Written questions by Sobel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Moroccan Ambassador on the recent occupation of further territory in Western Sahara.

Officials regularly meet and discuss with our Moroccan partners, in addition to regional and international partners, on the issue of Western Sahara. The UK continues to support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara and the UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law, and we will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Germany, (b) France, (c) Italy and (d) the US on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik's sentence, the UK Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and other officials have repeatedly engaged with our Quint partners (Germany, France, Italy and US, plus EU and NATO), to discuss the situation and develop a forward-leaning response. I, along with the UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, have also worked with our allies, the High Representative and BiH leaders to underline our support for BiH's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On 10 March, I spoke with BiH Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic to reaffirm the UK's support for BiH, the rule of law, and the Dayton Peace Agreement. We will continue to work with our international partners to support BiH in tackling these most recent threats to its stability.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken as a member of the Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In response to recent secessionist moves by the Republika Srpska leadership, we have worked with our Peace Implementation Council (PIC) partners and the High Representative to support local actors in their robust response, and to protect Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) institutions from attempts to undermine them. On 10 March, I spoke with BiH Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic to reaffirm the UK's support for BiH, the rule of law, and the Dayton Peace Agreement. The UK Ambassador to BiH and our Special Envoy to the Western Balkans have similarly engaged with the High Representative and PIC partners to address the situation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much overseas aid funding his Department disbursed to (a) the Kenyan government and (b) Kenyan civil society organisations in financial year (i) 2022-2023 and (ii) 2023-2

In 2022 and 2023, Kenya featured within the top ten recipient countries for UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA). In 2022/23 we spent £45 million of bilateral ODA in Kenya. In 2023/24, this figure increased to £48 million of bilateral ODA. O...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating confiscated proceeds from (a) sanctions breaches and (b) penalties for (i) human rights and (ii) humanitar

His Majesty's Government is committed to clamping down on sanctions offenders and takes action in all cases where it is appropriate to do so. Fines issued for breaching sanctions are absorbed into HMG's overall budget. The Government assesses that it is f...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to increase resources for enforcement agencies to (a) investigate and (b) prosecute complex sanctions evasion schemes.

A range of Departments have responsibility for the enforcement of UK sanctions, including the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, Department for Transport and HM Treasury. Resourcing is decided by those Departments and their agencies in conjun...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help ensure and (b) verify that funding provided to governments in (i) Uganda, (ii) Kenya and (iii) other countries in sub-Saharan

The FCDO has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, fraud, and misuse of UK development funding. We continually assess the impact of our ODA programming to ensure that it is delivered in a transparent manner with funding used for its intended purpo...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had (a) meetings and (b) other discussions with (i) The Good Law Project and (ii) other campaigning groups on judicial independence and the rule of law in Keny

Whilst we have not held discussions with the Good Law Project, the FCDO has engaged with various groups to discuss judicial independence and the rule of law in Kenya. As part of this the British High Commission Nairobi has had regular engagements with the...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations on allegations of (a) corruption, (b) police killings, (c) disappearances, (d) torture and (e) attempts to suppress the right to protest i

The Foreign Secretary engages the Kenya Government on the importance of tackling corruption. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary discussed the Open Government Partnersh...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent (a) meetings or (b) other discussions with human rights NGOs on reports of human rights abuses in Kenya following protests in that country.

The British High Commission Nairobi regularly engages with human rights organisations in Kenya. In November 2024, the High Commissioner attended the 2024 UN Human Rights Defenders Awards alongside the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Kenya and...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring frozen Russian assets held in the UK to support the underwriting of insurance for Ukrainian projects.

This Government is clear that Russia must be held responsible for its illegal war. That includes its obligations under international law to pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Working with allies, we continue to pursue all possible lawful further...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the safety of the opposition leaders in Uganda.

The British High Commission in Uganda regularly advocates for the protection of democratic freedoms and respect for human rights enshrined in Uganda's constitution and has raised the issue of opposition parties being able to campaign safely with the Gover...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the current political situation in Uganda.

The UK works with the Government of Uganda on a range of shared interests including trade, development, humanitarian support and regional security. We engage as a critical friend, and regularly raise concerns about governance and human rights issues with ...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indonesian counterpart on the human rights situation in West Papua.

The Foreign Secretary and have raised concerns publicly about reports of human rights abuses during the protests in Bangladesh. We have urged an end to the violence and stressed the need for the right to assemble peacefully and express different political views to be protected.We continue to engage with the Bangladesh government including the Foreign Secretary on the importance of respect for human rights.