Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and The Weald)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to help increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We trebled our aid commitment in the last financial year and are doing everything we can to get more aid in as quickly as possible by land, sea and air.
Israel has committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing.
The UK has long urged Israel to take these steps and welcomes these commitments, and we have urged Israel to deliver on implementation. The Foreign Secretary discussed this with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on 17 April. We are resolved that the international community will work with Israel to see these vital changes fully implemented.
We have announced £3 million of additional funding for equipment to support UN and aid agencies at new and existing land crossings to get more aid into Gaza. The UK's contribution will include trucks, forklifts, generators, fuel stores and lighting towers.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on antimicrobial resistance ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on that matter.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Government wants an ambitious outcome at the High-Level Meeting in September – one that works for everyone, including low and middle-income countries, where the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is felt most heavily. I made this point at the UK-Africa Health Summit on 18 March, and the Foreign Secretary raised AMR at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting on 21 February.
Asked by: Michael Shanks (Labour - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of conflicts resulting from global food insecurity.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Hunger has many causes, but conflict is a major driver and amplifier behind ten of the largest food crises in the past year. In turn, competition for resources such as land, food and water contribute to instability. Our Development White Paper sets out our vision, combining efforts in development, diplomacy and security, to both reduce food insecurity and tackle conflict.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the potential recognition of a Palestinian state.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As we have made clear, recognition of a Palestinian state can’t come at the beginning of the process, but it doesn’t have to come at the end. We reiterate our commitment to making progress towards a two-state solution, in which a safe and secure Israel lives alongside a sovereign, viable Palestinian state. We must start with fixing the immediate crisis in Gaza. We are intensely engaging with international, including European and regional, partners to this end.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to strengthen partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I, and Ministers across Government, are continually engaging with countries in the region to strengthen our partnerships in line with the Integrated Review Refresh. Our approach has achieved significant success, most recently we signed a strategic partnership roadmap with Thailand, becoming the first European country to do so.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he is taking to support peace and human rights in Colombia.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
During my visit to Colombia in March, I [Minister Rutley] met with Vice Foreign Minister Coy and discussed our ongoing support for peace and stability in Colombia. Since 2016, the UK has committed £80 million towards supporting the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement and improving the security and the human rights situation.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, when he last reviewed the legal status of the conflict in Western Sahara.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon receives reports on the Western Sahara. Officials regularly meet and consult with international partners to discuss the issue of Western Sahara, including those from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), the UN, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, and the broader international community.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart on (a) the preservation of Christian religious sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, (b) regulations on religious practice and (c) other protections for Christians from repression and intimidation in that country.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches and other sites of religious significance in both Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of their long-running conflict. The UK is committed to standing up for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) globally. British Embassies in Yerevan and Baku have raised the need to protect such sites with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments consistently and at the most senior levels.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in (a) the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and (b) Cyprus on the potential merits of introducing direct flights from UK airports to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. Under the Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus may designate Cypriot airports for international flights. It has not done so for Ercan airport. As such, it is not possible to fly directly between the UK and the north of Cyprus. Ministers have not discussed this topic with the Cypriot government or Turkish Cypriot administration. The FCDO does not hold data on arrivals to Ercan airport.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what data his Department holds on the number of UK nationals that entered the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus through Ercan International Airport in Northern Cyprus in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" as an independent state. Under the Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus may designate Cypriot airports for international flights. It has not done so for Ercan airport. As such, it is not possible to fly directly between the UK and the north of Cyprus. Ministers have not discussed this topic with the Cypriot government or Turkish Cypriot administration. The FCDO does not hold data on arrivals to Ercan airport.