Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,601–1,620 of 1,717 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what preparations his Department is making for the Nutrition For Growth Summit in Paris in 2025.
The FCDO is looking forward to the 2025 Nutrition for Growth summit. FCDO officials have been working closely with French counterparts to build momentum in the lead up to the summit. The UK continues to champion the integration of improved nutrition outcomes alongside successes in other sectors - health, agriculture, humanitarian, and climate.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department made of the safety of travel to Trinidad and Tobago before issuing recent travel advice.
A factual update to FCDO Travel Advice for Trinidad & Tobago was made on 31 December 2024 and 14 January 2025 as a result of assessments made in the wake of the declaration of and extension of a state of emergency in response to gang-related violence. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is our overriding concern when determining our travel advice. The FCDO keeps travel advice under regular review.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to publish the independent development review.
The report is in the form of unpublished independent advice to the Foreign Secretary. A decision on how best to communicate the independent reviews' findings will be taken in due course by the Foreign Secretary.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to discuss the proposed treaty with Mauritius in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory with (a) the new US administration and (b) the Secretary of State for Defence.
We have been clear that this deal protects UK and US national security interests by ensuring the long-term effective operations of the base. However, given the importance of the base to the US, it is right that the new US Administration has the chance to consider the full agreement properly. We look forward to discussing the deal with them, which will include, of course, sharing the full detail of what has been agreed, including the detailed protections we have secured for the base for the next 99 years and beyond. We have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on this and other matters and will continue to do so.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals resident in areas of California affected by wildfires.
Firstly, I extend my sincere condolences to all those affected by the wildfires. We encourage British nationals in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas to follow the guidance of the local authorities for the latest advice and continue to check FCDO travel advice for information. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) does not hold information on the numbers of British Nationals affected by the wildfires as the UK Government does not require British nationals to register with the nearest British Embassy or High Commission when overseas. The FCDO stands ready to provide consular support to British nationals abroad 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to update the International Development Select Committee on the independent development review.
Plans to discuss the findings of the development review with the International Development Select Committee are currently being agreed.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department took to assess the safety of travel to countries bordering the Red Sea before issuing travel advice on diving and snorkelling in the travel advice on Egypt.
The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. FCDO travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals. These assessments are made by drawing on expert sources of information available to the government including local knowledge from our embassies, information provided by the local authorities in each country, and in some cases information gathered by the intelligence services. Travel Advice for Egypt was updated on 24 December 2024, following a review of incidents on dive boats involving British nationals in 2023/2024.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals in countries bordering the Red Sea.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not hold this information; the UK Government does not require British nationals to register with the nearest British Embassy or Consulate when overseas.
What assessment she has made of the potential implications of the number of asylum seekers entering the UK in December 2024 for (a) community cohesion and (b) the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers.
This government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Home Office has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. But this is not a permanent solution, and the small increase in the number in use at the end of last year was just a temporary but necessary step to manage pressures in the system, which is now in the process of being reversed.It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised. Any incident relating to security or community cohesion is reported to the Home Office immediately, so any necessary changes can be made as soon as possible.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19316 on Development Aid: Review, what progress he has made on consideration of the Development Review.
The Foreign Secretary has read the review in detail and is now considering the recommendations with myself and his officials.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19316 on Development Aid: Reviews, when he received the Development Review.
The Development Review was submitted to the Foreign Secretary alongside the Global Impact and Economic Diplomacy reviews at the end of 2024. Once the Foreign Secretary has considered their recommendations, he will consider how best to communicate the independent reviews' findings.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of an international investigation into the recent Azerbaijan Airlines crash.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident, including the family and friends of those who have died. We support Brazil, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in their work to ensure a comprehensive and independent investigation into the tragedy. My officials remain in close contact with officials in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19313 on BBC World Service: Foreign Relations, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the Soft Power Council.
The Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport have agreed to co-chair the Soft Power Council, and will host its first meeting on 15 January. A Written Ministerial Statement will be issued, setting out the Council's remit and membership.
Pursuant to her oral contribution of 12 December 2024, Official Report, column 1045, what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (b) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (c) other Cabinet colleagues on the west midlands pension fund.
As the Hon. Member will know from my correspondence with her, following the Business Question on the 12th December 2024, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the 20th December 2024 and asked that this matter be looked into.I understand that the Hon. Member has now received an update from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on this matter.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) engagement and (b) consultation he (i) has had and (ii) plans to have with parliamentarians on the treaty with Mauritius on the British Indian Ocean Territory.
As well as responding to numerous parliamentary and urgent questions regarding negotiations with Mauritius around the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) treaty. In December 2024 I met with the Chagos All party Parliamentary Group (APPG) where I briefed members of both houses on the deal. That month Baroness Chapman briefed Liberal Democrat Peers and Harriet Matthews, deputy chief negotiator for the BIOT treaty, briefed the Foreign Affairs Committee. In November 2024 the Foreign Secretary also appeared before the commons select committee on Foreign Affairs.Later this month I will be briefing the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories APPG where I will further answer questions around the treaty.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of accession by China to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership on his Department’s policies on UK-China relations.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) membership is open to all economies able to satisfy the Auckland Principles: preparedness to meet the agreement's high standards; a demonstrated pattern of complying with trade commitments; and recognition that decisions are dependent on the consensus of the CPTPP membership. Discussion among CPTPP members is progressing on how to take forward accessions. Until a decision is reached by CPTPP members on this, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of any other economies' interest in the agreement.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 18873 on Sudan: Humanitarian Aid, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Sierra Leone following the Russian veto of the UN Security Council Resolution on protecting civilians.
The Foreign Secretary spoke with his Sierra Leonean counterpart on 9 January. During their discussion, the UK and Sierra Leone agreed on the urgent need for a political solution to the conflict in Sudan to prevent more needless civilian deaths and a further spread of famine. We continue to work closely with the UN, regional stakeholders, and Council members, including Sierra Leone, to ensure the Council continues to support efforts towards peace in Sudan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 18873 on Sudan: Humanitarian Aid, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of civilians.
On 11 October 2023, the Human Rights Council adopted the UK-led 'Sudan Core Group' resolution to establish an independent and international Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to ensure the credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all sides are investigated impartially. The UK led lobbying for the renewal of the FFM mandate in October, which passed with an increased vote margin and support from two African states. The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court's active investigation into the situation in Darfur, including allegations of crimes committed since April 2023. This support has included the secondment of expert investigators to support the ICC's work in several countries.The UK is also funding the Sudan Witness project delivered by the Centre for Information Resilience, which gathers open-source evidence on harms against civilians and civilian infrastructure, with a view to future accountability efforts. As penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council, the UK co-led a protection of civilians resolution on Sudan with Sierra Leone in November, which was cynically vetoed by Russia. We continue to work with the UN, key regional stakeholders and Council members to ensure the Council continues to act in support of peace in Sudan.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department and (b) other Cabinet colleagues to reduce the amount of Overseas Development Assistance spent on asylum hotels.
The Home Secretary is committed to ensuring asylum costs fall and has already taken measures to reduce the backlog and will end the use of expensive hotel accommodation. We expect these plans to create more space in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to spend on our international development priorities overseas. In-donor refugee costs will be published in the provisional Statistics on International Development publication in Spring 2025. The first meeting of the re-established ODA Board, chaired by me and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, will focus on in-donor refugee costs.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory of his recent discussions with his counterpart in Mauritius.
Discussions between the UK and Mauritius on the future exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory remain ongoing. It is not appropriate to provide a running commentary on those discussions. We will continue to work closely with Mauritius to conclude a deal that is in both sides' shared interests.