than $1.7 billion to the fund since its inception fifteen years ago.
The Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, re-iterated the UK's support to Sri Lanka when he spoke to President Wickremesinghe on 23 July and Prime Minister Gunawardena on 16 August. We keep under review our response to the humanitarian needs of the Sri Lankan people.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK plans to put forward resolutions on Sri Lanka at the September session of the UNHRC regarding accountability for atrocities.
Answered by Vicky Ford
In March 2021, the UK Government and our Core Group partners led an ambitious new resolution (46/1) on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the January 2021 report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka. It keeps Sri Lanka firmly on the UNHRC agenda and requests continued and enhanced OHCHR reporting on the human rights situation and on accountability. Importantly, it also strengthened the capacity of OHCHR to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse information and evidence to support future accountability processes. We continue to make clear our human rights concerns in statements made to the UNHRC, most recently on 14 June 2022. We will work with our partners to maintain the UNHRC's focus on Sri Lanka in the future.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Sri Lanka following the announcement of President Rajapaksa's resignation.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK looks forward to working with Ranil Wickremesinghe following his election as President of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan parliament as part of a peaceful transition of power. We continue to call for a peaceful, democratic and inclusive approach to resolving the current political and economic challenges. In his recent call with Prime Minister Gunawardena on 16 August the Minister responsible for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, called on the Sri Lankan Government to build an inclusive consensus for the reforms necessary to bring Sri Lanka's economy back on a sustainable path. Lord Ahmad also discussed efforts to build a multi-party government with President Wickremesinghe on 23 July. We welcome the Sri Lanka Government's engagement with members of the opposition and we call for the ambitions and hopes of all citizens and communities to be listened to as Sri Lanka builds its future. We continue to engage with members of Sri Lankan civil society to encourage inclusive, peaceful and democratic solutions to Sri Lanka's ongoing challenges.