Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Russia's threat of a military response following the UK's provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK provided long range, precision strike conventional weapons so that the Armed Forces of Ukraine may better defend themselves in Ukraine.
The granting of Storm Shadow was in response to Russia's continued brutality and deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, and it will help Ukraine restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow is the business of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and has successfully put pressure on Russian forces.
The UK, along with other allies, is providing a range of equipment to Ukraine to help it counter Russia's illegal and unprovoked aggression, on the understanding that it will be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to support the UK nuclear industry to increase exports.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has extensive expertise across the nuclear life cycle, from new build, fuel to decommissioning and waste management.
The Department recognises the export potential offered by a growing global market and is working closely with other government departments, our overseas network, and industry to offer a full range of support for UK civil nuclear exports across markets including Japan, France, Central Europe and Ukraine.
This includes UK Export Finance, who can consider a range of options to support overseas sales, including loan guarantees for foreign buyers, working capital, insurance, and bond support products to assist UK suppliers.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to continue Operation Interflex beyond September 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We continually assess how we can improve our training offer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Operation INTERFLEX remains our main training effort in support of Ukraine and, together with 12 partner nations, we have trained over 39,000 Ukrainian personnel since June 2022. The UK is committed to working with partners to meet Ukraine's training requirements now and in the future.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safe and legal routes to the UK are available for (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers as of 8 May 2024.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We operate global refugee resettlement schemes, including the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and community sponsorship. We also run Displaced Talent Mobility Initiatives which help displaced populations to access a Skilled Worker visa.
We have country specific schemes which were established in response to international crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Hong Kong.
For asylum seekers, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules that allows a person to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those in need of immediate protection should take the fastest route to safety and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the UK has imported fertiliser from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
In March 2022, the UK introduced additional duties of 35% on Russian fertilisers, excluding urea which is subject to a tariff of 6%. In July 2022, the UK also introduced bans on certain kinds of fertiliser.
HMRC data shows that UK imports of fertiliser from Russia in 2023 were down 80% compared to 2022 import values, demonstrating the impact of sanctions and additional tariffs.
We will continue to apply pressure, and coordinate with our international partners to do so, until Ukraine prevails or Putin ends his war of choice.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) provide funding for and (b) otherwise support the Ukrainian government to (i) investigate, (ii) arrest and (iii) prosecute Russian military (A) commanders and (B) personnel involved in the deployment of (1) choking and (2) other illegal chemical agents.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Russia's use of chemicals as a method of warfare in Ukraine is a breach of its obligations under the UN Chemical Weapons Convention. The UK has provided Ukraine with assistance against potential chemical attacks, including medical countermeasures and protection. We have supported the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to assist Ukraine to detect the use of chemicals on the battlefield.
We have provided £6.2 million of capacity-building support to Ukraine's domestic work to document, investigate, and prosecute war crimes. Since 2022, we have provided £2.3 million in additional contributions to the International Criminal Court, in addition to our £13.2 million annual budget contribution for 2024.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to support the local delivery of humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Since February 2022, the UK Government has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region. This includes work with Ukrainian partners, sustaining vital humanitarian assistance across Ukraine. The UK has provided £31 million to the UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, with over 31% of UHF funding going directly to Ukrainian organisations, and have supported projects with Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Mercy Corps and Non-Violent Peace Force to support Ukrainian humanitarian civil society to deliver assistance to communities affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to maintain international support for (a) humanitarian aid and (b) reconstruction in Ukraine.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are working with international partners, including the G7, to ensure continued support for aid and reconstruction in Ukraine. The UK is a leading bilateral donor - £4.7 billion in humanitarian and economic support. During his recent visit, the Foreign Secretary reiterated that Ukraine remains a top priority and launched negotiations with Ukraine on a 100 Year Partnership - a new agreement that will build enduring links between the UK and Ukraine across the spectrum of trade, security and defence cooperation, science and tech, education and culture. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in June will be a key political moment to signal international solidarity and drive progress on Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction, where we will build on the success of the London URC in June 2023, which saw over $60 billion raised for Ukraine's recovery.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that chemicals that can be used in the manufacture of choking agents are (a) tracked and (b) not sent to Russia.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
We have sanctioned the export of all chemicals and biochemicals of concern to Russia.
This is in addition to our existing export controls, which already restrict the export of certain chemicals, pathogens and toxins.
Sanctions and export controls are impacting Russia’s economy and depriving its military of key components, and we are going further by extending our capabilities..
My department has recently announced the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) to strengthen enforcement and support industry compliance.
We are also working closely with Ukraine and international partners to coordinate efforts to thwart Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions to gain access to technology to support its invasion.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that all Ukrainian organisations in receipt of overseas development assistance train all staff to be able to identify indicators of (a) modern slavery and (b) human trafficking.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is committed to eradicating modern slavery and human trafficking. In Ukraine, as well as other countries currently hosting millions of refugees from Ukraine, we are working closely with delivery partners to protect the most vulnerable from the risks of modern slavery. The UK has committed £357 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region since the start of the invasion, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls. We are providing life-saving assistance, including targeted gender-based violence services, legal support and crisis accommodation to help tackle safeguarding concerns and trafficking risks.